Indoors Review By Team

Cal Lutheran - The Kingsmen did worse than their worst case scenario. Not good. Their 1-2-3 punch turned out to be a 1-2 punch. Player to watch Ray Worley didn't do what he needed to do this weekend, and he needs to win for this team to be good. You can't get it done with only 2 players. A bright spot was Justin Wilson who I would suspect may move to the #3 spot in the coming weeks. I'm not sure where the Kingsmen will drop to in the rankings, but whatever it is, they need to worry about even making NCAAs. With only 6 spots available, I'm thinking the cutoff will be 13 or 14 and they may very well be out of the NCAA tournament when the next rankings come out. This team was demoralized after their first match and things hit them so fast. They went from thinking they would be in the semis to being down 3-0 to NCW in the 7th place match in a 24-hour span. 1 of 2 things will happen: either they will go in the tank and decide they just aren't that good this season, or they will go home and train harder and remember that they still have 13 ranked teams to play this season. The team is still there, they just need to get their heads on straight. Weekend MVP is clearly Nick Ballou because without him they wouldn't have been competitive at all in this tournament. He went 5-1 on the weekend. Their next real test is this Saturday when they take on conference rival Pomona-Pitzer in what amounts to a must win match for the Kingsmen.

NC Wesleyan - They didn't do what they wanted, but at least they got a win. The Bishops know what level they need to be to compete with the top 10 teams in the country and at the moment I see them just on the outskirts of the top 10. They need to go work on their doubles because even though they have an excellent singles lineup top to bottom, they will never do anything if they can't play doubles. I thought taking a point from Trinity was a huge step for them in doubles and then they saw how easy life is after you sweep doubles when they played against CLU. Like I said, I expected something from them in the Wash U match and got nothing, which was disappointing to see. They aren't quite there yet, but they are slowly making progress. Weekend MVP for them is freshman Robert Kielberg who went 4-0 for them in their last two matches including huge doubles wins at #1 over Trinity and Cal Lu. He certainly looks like a promising player for a young Bishops team. Looking ahead, they don't have much until 1 month from today when they take on Hopkins in North Carolina. This is a huge match when it comes to NCAA seeding and hosting as well as a confidence boost for both teams. They solidified their place as a heavy favorite in the USA South and now need to focus their efforts on getting a high ranking and nice NCAA regional.

Mary Washington - A great tournament for the hosts as they did exactly what they needed to do this weekend and that was get a win. They came into the tournament ranked 12 spots below the lowest team and will leave the tournament most likely ranked in the top 15. This was a massive weekend for a team that has been struggling for the better part of the last 2 years and I can't say enough about their fight and effort on Saturday. Todd Helbling does a great job with this program and they should leave this tournament feeling really good about their potential this season. They have an excellent mix of youth and experience and have a complete lineup with a strong #1 in Player To Watch Sam Wichlin supplemented by a deep supporting cast. I have to give weekend MVP to Kevin Aquino who was huge in the Cal Lu match for them. He wasn't all that great in the other 2 matches, but he generated 2 points in their lone win including a come from behind doubles win and the deciding match at 4-4. Looking ahead, the Eagles leave for California and will have 2 important matches out there against Pomona-Pitzer and Redlands. These are 2 matches I expect the Eagles to win and they are matches the Eagles should win if this is actually a top 15 team. Mary Wash still has a lot of work to do as far as getting back to where they were, but this weekend was a large step in the right direction for a program that needed a boost.

Trinity (TX) - Because of their history at this tournament, I didn't expect a ton from the Tigers and I didn't get much. I'll make a few things very clear and I think everyone knows this including them. The Tigers went 5-4 in doubles this weekend. If they continue to play like this, they won't do anything this season and they may not break the top 10. Cory Kowal went 0-6 this weekend. If he can't get wins, they aren't doing anything this season either. As I've stressed several times before, this is a team that gets better as the season progresses and it looks like this season will be the same. A bright spot for the Tigers was freshman Greg Haugen who has 3-0 at the #5 singles spot against 3 very strong opponents. Although he doesn't play doubles, he played a huge role for the Tigers this weekend. I think it's a bit premature for Coach McMindes to mess with his doubles lineup, but he may want to have a second look at his singles lineup, the bottom half in particular. My weekend MVP for the Tigers is sophomore Erick Delafuente who went 5-1 in the weekend including 3-0 in doubles. As shaky as the Tigers doubles was, the 2 team of Frey/Delafuente was incredible, dropping 6 games in 3 matches and cementing themselves as the best 2 team in the country. The #1 team is a completely different team when they are in a dual match versus individual competition and 0-3 is unacceptable for a team that won ITA nationals. They need to find their form if the Tigers want to be a top 8 team this year. The next big match for Trinity will be at the Stag-Hen where they have a tricky opener against Pomona-Pitzer and a probable semifinal date with Emory.

Carnegie Mellon - The positives outweigh the negatives for CMU. They came into this tournament knowing what they had to do and they got the job done. I wasn't sure where the wins would come from, but they stepped up when they needed to against Cal Lu and pushed a definite top 8 team in Cruz. They beat a team ranked ahead of them and should take over the #7 spot in the ITA rankings. The first match was the one they needed so they didn't have to deal with playing teams ranked below them in the consolation. I really can't give them much criticism because they finished in the top half of the tournament. Looking at the negatives, Player To Watch Bobby Mactaggart went 0-6 on the weekend and he will really need to pick up his play if they want to end up with a top seed in their regional. I don't think this team is quite good enough to win if he's not producing wins. They went 3-6 in doubles and from recent memory Coach Girard hasn't gone through a whole season without switching his doubles teams, so I would expect changes within the next month if they continue to lose. Weekend MVP is Duke Miller despite his 2-4 overall record. He got a huge win against Cruz and won the deciding match against Cal Lu versus a player he wasn't expected to beat. CMU needs to rebound quickly because they have a huge match against Kenyon on Saturday on the road. This is a big rivalry and will test CMU to see if they belong on the top 8.

Santa Cruz - Coach Hansen isn't happy unless Cruz takes home first place, so despite having a solid weekend, the Slugs will probably go home thinking about a squandered opportunity. They had a good weekend and it seems as though they patched up their holes nicely from last year. The loss to Wash U was disappointing, but other than that they beat 2 very good teams in tight matches that were both great learning experiences. I think what we do know is that this team needs some serious training if they want to beat CMS this year, who looks to be about the level of Emory. The days of Cruz winning consistent national titles are probably over, but they are certainly still a top 8 teams and potentially a top 5 team. The Slugs played like they always do this weekend, going 5-4 in doubles and showing a ton of heart in all of their singles wins. Weekend MVP for Cruz is definitely Brian Pybas who went 4-2 on the weekend including 3-1 against Trinity and Wash U. Another bright spot for Cruz was their #3 doubles team of Ian Stanley and Eric Rosner who went 3-0 in their matches against 3 solid team and could be in the conversation for best 3 team in the country at the moment. Looking ahead, Cruz hosts Redlands in 3 weeks in what should be a win and then they have a brutal 2 week stretch at the end of March. They will need to be in phenomenal shape to get through all those matches especially since they aren't that deep.

Wash U - A great tournament for the Bears. We weren't sure how they would respond losing 2 key starters and not really bringing in anyone for this year, but they played great tennis start to finish and I was particularly impressed with their doubles. They had a very tricky first round, but I speak time and time again about their discipline and they showed it in all 3 matches. I didn't expect them to be as strong as they were this weekend, but they proved me wrong and showed they could easily end the year in the top 5 and make a 4th straight Final 4 appearance. I don't know if any other team had such a complete team effort throughout the tournament as the Bears ended up going 7-2 in doubles and all 3 spots won at least 2 matches, with the #2 team winning all of their matches. Weekend MVP for the Bears goes to Kareem Farah who went 6-0 on the weekend including 3 dominating doubles performances. I really think the Bears are even at the 4 through 6 spots, so whoever ends up at 6 should be one of the best in the country at his position. That being said, they got wins at 4 against Cruz and NCW, so I wouldn't really call it a weak spot. I know Wash U's focus every year is winning the UAA and beating Emory, and I think they may need a doubles sweep to do it as we saw from Sunday's result. It's certainly not impossible and history is on Wash U's side in this regard. The Bears won't be in D3 action for a month when they travel to Texas to take on Cruz, CMS and Trinity (TX) in what should be an amazing 3 days of tennis.

Emory - This was pretty predictable. The Eagles dropped 5 total points in 3 matches and even though Wash U gave them a scare, they showed they were the best team at this tournament by quite a bit. Pretty much anyone in the country will need to win 5 of 7 matches against the Eagles because with Pottish and Goodwin on their team, it's almost 2-0 before the match starts. Everyone knows you have to get Emory in doubles, and the Eagles doubles was very good but not great this weekend. They were somewhat lucky to not get swept against Wash U and I could see them getting swept by other teams later this spring. If the Eagles can get a point on the board, they are a clear favorite against anyone in the country and I am really looking forward to seeing them take on Amherst and CMS eventually. This 2011 team is very focused and will work very hard to try to bring home their first national title in 5 years. Weekend MVP and tournament MVP is definitely Chris Goodwin who went 6-0 in the weekend, including 2 big wins at #1 doubles against strong teams. After seeing the Eagles results this weekend, I think they are as good as anyone in the country. They won't be tested again until March 10th against Redlands and they will use this as a warm-up for the Stag-Hen when they have a probable semifinal date with Trinity (TX) and a possible final against CMS on the Stags home courts. This will be a real test for Emory and we will see how tough they really are during this California trip.

National Indoors Recap and Thoughts

Day One

One morning match lived up to its expectations and the other didn't. To begin, NCW doesn't know how to play good doubles, and you can't win big matches against good teams unless you bring a ton of energy in doubles. I really expected NCW to hang in this match, and they did in singles, but doubles was a blowout from the beginning. I talked about this in the preview; if Wash U jumps out to an early lead they will never look back and this is exactly what happened. Impressive match from Adam Putterman to lead the Bears in singles and all but seal the match against a strong player in Rumyantsev. The second match lived up to the hype, but the doubles results surprised me. Brian Pybas took over this match and won it for the Slugs. I think the difference in this match was simple: Bob Hansen. The Tigers were turning the match when the score was 3-2 Cruz and Trinity led 5-2 in the 3rd at #6 singles. Hansen has seen this a million times and was able to calm his freshman down and have him come back for the win. One thing I want to mention, and before I say it I will also mention that I don't watch Trinity practice every day so I don't know the ins and outs of their program. A couple weeks ago, I questioned why Trinity had two very capable upperclassmen on the bench for singles in favor of having freshmen in the lineup. This backfired on them and I have a feeling they may be doing some tinkering with their singles lineup after this weekend. Cruz used their Indoors experience to continue their domination of Trinity and extend the Tigers 1st round losing streak to 6. Cruz moves on to the semi after a real battle to take on Wash U. Just like the preview, not too much to say about Emory and Mary Washington. Emory took it to Mary Wash early and never let them feel like they had a chance. A good effort by most of the Mary Wash guys in singles to hang with superior opponents. Emory looked dominant as always, but it was hard to tell exactly how good they were. The other afternoon match was definitely the match of the tournament between CMU and CLU. Both teams switched up their doubles teams prior to the match and put all of their eggs in the #2 doubles basket. I thought it was interesting that both coaches had similar thinking, it's almost like they discussed it beforehand. CMU came out with a much needed win at #2 doubles which swung the match in their favor. I vastly overestimated the abilities of Ray Worley after his great fall results, he didn't really show up this weekend. An awesome job by CMU's bottom of the lineup as they got the job done. CMU showed a lot of heart that we hadn't seen from them in past years and they deserved the win after pulling out 3 3-setters. The loser of this match could sense they were in trouble the next morning having to come back to play 11 hours later.

Day Two

I was looking forward to both morning matches. I thought NCW-Trinity had the potential to be a thriller. NCW got the point they needed in doubles with a win at #1 that nobody saw coming. I will discuss Trinity's doubles in the team recaps. The singles were all highly contested, and the fact is for all the talent NCW has, they are still undisciplined and a bit rough around the edges when it comes to mental toughness. For the Tigers to pull out 2 close 3-setters to win the match means they were the tougher team mentally. Trinity's doubles still weren't where they needed to be, but props to the Tigers for really getting the job done in singles, because if you would have told me before the match it would be 2-1 heading into singles, I probably would have picked NCW. CLU is tough to beat if they get 2 of the doubles, but they couldn't do it against UMW after blowing a big lead at #2. When Mary Wash came back from 7-3, this turned the match and threw the momentum to the Eagles. The person who had a chance to stop it was Ray Worley and he couldn't bounce back from the night before. UMW won in the identical spots to CMU the night before, putting CLU's weaknesses on display. This was a devastating loss for CLU, but I completely understand why it happened. Credit to UMW, but I'm going to say that if CLU played UMW on Friday and hadn't lost that match the night before, the Kingsmen would beat UMW. Todd Helbling should write a thank you note to Andrew Girard for making his team's tournament. Cal Lu was reeling and we saw that at night.

Not much to say about Emory-CMU, it's clear what happened. When CMU didn't get a point in doubles, they decided to go into tank and save it for the next day. Their #6 guy didn't get the message though and credit to Jooho Yu for getting a point to make the score look a little better. I understand why they did it, seeing a long, grinding match on the other 3 courts and not wanting to fight in an eventual losing effort especially when you had an emotional win the night before. A bright spot for Emory that they went 6-0 in doubles against two solid teams. 3 of the 12 matches this weekend came down to the last match and this was another one of them. Cruz needed to get on top in doubles and they couldn't do it. Pybas was unable to take over this match and credit to Wash U's top doubles teams for getting the job done. I think what happened was Wash U showed their outstanding depth and their talent just outdoes Cruz's talent. Pybas and Koenig kept the Slugs in the match and Sam Rodgers made things interesting, but I don't think there was much mystery about Wash U eventually winning this match when heading into singles. Their strengths showed, but they really won this match by getting 2 of the 3 doubles points. Against top 10 teams, Cruz is in trouble if they only get 1 doubles match.

These night matches are tough to play and we saw that in the NCW-CLU match. I found it interesting that these 2 both came in thinking they could win the tournament and the found themselves in the 7th place match. The Kingsmen had absolutely no heart in this match and understandably so. Worley had to be demoralized and this showed in singles and doubles. Credit to NCW for capitalizing on the opportunity and salvaging a win from this disappointing tournament. They played well enough to win a match and they got their chance. The Kingsmen will go home and have to do some hard thinking about what they want from this season. Mary Wash was able to keep themselves in the 5th place match with a win at #1 doubles, but a more talented Trinity team won this routinely as I would expect. The Eagles made them work which is all you can ask and Trinity's strong doubles propelled them to an eventual victory. The Eagles didn't have quite enough talent to capitalize on the Tigers weaknesses, but Wichlin played a fantastic match winning doubles and beating Frey in a tough 3-setter.

Day Three

A rematch of last year's first round between Cruz and CMU turned out to be a very good match and showed me that CMU is the real deal this year. After the first two days, all they had to show was a win over Cal Lu who finished last and a subpar effort against Emory. Playing a tough 5-4 with Cruz in which they had a chance to take a 4-2 lead in the overall match shows me that they are just as good as they were last year. Again, Hansen's ability to get his players through tough matches proved to be the difference. An upset by Nemerov over Pybas made this match interesting after Cruz took 2 doubles points just like they did last year. The turning point was #4 singles where CMU had a 4-1 lead in the 3rd set and couldn't close it out. The Slugs leave knowing they have a lot of work to do if they want to compete in the West this year. They play Trinity again in 6 weeks so we will see how they've progressed.

Wash U and Emory is hands down the best rivalry in D3. Every time these 2 get together it's unpredictable and this match was the same day. Wash U led early in doubles on all 3 courts and I had a feeling they would need to get that sweep if they wanted to get this win. My tournament MVP Chris Goodwin kept Emory in this match, winning at both of his spots and preventing the sweep. Pottish and Goodwin are just too tough at the top and too much for Wash U to handle. They both only dropped 6 games and neither dropped a set during the tournament. It's tough to win if you are Wash U because you've got to get 5 of the 7 remaining points and that's no easy task against a team with Emory's depth. An unsung hero for Emory this weekend was Nick Szczurek, who put Emory in control of this match with a routine win at #4 singles against a more experienced opponent. Roger Follmer has to have nightmares about Colin Egan as he clinched the 2nd match in a row between these 2. Wash U is going to have a tough time beating Emory this season, but history from the past 3 years shows they should win the UAA tournament. Emory now evens their record against Wash U at Indoors to 2-2 over the past 4 years. The Eagles bring home a well deserved 1st place trophy back to Atlanta.

National Indoors Preview: Full Tournament Predictions

Consolation Semifinals

Mary Washington vs. Carnegie Mellon - If UMW is going to win a match, it's going to be this one. I just don't think they have the firepower to beat anyone at this tournament. It really depends which Eagles team shows up. It could be the team that lost to CMU 5-4 last year or the team that lost to Tyler 5-3 last year. CMU has too many tough players. Tartans 6-3.

Trinity (TX) vs. NC Wesleyan - This is an interesting match with Trinity's doubles and NCW's singles. NCW has to manage a point in doubles and I don't think they can do it. NCW should run through some of the singles matches, but I also like Trinity to hold on for a win after a doubles sweep. Doubles carries the Tigers to a win. 5-4 Trinity.

Semifinals

Emory vs. Cal Lutheran - These two are similar teams, Emory just does everything better. CLU has that excellent 1-2 punch, but Emory has the best 1-2 punch and I don't see Cal Lu hanging around in this one. The Kingsmen would have to play lights out doubles to even have a chance. Emory loses 2 singles matches max. Eagles 7-2.

Santa Cruz vs. Wash U - A rematch of last year's final with both teams slightly weaker. This depends on how many points Pybas and Koenig can create for Cruz. Wash U has the better depth and the Koenig-Woods match at #2 singles determines a lot. I like Cruz to get ahead in doubles and win a very close match. 5-4 Slugs.

7th Place

Mary Washington vs. NC Wesleyan - It's a shame someone from the strong bottom half has to play in this match, but the Bishops are the most likely candidate heading into the tournament. If they get up for this match, they outclass the Eagles and send the host home in 8th for the 2nd consecutive year. Mary Wash won't have much of a chance. NC Wesleyan 7-2.

5th Place

Carnegie Mellon vs. Trinity - These two played a close 5-4 last year with CMU winning. I see a similar result this year but with the Tigers coming out on top. A lot depends on CMU's ability to put up points in doubles, because I feel that the singles are very even, with CMU having a slight edge at 4 or 5 of the spots. Trinity gets ahead in doubles though and holds on for a singles split. Tigers 5-4.

3rd Place

Cal Lutheran vs. Wash U - An even match between two contrasting styles and I think doubles could end up determining a winner. A lot depends on how drained the Bears will be from their first two matches. Wash U has the depth edge, but Cal Lu has that star power and should dominate at the top. I can't pick against Wash U's experience though. They are a very seasoned team. 5-4 Bears.

Final

Emory vs. Santa Cruz - Both teams have 3 Indoors titles and are trying to tie Gustavus' record of 4 titles. The Slugs have been in the final 7 of 10 years prior to this tournament. Emory has too much this year though. Cruz's strength at the top of the lineup is outdone by Pottish and Goodwin. The Slugs would have to turn in a remarkable doubles performance to win because they are outclassed top to bottom in singles. Emory will be ready and take the title easily. Emory wins Indoors 7-2 over Cruz.

1. Emory
2. Cruz
3. Wash U
4. Cal Lu
5. Trinity
6. CMU
7. NCW
8. Mary Wash

National Indoors Preview: Quarterfinal #4: #5 UC Santa Cruz vs. #4 Trinity (TX)

Santa Cruz's Parker Larsen

I've been debating for a month who to pick in this match, but I decided I just can't ignore the history of Indoors and the history between these 2 teams. This is the blockbuster quarterfinal this year, pitting defending champion Cruz against a Trinity team that is hungry to get back in the limelight after a couple years outside the top 10. This is the Tigers first test, and they couldn't have asked for a harder one. I've praised TU's doubles lineup so much in the preseason and it's a given they are going to play good doubles, but the one team that has the ability raise their game in doubles and hang with Trinity is Cruz. We saw it last year from the Slugs. They went through the motions in their first 2 matches and got close wins, but all of the sudden they turn it on in the final and blitz Wash U in doubles. Coach Hansen has a 6th sense about when his guys need to raise their level, and they are going to have to do it during doubles in this match. I don't know if I expect Cruz to come out on top after doubles, but I think they will be in all 3 matches with chances to win. To me, this match is about the bottom of the lineup in singles. The 3 through 6 positions will determine who ends up a winner. I think Pybas and Koenig will be a bit much for Trinity to handle at the top 2 singles spots, so they'll have to win it with their depth. They are the more experienced team in the bottom of the lineup with senior captain Cory Kowal and reigning West ROTY Erick Delafuente going up against Cruz's bottom of the lineup, who has only 1 starter from last year's team. The Slugs always do this though. They take players that no one knows, throw them in the bottom of the lineup and make a good team out of it. This year will be no exception, Cruz will be solid at every spot. I consider Trinity the only team who's a real threat to beat Emory in this tournament because of their doubles play. Cruz's strong top of the lineup is negated by Emory, so the Eagles should be rooting hard for the Slugs in this. I think it's very likely that the winner of this quarterfinal will find themselves in the final against Emory. When Brad Gilbert does his pre-match analysis on ESPN, he gives checks to whoever is stronger in a given category. Trinity gets many more checks than Cruz heading into this match, but then you get to the "intangibles" category and Cruz gets infinite checks, because the bottom line is they are great at this tournament and they have owned the Tigers for a decade. Keep in mind McMindes was TU's assistant during their current 5 match losing streak in the Indoors first round. I just can't pick against Hansen and the Slugs in this even though logic tells me to go with Trinity. I'll take Cruz 5-4 and it may come down to the last match.

National Indoors Preview: Quarterfinal #3: #7 Wash U vs. #11 NC Wesleyan

This match reminds me a lot of last year's Indoors first round between Wash U and Hopkins. NCW is a very talented team, maybe more so than Wash U, but the disciplined Bears go about their business quietly and just win matches. Where I think this year's NCW team may have an advantage over last year's Hopkins team is that they have played in a big match. They were intimidated and jittery against Middlebury in the NCAA quarterfinal last year, but they got the experience and now they know how to approach this match. On 2 occasions last year, we saw what Wash U does to teams who aren't ready to play, in the Indoors first round and NCAA quarters. They are very disciplined and well coached, and you know what you are going to get from them. The Bears have been to 2 consecutive Indoors finals for a reason. This is cliche, but this match will be as close as NCW makes it. If they come out fired up and get on the board in doubles, this could turn into a battle, because NCW certainly has the personnel to hang with Wash U in singles. If the Bishops come out scared, Wash U will jump on them early in doubles and this will turn into another 8-1 blowout. Unlike against Hopkins last year, NCW won't be coming back from any 3-0 holes in this match, because when Wash U senses you are down, they turn it on and end the match. The Bishops singles lineup is solid top to bottom, as they have a new freshman at #1, pushing Saari, Rumyantsev and Lemongo back to 2, 3 and 4. The top 3 singles spots should be very even, but NCW's guys will have to play flawless matches to take out Wash U's seniors in their last Indoors. Wash U will most likely be playing sophomores at 3 through 6, but they've all been there before so the experience factor won't be an issue. Doubles is the key to this match as I eluded to above. I don't think NCW will have an answer to Stein/Woods, so they need to focus their efforts on 2 and 3 to at least get 1 point on the board. I think NCW has an outside chance if they can get 1 point, and they are in great shape if they get 2 points. The singles spots are all tough to call, but if there's an opening for NCW, it may be at the 3 and 4 spots, as I believe the Bishops are very strong there. This is a very winnable match for NCW, but I have to go with the more experienced and disciplined Wash U team in a 6-3 win that will be closer than a lot of people think. NCW will need to play a great match to win, but they certainly have the capability to do it.

National Indoors Preview: Quarterfinal #2: #8 Cal Lutheran vs. #12 Carnegie Mellon

Cal Lutheran's Ray Worley

CMU is probably the better "team" top to bottom, but they face a big problem in this match. Cal Lutheran has 3 players that are better than anyone on their team. That's very difficult to overcome. I'll get to the matches shortly, but CMU will have to pull an upset to win this match. Ballou, Giuffrida and Worley account for 5 of the potential 9 points in the match, and if they bring their best stuff, the Tartans won't have an answer. There are certainly a lot of variables in this match though. This is probably the first time in a long time that Cal Lutheran will be playing indoor tennis and they were also not very impressive in their spring opener against a weak Chapman team, dropping 2 points and struggling at another spot. This is about Cal Lu's top guys though. CMU is going to play a solid match and hang around, but it's Cal Lu's for the taking. Ballou seems to be playing at a very high level recently, and he may be the best singles player in the tournament not on Emory, as well as the best doubles player not named Kowal or Pybas. Overall, he may be the most dominant player at the entire tournament. In my mind, Cal Lu is a heavy favorite at the top 3 singles positions. I also give them an edge at the top 2 doubles spots because I can't pick against their big 3. Carnegie is a clear favorite at 3 doubles as well as 6 singles and that leaves 4 and 5 singles as toss ups. There are a couple things that could turn the match in CMU's favor. CLU is big on their Brazilian freshman Marcelo Sousa, who is slotted to play 2 doubles and 5 singles. They think he is going to be a top player, but he struggled in the opener against Chapman. If he holds down the 2 doubles team, CMU could end up taking that spot and a 2-1 lead heading into singles. This could put them in the driver's seat and give them a chance with wins at 4-6. The other way CMU wins is if their seniors pull upsets. I carefully selected my players to watch in the pre-season, and if Mactaggart is able to knock off Giuffrida in singles or Ballou in doubles, I love CMU's chances in this. The same goes for Nemerov taking out Ballou in singles or Giuffrida in doubles. Cal Lu doesn't have the team they had last year, but they are still very good. A lot of people voting in the poll seem to like CMU, and maybe they know something I don't. I'm taking Cal Lu in a pretty routine 6-3 win. I think they will get 2 doubles spots, the top 3 singles spots and 1 more point 4 through 6. This match is on Cal Lu's rackets, and they'll win if they are sharp.

National Indoors Preview: Quarterfinal #1: #3 Emory vs. #19 Mary Washington

2009 Indoors 1st Round: Emory d. Mary Washington 9-0

Look at the above box score. That is exactly what will happen on Friday. I really don't need to put much into this preview, and I will also try not to use the term "Eagles," because I'll just confuse myself and everyone else. To begin, I'll say that in Mary Wash's first match of the spring against George Mason today, both Sam Wichlin and Will Apperson didn't play. They will probably be #1 and #3, respectively, for UMW this season, and they may also form the #2 doubles team. For the sake of Mary Wash being competitive at all in this entire tournament, let's hope those 2 are playing. Without them, UMW will struggle to get points in their 3 matches. One thing you can count on is that Mary Wash will fight, but this match is about Emory. I don't think we will get a true indication of how good they are in this match, but they have an opportunity to make a statement, just like they did in 2009. Honestly, I don't expect Emory to beat teams this weekend, I expect them to destroy everyone this weekend. I don't think anyone will come close to Emory. Browning still has to be thinking about the NCAA loss last year and he will not let it happen again. Emory will show up in top form this weekend and I have high expectations for them. If anything is wrong, their doubles lineup is in a bit of disarray at the moment, so they will probably use Friday's match to get things in order and get some of their younger guys experience on a big stage. If Mary Wash is going to do anything in this match, they probably have their best shot at either 2 or 3 doubles, depending upon which spot Pottish doesn't play. Mary Wash also could give Emory a little trouble at the 4 through 6 spots, but the top 3 singles spots should all be blowouts. I rarely predict 9-0 results, but I'm going to do it for this match. Mary Wash just can't match Emory's talent, and all they can hope for is to fight their hearts out for pride on their home courts. Emory should advance to Saturday's semifinal round without having to exert much energy. Mary Wash needs to not get discouraged, because their Saturday morning consolation match will be much more winnable.

National Indoors Preview: Best and Worst

Last year heading into the tournament, I thought there were 6 teams that could win it. I think that again, except last year there was no heavy favorite like Emory is this year. Looking back, Cruz was probably my 4th pick to win it all last year. Let's go over the best and worst case scenarios for each team at this weekend's National Indoors.

Emory
Best - The Eagles rout Mary Washington giving up 9 total games in doubles and don't surrender a set in singles. They are equally as dominant in the semis against Cal Lutheran coming out with a 2-1 lead after doubles and crushing the Kingsmen in singles for an 8-1 victory. In the final, the Eagles play their hated rival Wash U and sweep doubles before getting easy wins at 1 and 2 and then putting their backups in to play the rest of the match. The Eagles capture the title with a 7-2 win.

Worst - Emory comes out overconfident and goes down 2-1 in doubles against Mary Washington. They struggle to even the match and have to come down to the wire to pull out a 5-4 win with a 3-set victory at 4-4 where one of their starters cramps and can't play the next day. They are drained and get swept in doubles by Cal Lu and lose both of the top 2 singles spots to eventually lose 6-3. They play Wash U for 3rd/4th and again get swept in doubles before getting crushed at the bottom of the lineup in a 5-4 loss.

Mary Washington
Best - An energized Eagles team comes out hot and takes 2 of the doubles against Emory. They push Emory in the bottom of the lineup and fall in a very hard fought 5-4. The next day they come out fired up again and go up 2-1 against Carnegie Mellon in doubles. Wichlin gets an easy win and they pull out 2 dramatic wins in the bottom of the lineup to give them a come from behind 5-4 win. In the 5th place match they hang with Trinity (TX) in doubles and fall in a hard fought 6-3 battle.

Worst - They get embarrassed by Emory in front of a home crowd of 200, losing 8-3 across the board in doubles and not winning more than 4 games in any set in singles. They are so demoralized the next day that they forget to show up against CMU and lose 8-1 with a garbage-time 3rd set match tiebreak win. They try to pick themselves up for the 7th place match but run into an NC Wesleyan team who is very hungry for a win and again get crushed 8-1. They don't get a doubles win all weekend.

Cal Lutheran
Best - The Kingsmen come into the tournament with a chip on their shoulder and crush CMU 8-1 winning all six singles matches and only surrendering 1 set. The next day, they sweep Emory in doubles and their top 2 take down Pottish and Goodwin for a 6-3 win. In the final, they play rival Santa Cruz and it is a repeat of last year's regular season, with the Kingsmen sweeping doubles and again taking the top 2 spots in an eventual 6-3 win to give them the title.

Worst - CLU doesn't adjust to the indoor conditions and goes down 2-1 to CMU in doubles. Giuffrida has a bad match and they lose in the bottom of the lineup in a 5-4 overall loss. They struggle against Mary Washington but have enough weapons to pull out a 5-4 that goes down to the last match. They take on Trinity (TX) in the 5th place match and get destroyed in doubles before losing in the bottom of the lineup again in an eventual 6-3 loss. They go 0-6 at 5 and 6 singles.

Carnegie Mellon
Best - They come out hungry for a win after last year's disappointing Indoors and jump on CLU 2-1. They get 3 wins in the middle and bottom of the lineup for a 5-4 win. In the semis, they get ahead of Emory 2-1 and battle at the bottom of the lineup before losing a 5-4 war. In the 3rd place match, they get revenge against Wash U for last year's NCAA quarter and go ahead of the Bears 2-1 before splitting singles with wins in the top of the lineup for a comfortable 5-4 win.

Worst - CLU comes out hot and sweeps CMU in doubles before getting easy wins at the top of the lineup. The Kingsmen go on to win 8-1. CMU is deflated and comes out flat against Mary Washington getting swept in doubles in a match that is never close. They lose 6-3. In the 7th place match, they run into NC Wesleyan and again get beaten badly in another match that is never close and lose 7-2. They fall out of the top 15 and their NCAA chances are slim to none.

NC Wesleyan
Best - NCW shows up with new great freshmen and surprises everyone. They are able to take 2 and 3 doubles from Wash U before winning 4 of the 6 singles matches for a routine 6-3 win. The next round, they win 1 of 3 doubles against Cruz, but are able to win the 3 through 6 spots in a thrilling 5-4 win that comes down to the last match. In the final, they jump on Emory in doubles and go up 2-1 before splitting singles taking 4 through 6 to win the title.

Worst - The Bishops turn in another sub-par performance in doubles and get crushed by Wash U going down 3-0. They don't have the ability to come back this time and lose 8-1. In the backdraw, they run into another doubles powerhouse in Trinity (TX) and go down 3-0 before splitting singles in an eventual 6-3 loss. In the 7th place match, they go down 2-1 to Mary Wash in doubles before righting the ship only to win 3 of 6 matches and lose in a 5-4 heartbreaker.

Wash U
Best - The Bears jump on NCW early just like they did to Hopkins last year and all but end the match after going up 3-0. They dominate singles and end up winning another routine 8-1 1st round. In the next round they get revenge on Cruz for last year's final and go up 2-1 in doubles before taking 3 through 6 singles in an easy 6-3 win. In the final they take on hated rival Emory and once again sweep doubles before barely holding on for another very close 5-4 win.

Worst - The Bears really miss John Watts at the top of the lineup and it shows. They struggle the entire match and lose at the bottom of the lineup in singles in doubles to NCW in a 6-3 loss. In the consolation, they run into Trinity's outstanding doubles and go down 3-0 before losing 6-3 once again. They find themselves in unfamiliar territory, but they are able to beat Mary Wash solidly 7-2 to at least get one win during the tournament.

Santa Cruz
Best - Cruz does what they did last year and surprises everyone. They open against Trinity and are able to go ahead 2-1 in doubles before winning 4 of the 6 singles spots to win 6-3. In the semi, they do the same thing to Wash U, dominating at the top of the lineup and beating the Bears for the 2nd year in a row. In the final, the come out and dominate Emory in doubles going up 3-0. Pybas beats Pottish and they get a win at the bottom of the lineup to win 5-4. Pybas and Koenig both go 6-0 on the weekend.

Worst - Cruz's inexperience shows and they don't have last year's magic. They get swept in doubles by Trinity and lose at the bottom of the lineup to lose a 6-3 match that was never close. In the backdraw, they underestimate NCW and end up losing 5-4 even after going up 2-1 heading into singles. In the 7th place match, they beat Mary Wash, but not before having to sweat in a very close 6-3 win. This is their worst Indoors performance out of all 11 appearances.

Trinity (TX)
Best - Trinity dominates in doubles start to finish and manages to to get 2 singles wins each match. They sweep Cruz before splitting 3 through 6 singles to get a 5-4 win. The same thing happens against Wash U except the top of their lineup comes through this time in another 5-4 win after a doubles sweep. In the finals, they play inspired doubles and lose 10 total games to Emory. They are able to get 2 wins in the 4 through 6 spots to take their first Indoors title.

Worst - Trinity does what they've been doing in their warm-up matches and can't get it done in singles. They come out anxious against Cruz and go down 2-1. They end up losing 6-3. They take on NCW and sweep doubles before falling apart in singles and losing 5-4. In the 7th place match they sweep Mary Wash in doubles but this time they are able to hang on for a 5-4 win. Another disappointing Indoors performance.

National Indoors Preview: General Discussion and Interesting Stats

Mary Washington's University Tennis Center

I wanted to make a post to discuss some general thoughts on Indoors as well as provide some stats on Indoors history. To begin, the ITA published stats on Indoors through 2008. I updated them to include the past 2 years. Stats are courtesy of the ITA, so thank you to their team for putting this together. I just did the easy part.

Most Championships: Gustavus Adolphus - 4; Emory, UC Santa Cruz - 3.

Most Final Appearances: UC Santa Cruz - 7; Emory, Gustavus Adolphus - 5; Washington U (MO) - 2; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - 1

Most Victories: Emory - 20; UC Santa Cruz, Gustavus Adolphus - 19; Trinity (TX) - 11; Washington U (MO) - 6; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - 5; DePauw, MIT, Mary Washington, Washington & Lee - 3; Redlands, Kenyon, Johns Hopkins - 2; Kalamazoo, Carnegie Mellon, Pacific Lutheran - 1.

Most Tournament Appearances: UC Santa Cruz, Emory, Gustavus - 10; Trinity (TX) - 9; Washington U (MO) - 5; Mary Washington, DePauw - 4; MIT, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - 3; Kenyon, Johns Hopkins, Redlands, Washington & Lee, Whitman - 2; Washington Coll (MD), Bates, Carnegie Mellon, California Lutheran, Kalamazoo, Pacific Lutheran, Swarthmore - 1.


10 Interesting Tidbits About Indoors That I've Put Together:

-10 years of Indoors: only 3 different champions and 5 different finalists. I found this very interesting, but I also think the chances of that changing this year are very slim.

-We have 4 teams playing Indoors for the 2nd consecutive year and they are all in different 1st round matches. This is the first time NCW will be participating. All others have been here before.

-Wash U and Emory have played at Indoors in 3 consecutive years with Wash U holding a 2-1 advantage. All 3 years, whoever won the Indoors match lost in the UAA final.

-Wash U has lost in 2 consecutive finals. In 10 years, no one has lost in 3 consecutive finals.

-Last year was the only year in the 10-year history of Indoors that Trinity (TX) didn't qualify.

-The last time Trinity (TX) won an Indoors 1st round was 2004. They've lost 5 consecutive 1st round matches since then. In the same time period of '05-'10, Cruz is 5-1 in the 1st round. Their only loss came to Kenyon in 2009 and they went on to win the NCAA title that year.

-This is the 3rd site for Indoors. Whitman hosted for 2 years and then Gustavus hosted for 8 years.

-This will be the first time in the history of Indoors that none of the top 3 ranked teams in the country are participating. CMS turned down a bid for the 2nd consecutive year after attending in 2009 and finishing 3rd.

-Emory and Mary Wash played in the first round in 2009. Emory won 9-0 and didn't lose a set. Cruz and Trinity (TX) played in 1st round consolation in 2009. Cruz won 9-0. From those teams, all 6 of Trinity's doubles starters from that match are still on their roster. None of Cruz's doubles starters are still on their roster.

-Mary Wash is 1-5 in their last 6 Indoors matches.


General Discussion: Heading into the tournament this year, it's hard not to pick top seeded Emory as the favorite. They won the tournament 2 years ago and I don't see anyone getting in their way this year. Cruz won the tournament as the top seed last year and returns as the 2 seed, opening against a Trinity team who they haven't lost to in 10 years. I think a potential Emory-Cruz final is a definite possibility. A big point of discussion is the transfer to indoor tennis for the California teams. Cruz has always seemed to take this like fish in water, so we will see how Cal Lutheran handles it this year. They take on last year's 6th place finisher Carnegie Mellon and I would assume this is the first ever meeting between these 2 teams. The winner gets the luxury of playing Emory in the semis. I think the Wash U-NCW quarterfinal has a lot of potential to be a great match. I spoke with a coach of NCW after their 5-0 loss to Midd last year and he said they weren't ready to play. I'm sure they will be ready to go in this one. Outside of Hopkins and Midd in NCAAs last year, this is probably the biggest match in the history of their program. Mary Wash did a great job taking over the tournament, but they are in over their heads just as Gustavus was last year. I've been debating what's more of a mismatch: last year's Kenyon-Gustavus opener or this year's Emory-Mary Wash opener.

The draw is here
If you were to re-seed Indoors according to my preseason rankings it would be: #1 Emory v. #8 UMW, #4 Wash U v. #5 Cal Lu, #3 Cruz v. #6 NCW, #2 Trinity v. #7 CMU. I personally think the matches we have right now are better than these re-seeded matches. Given the current bracket, I don't think it's a stretch to say that the worst team in the bottom half would be the 2nd best team in the top half. We will find out because I'm sure Cal Lu does not agree with this. Mary Wash has slow indoor courts, so this will be a large contrast from the quick surface at Gustavus. This should suit Emory well and will certainly play an impact in all doubles matches as I expect service breaks to increase. With only 3 courts available per match, Indoors is a lot of pressure and a much different experience than playing all 6 matches at once. This is why I throw the advantage to the players who have been there before. I'm looking forward to a great tournament.

Indoors Preview Tenative Schedule

Today: General discussion, Some historical Indoors stats
Sunday: Best and worst scenarios for each team, Emory-UMW preview
Monday: CLU-CMU preview
Tuesday: Wash U-NCW preview
Wednesday: Cruz-Trinity preview
Thursday: Full tournament predictions
Friday: Play begins 9AM

Indoors Recap and Thoughts

Since Gustavus was doing live stats and everyone was following, I decided to save my recap for the tournament and thoughts for after. Bear with me because this will be a pretty extensive post.

I'll start with Day 1. You all read my predictions so I had some idea of what I thought would happen. The first two matches were shockers to me, particularly in doubles. We have Wash U come out and destroy Hopkins with 8-4 across the board. I attribute part of this to Hopkins not playing a match before Indoors and the other part is the Bears just being ready to play after their rough weekend last weekend. I expected more out of Hopkins 2 team this weekend because this is a huge spot. Maldow/Wang won't win enough carry Hopkins in doubles and I believe their 3 team of doubles specialists could be broken down by two very good singles players. Wash U jumped to the early lead and the match wasn't really in doubt. Watts made a statement at 1 and 2 and 3 were close as expected with Wash U winning both to win the match. The bottom of the lineup was also a surprise. I expected Hopkins to be much more competitive at 4 and 5 and I think these are two very important spots for them going forward. The Bears were my favorite to win the tournament after Day 1. Emory took my advice and split up Goodwin and Pottish. This ended up backfiring for the Eagles and they found themselves almost down 3-0 in doubles. The absence of Lopp really hurts the Eagles in singles and doubles so when he is back Emory will be a much better team. Emory took top 2 as expected and managed to get a tough win at 4 to take the lead. Redmond clinched the match for the Eagles at 6. I think we knew that DePauw needed the doubles sweep if they were going to win. The afternoon matches brought what I expect was a large Gustie crowd to the Swanson Tennis Center creating an intense atmosphere. Gustavus used the crowd to hang with Kenyon in doubles and almost managed to come out on top 2-1 after the doubles. Like I expected, the good news ended there for Gustavus as Kenyon swept singles. We knew this would happen, Gustavus was just overmatched at this tournament by the other 7 teams. The other match was more interesting. #3 doubles was a huge spot for Cruz this weekend and I don't think many people realized that. This was supposed to be an iffy spot for the Slugs and they won handily on Friday giving the Slugs a 2-1 lead. CMU looked like they were coming back after taking first sets at 1 and 4. The Slugs always fight though and came back at both spots to wrap up the match 5-1 before CMU would win the final 3 matches which are pretty irrelevant in my opinion. It's 5-4 on the scoreboard but I don't think things were all that close. Looking back, CMU won 4 first sets in singles and they just weren't able to finish. I wasn't all that impressed with Cruz even though they got the first win.

The morning of Day 2 brought 2 results which were expected and don't need to be discussed all that much. Hopkins had a fairly routine win over DePauw, it was never really close and CMU destroyed the Gusties in doubles and this was never really close either. Without the crowd's energy, GAC wasn't able to produce the same level and only won 8 games in 3 matches. CMU won 5 of the singles as expected. Hopkins also had a good singles performance, but losses at 5 and 6 had to be alarming for them. The afternoon was where the real action was. Wash U came out firing again and won all 3 doubles. Emory mixed up their doubles teams putting their all-star combo back at 1, but this just didn't work out for them. The Bears were able to take a 3-0 lead and we thought Watts would be an automatic win at #1 so I was pretty sure the Bears would cruise in singles. About 90 mins later, Emory looked like they could win this match. They got a masterful performance from Pottish, and Egan redeemed himself after a poor Day 1 showing to make things 3-2. Here is the turning point. If Emory completes their comeback at #5, I think they win this match, but they weren't able to do so. Two freshmen were battling and Parizher came out on top to put the Bears in excellent position needing only 1 of the remaining 3 matches. Levy was able to clinch the win and send the Bears to the finals. I'll address doubles sweeps later in this post because I have some commentary on it. I think Wash U is the better team and I'm anxious to see these two play again after they both have a chance to mature as teams and particularly after Emory gets Lopp back. Going into the second semifinal, I thought the Lords would have no trouble with the Slugs. Hansen just works magic and gets his guys ready to go. They ran through 1 and 3 dubs. I actually expected the Slugs to win both of these spots but not with the ease that they did. Kenyon kept themselves in it with an expected win at 2 from what I still think is their best team, and should be their #1 team. Burgin looks to be one of the best freshmen in the country and he tied things up 2-2 at #5. The two huge matches that allowed the Slugs to win this match were 1 and 2. If I'm a betting man, I don't think Greenberg and Piskacek both lose. After winning those top two spots, the Slugs were in control. My hat goes off to Vartabedian for easily handling Piskacek. Clearly the MVP of the tournament in my eyes. The Slugs were able to get their 5th win and wrap up the match for their 2nd upset in as many days. Yes they were the #1 seed, but if you get right down to it, I don't think they were as talented as CMU or Kenyon, yet they managed to get wins in both. The night matches were both as expected for me. DePauw rested some guys but they were still able to beat Gustavus 6-3. This was the most competitive match of the tournament got GAC and it has to be tough for them to take 8th at their own tournament. I think it will be a long spring for Gustavus and possibly a short career for Valentini if he doesn't turn things around with the tradition that this program carries. DePauw played two good matches in their first two, so they got a much deserved win. They are a team that I wouldn't want to see later in the season. #3 doubles was the huge spot in the CMU-Hopkins battle. CMU needed to be up 2-1 if they wanted to win and they couldn't do so. Hopkins won at the top 2 spots as expected and after this we knew they would get at least 1 of the bottom 4. I'm looking forward to a match between these two later in the season, but I think Hopkins is the better team. I think they are both deserving of their top 10 rankings at this point and both have the potential to improve.

Day 3 brought two intriguing matches. In the 3rd-4th, I expected a pretty routine win from Emory and that's what happened. Kenyon matches up very poorly against Emory and after the doubles sweep, we knew things were over. The Lords really weren't close at any position. I think some team switching could be in order for the Lords and I expect to see some different doubles teams their next time out because what they are doing now just isn't working. Emory rebounded nicely from the day before. They got two good wins from the best 1-2 punch in the country to seal the match. This result was as expected. I was so sure that Wash U was going to destroy Cruz, and the opposite happens. UCSC played magnificent doubles, surrendering 11 games in 3 matches. Even after the doubles sweep, I still thought Wash U would win. If they could survive the top of the lineup and get 2 of 3 in the top 3 spots I thought the Bears would be well on their way to victory. Watts did his part making the score 3-1. Koening just came up huge for the Slugs and won another battle between freshmen to give the Slugs a 4-1 lead and put the match in the hands of Vartabedian. I want him on the court if I'm Bob Hansen after all the great things he has done. Vartabedian didn't disappoint and gave the Slugs their 3rd upset win and the National Indoor title.

I'm going to do a team by team discussion in the next few days but for now I just have some general thoughts. I don't know how else to say this, but I think the 9 point system has to be re-evaluated. 1 dubs is ahead, 2 dubs gets a fluke break and 3 dubs get a huge momentum burst. Boom, the match is over, don't even bother playing singles. Things can be decided in 10-15 minutes and I don't think it's fair. These teams are so evenly matched that it is so rare that a team will come out and win 5 singles matches. Mentally, it's nearly impossible to come out of an 0-3 hole.

I think we are in for another 2008 where anyone can beat anyone else. I got pretty much no feedback from the results this weekend about who's strong and who's not because they just didn't make any sense. Yes, Cruz won the tournament but on paper they are probably the 8th or 9th best team in the country. If the tournament is played again next weekend, they can easily lose 1st round. If you want my best teams in the country after this weekend, the answer is Middlebury and Amherst. Not that I wasn't impressed with the 8 teams this weekend, but there is no one that stood out, even Cruz. I think any of the top 5 finishers, and maybe even CMU, could have won the tournament. There is a lot of tennis left to be played and I think we are in for a very unpredictable and crazy season if this weekend is any indicator.

Overall National Indoors Recap

We learned a lot of things this past weekend that cleared up a lot of suspense. Most importantly, we learned that Emory is the new #1 in the country with Wash U coming in as a close second. CMS solidified their position as the 3rd best team in the country with tough victories over Gustavus and Kenyon. I'm going to look at each team now and a few things we learned about them this past weekend.

Wash U - We learned that Wash U most likely will not fall prey to lesser teams than them. They showed that they can play great doubles against Kenyon, but they have some work to do if they want to beat Emory. They are no doubt the 2nd best team in the country right now and I think they could potentially take down Emory but the circumstances have to be perfect. Watts made a statement this weekend that he is the best player in the country.

Trinity(TX) - Trinity was beaten 9-0 in their first two matches by two very good teams. With their dominant win over Mary Wash, they showed that they did belong at this tournament and most of us were underestimating them. They have a very young team but they won't quit. They won't be tested again until early April against Tyler, but they earned themselves a top 12 ranking until someone else proves they are more deserving. Max Frey could be a future star in D3.

Santa Cruz - They have to be disappointed with their 6th place finish. They really didn't lose anyone from last year's team who finished 4th in the nation and Hansen usually has his guys ready to play. They immediately went down 5-0 to Gustavus and blew big leads on more than one occasion against Kenyon. They will have to do some work if they want to get back in the top 5, but the good news is they get another shot at Kenyon in just a few weeks and on their home courts.

Kenyon- Have to love the effort from these guys in the first round but things went downhill after that. With 2 of the top 5 players in the country, this team has high expectations for themselves. Arguably the best #2 doubles team in the country last year just didn't show up this weekend. If Kenyon can figure out doubles they are tough, but they really need to get better to compete with Wash U and Emory. A 5 or 6 ranking is appropriate for them at this moment in time.

Gustavus - Although they didn't win Indoors, I think Gustavus proved that they are still a very good team. I'd say Kauss is top 5 in the country and GAC doubles is still excellent. They went 8-1 on the weekend in doubles, but they need to improve the bottom of singles to break into the top 5. I'm thinking that this team will hover in the 7-10 range in the rankings for most of the season. Overall, I think Gustavus has to be pleased with their performance this weekend.

CMS - The bigger story than CMS getting 3rd this weekend is losing Starr for the season and possibly the rest of his college tennis career. CMS is very deep, but he is not an easily replaced player. A bright note is that Erani showed that he is one of the best freshmen in the country and he's ready to move up and win at #2 singles. With Lim playing, they may have had a shot at beating Emory. Some tough upcoming weeks will show us what the Stags are really made of.

Mary Washington - What a horrible weekend for the Eagles. They went 0-9 in doubles and James and Loden just didn't step up this weekend. I have no doubt that this team will turn things around, but I'm shocked with their lack of effort especially in the 7th/8th match. They should be beating Trinity(TX), they have almost their whole team back from last year. They have to use their upcoming California matches to re-establish themselves as a top 10 team. They certainly didn't show that this weekend.

Emory - Emory proved this weekend that they are clearly the best team in the country. They have very good doubles followed by excellent singles. I would like to see this team play the Slugs from 2 years ago. I think it will take a lot to derail this team from a national title and an undefeated D3 season. Chris Goodwin is one of the best players in the country and he and Michael are an unbeatable combo at 1. Just a great performance from Emory and they showed everyone what they are capable of.

National Indoors Day 3 Recap

The 2009 National Indoor Championship belongs to Emory after their dominant 6-3 showing against #1 seed Wash U in the finals today. Emory came out winning 2 of 3 doubles and clinched soon afterwards taking 4 of 6 singles matches. This team really is phenomenal this year and I have to give tournament MVP honors to Chris Goodwin. Wash U looked great the first two rounds but they were just slightly overmatched today in doubles and especially singles. They will get another shot at Emory so they now know what it will take to win.

CMS took 3rd place with a 5-4 win over Kenyon. The Stags looked good today but they may have lost Michael Starr for the season for a second time. While they are a deep team, without Lim and Starr at the top of the lineup, this could be bad news for CMS. The Lords had a good showing overall but I think they have to be disappointed with their showing the final 2 days after an incredible effort against Santa Cruz. They have a lot of work to do if they want to be a top 3 team in the nation.

National Indoors Day 2 Recap

The day started with two consolation matches and both results were as we expected. Gustavus was dominant in doubles and took care of Mary Washington 6-3. The singles were close but Gustavus proved to be too much in the end. The Eagles need to fix some weaknesses if they want to make a national title run this year. Santa Cruz was dominant against Trinity(TX), setting up a rematch of last year's final between Gustavus and Santa Cruz tonight for 5th place.

The semifinals were contested at 2 pm and Wash U was great early sweeping doubles against a hungry Kenyon team. The Bears piled on the pressure early and never let up, resulting in an 8-1 victory and a trip to the finals tomorrow. A good win for the Lords yesterday, but something was missing for them today. Meanwhile, CMS shocked Emory in doubles going up 2-1 putting themselves in a position to win. Emory came out firing in singles with their 1-2 punch to go up 3-2. CMS returned at #3 with a victory by freshman Robbie Erani to tie the score at 3-3. 4, 5 and 6 then came on and people were definitely thinking about a potential upset. Emory is supposed to be beatable at these spots, but they dominated to take the match 6-3. CMS really did just about the best they could and gave Emory all they could handle.

Tomorrow the 2 best teams in the country will play for the Indoor title at 9am. This will be another battle and I'd definitely keep an eye on doubles in this one. Kenyon will play CMS simultaneously for 3rd and 4th in a match that has big implications on the top 5 national rankings.

National Indoors Day 1 Recap

A brief wrap-up from Day 1 of the Indoors as well as a preview of Day 2...

Wash U started the day winning in expected fashion. They defeated an overmatched inexperienced Trinity(TX) team 9-0 without surrendering a set. There was a competitive doubles match and 2 close singles matches but this was a blowout from the beginning. The national champions are looking tough heading into the semis.

CMS won a hard-fought match against the hosts from Gustavus. As expected, Gustavus jumped on the Stags early in doubles going up 2-1, but also as predicted CMS just had too much depth and really dominated the Gusties throughout the singles lineup. Good effort by Starr to come back in first set and suck the life out of Gustavus. The CMS freshmen as well as Wang will really need to step up tomorrow against the best team in the country.

This win was not only important for Kenyon, but also D3 tennis as a whole. We saw a changing of the guard today with the "new guys" from Kenyon defeating annual powerhouse UC Santa Cruz with some spectacular comebacks. Greenberg and Piskacek really stepped up for their team today both coming back from a set down and Polster was very tough at #3. The Lords have to like their chances tomorrow against Wash U if they can repeat their performance from today. They proved that last season was no fluke and they are a contender this year.

The most surprising result on the day was Emory-UMW. Emory didn't give up more than 4 games in any set against a top 10 opponent. They made the #9 team in the country look like they were unranked with incredible doubles and even more amazing singles. The Goodwins have to hold the title of best doubles team as well as best 1-2 punch right now. They will be tested tomorrow against a feisty CMS team, but Emory really seemed unbeatable today against a very good opponent.

Looking forward, I like Santa Cruz to easily beat Trinity(TX), most likely by an 8-1 or 9-0 score and I like Gustavus to avenge their loss today with a doubles sweep and a 5-4 win against Mary Washington.

Emory should beat CMS in a fairly comfortable 6-3 or 7-2. The only chance CMS really has is if they can somehow manage to get 2 of the doubles against Emory. The match to watch is really Wash U-Kenyon tomorrow. This should be another nailbiter and I think whoever gets the advantage in doubles will most likely win. All eyes will be on the Watts-Greenberg match at #1 and this could go a long way in determining the outcome of the match. I have to give a 5-4 edge to Wash U, but again this is definitely a winnable match for Kenyon. If they can take 2 doubles points and follow it up with a Greenberg-Piskacek 1-2 punch, I don't see how they can lose. Definitely going to be another great day of tennis tomorrow.

National Indoors Preview: #1 Emory vs. #9 Mary Washington

1. Goodwin/Goodwin vs. Loden/Murata
2. Boren/Egan vs. Dunn/James
3. Kaufman/Lopp vs. Goff/Parrish

1. Michael Goodwin vs. John James
2. Chris Goodwin vs. Randy Loden
3. Mark Boren vs. Jason Dunn
4. Colin Egan vs. Riley Baver
5. Oliver Lopp vs. Andrew Frisk
6. Phillip Overdiek vs. Bryce Parrish

This is the first tough D3 match for the projected national champions against a very formidable opponent. I would expect Emory to come out hot in doubles with the Goodwins making a statement that they are the best doubles team in the country. Mary Wash should keep it close at both 2 and 3 and could put themselves in a position to win, but I would expect Emory to win both spots if they play to their potential. The matches at 1 and 2 should both be highly contested, particularly the #2 match, but I think Emory should win both to clinch the match. In the remaining 3 through 6, I'd expect Mary Wash to take at least 1 if not 2 of those matches to make the score respectable. This should end up as a 7-2 or 8-1 result, but I think almost all of the matches should be competitive. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 or 4 3-setters in singles. Emory will be tested but should move on.

National Indoors Preview: #3 CMS vs. #10 Gustavus

1. Schils/Wang vs. Burdakin/Kauss
2. Starr/Wu vs. Paukert/Tomasek
3. Erani/MacColl vs. Hansen/Stickney

1. Lawrence Wang vs. John Kauss
2. Michael Starr vs. Mike Burdakin
3. Robbie Erani vs. Charlie Paukert
4. Russell Brockett vs. Kevin Stickney
5. Victor Chien vs. Ben Tomasek
6. Ronald Wu vs. Patrick Clark

The question in this match is how big of a role with home court advantage play. Gustavus is the defending champion at this event and their support on campus is really incredible. CMS not only has to play against GAC, but also the crowd, particularly in doubles. I would give the edge to Gustavus in doubles. They should win 1 against the defending national champions and I would expect them to get either 2 or 3. Gustavus has a shot at 1 and 2 singles, but after that they are done. CMS just has more depth and should win in straight sets in 4 through 6. What can't happen for CMS is to get swept in doubles because then Gustavus has the potential to win at both 1 and 2 and take this match. If CMS can manage to get 1 of the doubles points, they should be favorite going into singles. I'm going to say 5-4 for CMS in this match.

National Indoors Preview: #4 UC Santa Cruz vs. #7 Kenyon

1. Gendelman/Liberty-Point vs. Greenberg/Vandenberg
2. Kamel/Vartabedian vs. Becker/Brody
3. Mark-Griffin/Ortiz vs. Pisakacek/Polster

1. Max Liberty-Point vs. Mike Greenberg
2. Jared Kamel vs. Tomas Piskacek
3. Ilya Gendelman vs. Jeremy Polster
4. Max Ortiz vs. Charlie Brody
5. Colin Mark-Griffin vs. Will Vandenberg
6. Marc Vartabedian vs. Daniel Becker

Definitely the most intriguing first round match and also the most evenly matched. The doubles is very tough to call and I think that the best two #2 doubles teams in the country are on display here. I won't get into specifics, but I think Santa Cruz will be able to win 2 of the doubles because of their experience at this tournament and on a big stage. A sweep by either team in doubles would be a shock for me. Moving to singles, you have to like Kenyon at the top 2 spots and I also like them at 6. Santa Cruz has the edge at 5, Mark-Griffin is one of the most consistent winners in the country in dual matches This leaves the matches at 3 and 4 to determine the outcome of the match. These are very tough to call. As of now, I have to give both to UCSC. I'm going to give Santa Cruz a 5-4 win here, but that score could easily be flipped. Really looking forward to this match.

National Indoors Preview: #2 Washington vs. #16 Trinity (TX)

Projected Lineups
1. Cutler/Hoeland vs. Cocanougher/Kowal
2. Woods/Stein vs. Carroll/Murray
3. Watts/Choradia vs. Ramirez/Hoing

1. John Watts vs. Max Frey
2. Charlie Cutler vs. Bobby Cocanougher
3. Max Woods vs. Don Murray
4. Isaac Stein vs. Andrew Hoing
5. Danny Levy vs. Cory Kowal
6. Chris Hoeland vs. Jose Borges

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I just don't see where Trinity(TX) is going to win a match here. Frey and Cocanougher are tough as we've seen in the fall and last year, respectively, but they aren't Watts and Cutler. If Wash U plays good doubles, they should sweep that also. Levy was great at 3 last year so he shouldn't lose at 5 for pretty much the entire season. While I would be surprised by a 9-0 for Wash U because I think they will slip in at least one spot, it's too hard to predict where it will be. This will be a great test for Trinity(TX) and if they make it a close match, they can let the country know that this young team is for real. Of the 9 players who they will be using in their lineup this year, only 3 started last year. I'm calling 8-1 for Wash U.