Last year felt like a season of destiny for Baylor with the Bears hosting the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history but unfortunately it wasn't to be as their season came to an end in the NCAA semifinals against a team they had already beaten twice earlier in the season.
Baylor head coach Matt Knoll is back for his 20th season but this one may be a little challenging after losing Mate Zsiga, Diego Galeano, and Tony Lupieri with the trio accounting for 37% of Baylor's dual-match wins last season. Knoll brought in two new recruits in the fall, Tommy Podvinski and Jimmy Bendeck, and one in January, Tomas Charlos, to help fill the void plus he'll have the services of Will Little after he took a redshirt season last year.
PlaySight
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
1/20 ITA Rankings Release
The newest rankings were released today and while there weren't many changes there were a few teams that made big jumps and some that made plunging falls.
I'll start out on the men's side and look at the teams that moved up at least 3 spots and then look at the teams that fell at least 3 spots with any notable results listed from the last 2 weeks through this past Sunday.
Movin' On Up:
#19 San Diego - up 3 spots - beat #70 UC Irvine 4-1
#21 Florida - up 3 spots - beat #64 Troy 4-1
#24 Tulsa - up 5 spots - beat #27 Cal 4-3
#45 Washington - up 17 spots - beat #20 Texas 4-3; lost to #48 UCSB 4-3
#48 UC Santa Barbara - up 6 spots - won at #45 Washington 4-3; lost to #20 Texas 6-1
#55 Kentucky - moved up at least 70 spots - won at #23 Duke 4-3
#67 Iowa - moved up 4 spots - beat then #70 Utah State 7-0
#69 Arkansas - moved up 3 spots - hasn't played yet
I'll start out on the men's side and look at the teams that moved up at least 3 spots and then look at the teams that fell at least 3 spots with any notable results listed from the last 2 weeks through this past Sunday.
Movin' On Up:
#19 San Diego - up 3 spots - beat #70 UC Irvine 4-1
#21 Florida - up 3 spots - beat #64 Troy 4-1
#24 Tulsa - up 5 spots - beat #27 Cal 4-3
#45 Washington - up 17 spots - beat #20 Texas 4-3; lost to #48 UCSB 4-3
#48 UC Santa Barbara - up 6 spots - won at #45 Washington 4-3; lost to #20 Texas 6-1
#55 Kentucky - moved up at least 70 spots - won at #23 Duke 4-3
#67 Iowa - moved up 4 spots - beat then #70 Utah State 7-0
#69 Arkansas - moved up 3 spots - hasn't played yet
Wednesday Line-Up
We are just 2 days out from the start of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend but there are a few teams that want to get some last minute work in as extra preparations.
#10 Ohio State opens up its season today with a triple-header against Dayton, Butler, and Xavier with everyone on the roster most likely looking at getting some court time.
#20 Stanford opens up its season by welcoming in Sacramento State and #57 UC-Davis. Stanford is playing in one of the toughest KO regionals (Columbia/Virginia Tech/Minnesota) so it needs to be as sharp as possible if it wants to pull through.
#14 UCLA opens up its season by hosting #55 San Francisco after many of the Bruins saw action last weekend at the Sherwood Cup.
#10 Ohio State opens up its season today with a triple-header against Dayton, Butler, and Xavier with everyone on the roster most likely looking at getting some court time.
#20 Stanford opens up its season by welcoming in Sacramento State and #57 UC-Davis. Stanford is playing in one of the toughest KO regionals (Columbia/Virginia Tech/Minnesota) so it needs to be as sharp as possible if it wants to pull through.
#14 UCLA opens up its season by hosting #55 San Francisco after many of the Bruins saw action last weekend at the Sherwood Cup.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
2016 Season Preview - Oklahoma Sooners
When you talk about the elite programs in college tennis Oklahoma is one of the first names that comes to mind and that's all thanks to the recruiting and player development that's been done by head coach John Roddick and his staff over the last 6 years. Roddick was hired on June 19, 2009 and since then OU has been on an upward trajectory winning 19, 16, 19, 21, 28, and 29 matches in each of the last 6 seasons.
After years of being an also-ran in the Big 12 behind the likes of Baylor, Texas, and Texas A&M, the Oklahoma Sooners are now the ones being chased after winning the conference tournament 3 of the last 4 years. In the same 4-year period OU has also claimed 3 regular season conference titles (2 shared), won the National Team Indoor Championships, and made it to the NCAA Championship finals in each of the last 2 years.
After years of being an also-ran in the Big 12 behind the likes of Baylor, Texas, and Texas A&M, the Oklahoma Sooners are now the ones being chased after winning the conference tournament 3 of the last 4 years. In the same 4-year period OU has also claimed 3 regular season conference titles (2 shared), won the National Team Indoor Championships, and made it to the NCAA Championship finals in each of the last 2 years.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Rubin Sandwiches Paire, Georgia Finishes Strong, Pokes Walking in Memphis, Lenz Wins Sherwood
The big story of the day took place in the wee hours of the night here in the United States as former Wake Forest Demon Deacon #328 Noah Rubin (UTR 15.01) stunned #18 Benoit Paire (UTR 15.39) in 3 tiebreak sets in the opening round of the 2016 Australian Open. I'll be the first to admit I was sound asleep when the match took place but when my 3-year came barreling into our room at 6am one of the first things I did was pull up Twitter and that's when I saw the good news. I'll let these Twitter posts from Parsa, Martin Blackman, Josh Meiseles, Noah Rubin, and the Australian Open tell you the story
19-yo Noah Rubin earns his 1st tour-level win, beating [17] Paire 76(4) 76(6) 76(5) to reach the #AusOpen R64! American men go 3-1 on day 1!
— Parsa (@Smith_J1989) January 18, 2016
Monday Line-Up
Normally Mondays are a light day for college tennis but due to the Martin Luther King Holiday Weekend we get an extra day of tennis. The schedule for the day shows 5 matches between ranked opponents plus an intriguing one in the Boro between Nashville neighbors Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State.
I think the best match of the day will be in Memphis as #45 Memphis opens up its season by hosting #28 Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State opened up its season on Friday by only dropping 1 set in a pair of 7-0 shutouts over UNLV and Creighton. Below are some comments from Memphis head coach Paul Goebel about bringing in a big time opponent:
"This is an exciting match for us," Head Coach Paul Goebel said. "We have been training all fall with a really demanding schedule. We got back early to school and we're excited to get the season started. And to host Oklahoma State is big for us. They're very well-coached and Jay Udwadia has done an unbelievable job there. They've been in the top 25 and are one of the forces in the Big 12, which is one of the best conferences in the nation. So to have them coming to our place just a season after hosting Baylor, who was in the top five last year, is a big deal."
I think the best match of the day will be in Memphis as #45 Memphis opens up its season by hosting #28 Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State opened up its season on Friday by only dropping 1 set in a pair of 7-0 shutouts over UNLV and Creighton. Below are some comments from Memphis head coach Paul Goebel about bringing in a big time opponent:
"This is an exciting match for us," Head Coach Paul Goebel said. "We have been training all fall with a really demanding schedule. We got back early to school and we're excited to get the season started. And to host Oklahoma State is big for us. They're very well-coached and Jay Udwadia has done an unbelievable job there. They've been in the top 25 and are one of the forces in the Big 12, which is one of the best conferences in the nation. So to have them coming to our place just a season after hosting Baylor, who was in the top five last year, is a big deal."
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Kentucky Upsets #13 Duke, Washington Too Much for #12 Texas, Northwestern Rolls
Well that didn't take long - on the first weekend of the season a pair of Top 15 teams got upset as unranked Kentucky went into Durham and beat #13 Duke 4-3 and #62 Washington rebounded from a Friday loss to UCSB and knocked off #12 Texas by a 4-3 score. As I mentioned when the preseason rankings came out a week ago, the rankings didn't really take into account the number of starters that some teams lost and thus ranked a few of them way too high. Both Texas and Duke fell into that category because each team had to replace 4 starters and most of the replacements were freshman.
Anyway back to the day's events starting first in Durham. Duke and Kentucky battled it out in doubles with all 3 matches going back and forth. Kentucky went up an early double break at #1 and led 3-0 but Duke would claw back and end up taking it in a tiebreak. Duke had the break lead at #2 but lost it only to break late and take it 7-5. Duke also had the early break lead at #3 but Kentucky came back to forth a tiebreak which Duke ultimately won.
Anyway back to the day's events starting first in Durham. Duke and Kentucky battled it out in doubles with all 3 matches going back and forth. Kentucky went up an early double break at #1 and led 3-0 but Duke would claw back and end up taking it in a tiebreak. Duke had the break lead at #2 but lost it only to break late and take it 7-5. Duke also had the early break lead at #3 but Kentucky came back to forth a tiebreak which Duke ultimately won.
Sunday Line-Up
There's been a lot of great college tennis action over the last 2 days but there's still room for more as the MLK Holiday Weekend continues with 4 matchups between ranked teams.
#36 Louisville is fresh off a Friday sweep of #63 Troy and Dayton and be looking to run its record to 4-0 as it faces #26 Northwestern and Morehead State. I have a feeling that Northwestern's top 3 is going to be a little tough tough today and will help the Wildcats start off the season with a win. After the match Northwestern will hop back into the van and cruise back up to Chicago so they can play another match at 7pm central against Chicago State.
#24 Florida opens up its season with a doubleheader against #63 Troy and Stetson and I expect to see the Gators roll in both. Florida is a very talented team that was the coaches voted picked to finish second this season so they'll be a fun team to watch all season.
One of the most intriguing matches of the day will come in Durham. #13 Duke, fresh off a 6-1 season opening win over Elon, will host unranked Kentucky which opened up its season with a pair of routine wins on Friday over Eastern and Northern Kentucky. Duke's Nicolas Alvarez will be tough to beat at #1 but Kentucky may have the advantage at 2, 3, and 4 with newcomer Ryotara Matsuuara and junior Nils Ellefsen both playing extremely well. Beck Pennington didn't play at all on Friday so whether he plays in this one could be big.
#36 Louisville is fresh off a Friday sweep of #63 Troy and Dayton and be looking to run its record to 4-0 as it faces #26 Northwestern and Morehead State. I have a feeling that Northwestern's top 3 is going to be a little tough tough today and will help the Wildcats start off the season with a win. After the match Northwestern will hop back into the van and cruise back up to Chicago so they can play another match at 7pm central against Chicago State.
#24 Florida opens up its season with a doubleheader against #63 Troy and Stetson and I expect to see the Gators roll in both. Florida is a very talented team that was the coaches voted picked to finish second this season so they'll be a fun team to watch all season.
One of the most intriguing matches of the day will come in Durham. #13 Duke, fresh off a 6-1 season opening win over Elon, will host unranked Kentucky which opened up its season with a pair of routine wins on Friday over Eastern and Northern Kentucky. Duke's Nicolas Alvarez will be tough to beat at #1 but Kentucky may have the advantage at 2, 3, and 4 with newcomer Ryotara Matsuuara and junior Nils Ellefsen both playing extremely well. Beck Pennington didn't play at all on Friday so whether he plays in this one could be big.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Mercer Bears Down, Red Storm Overcomes the Hurricane, Arizona Upsets New Mexico
It has become customary over the last several years to see schools play doubleheaders against perceived "lighter" schools but very rarely do you ever see the bigger school actually lose one of these - until today. #64 Clemson and Mercer met in Charlotte for a doubleheader and after Clemson took the opener 4-0 Mercer turned the tables on them in the nightcap and stunned the Tigers 4-3. According to Mercer's recap it is the Bears first ever win against an ACC school although they had previous beaten Clemson but it was back in 1939 which was 14 years before the ACC was founded.
Saturday Line-Up
Friday brought us several good ones and I expect Saturday to do the same with 7 matchups between ranked opponents highlighted by #16 Virginia Tech going to Tuscaloosa to face #65 Alabama and #54 UC Santa Barbara trying to make it to 2 big wins in as many days as it faces to #12 Texas out in Seattle.
Wake Forest opens its season against a pair of solid opponents, North Florida and East Tennessee State, and maybe we'll get to see Petros Chrysochos and Dennis Uspensky in action with the pair just joining the team. For more info about Wake Forest you can check out my season preview.
Another round of doubleheaders will take place in Lubbock between Texas Tech, New Mexico, Pacific, and Arizona with each team playing 6 dual-matches in a 4-day period.
William and Mary went on the road yesterday and beat Yale but today they'll have to try and beat another Ivy League school as they go to Harvard.
Live scoring links are listed below so follow along throughout the day - for a multi-frame scoreboard you can check out this page that I've been tinkering with - feedback welcome!
Wake Forest opens its season against a pair of solid opponents, North Florida and East Tennessee State, and maybe we'll get to see Petros Chrysochos and Dennis Uspensky in action with the pair just joining the team. For more info about Wake Forest you can check out my season preview.
Another round of doubleheaders will take place in Lubbock between Texas Tech, New Mexico, Pacific, and Arizona with each team playing 6 dual-matches in a 4-day period.
William and Mary went on the road yesterday and beat Yale but today they'll have to try and beat another Ivy League school as they go to Harvard.
Live scoring links are listed below so follow along throughout the day - for a multi-frame scoreboard you can check out this page that I've been tinkering with - feedback welcome!
Friday, January 15, 2016
Tulsa Stuns Cal, UCSB Sparkles In The Emerald City, Louisville Too Tough For Troy, Sherwood Cup
The 2016 season is officially underway and it didn't take long to get our first upset as #29 Tulsa came storming back from 3-1 down to stun #21 Cal 4-3. Tulsa made 3 roster additions this week and all 3 newcomers played tonight but it was the experienced veterans that came through with the match on the line.
Tulsa got things started on the right foot by taking the doubles point with 6-4 wins at #1 and #3 but Cal still had to feel fairly confident going into singles with 5 of its 6 starters ranked in the ITA Top 90. Each team picked up three first sets and while Cal's Filip Bergevi, Billy Griffith, and Oskar Wikberg finished in straight sets only one of Tulsa's guys was able to do the same. Tulsa's Or Ram-Harel served for the match at #1 singles leading #3 Andre Goransson 7-6, 5-4 but he fell behind 30-40 after Goransson punished a second serve with a forehand winner. Goransson would get another look at a second serve but this time all he could do was float a backhand return long which brought up the deciding point at 40-all (no-ad). Ram-Harel stayed in control on the next point and closed out Goransson which gave Tulsa its first singles point and second of the match to cut Cal's lead to 3-2.
Friday Line-Up
3 matches today between ranked teams with all 3 expected to be pretty close. Louisville is going to be starting a lot of new faces today so I wouldn't be surprised to see Troy come into the Ville and pull off the upset.
I guarantee you #13 Duke won't be overlooking Elon after the Phoenix stunned them 2 years ago. Despite having a young team I still expect to see Duke pull through because Elon is just as young after losing 3 of its top 4 from last year.
Cal and Tulsa ought to be a good one tonight and I'm sure it'll be played indoors which will give Tulsa a little bit of an advantage however I expect to see Cal take it with 5 ranked singles players starting in the lineup.
Live scoring links for today matches are below
I guarantee you #13 Duke won't be overlooking Elon after the Phoenix stunned them 2 years ago. Despite having a young team I still expect to see Duke pull through because Elon is just as young after losing 3 of its top 4 from last year.
Cal and Tulsa ought to be a good one tonight and I'm sure it'll be played indoors which will give Tulsa a little bit of an advantage however I expect to see Cal take it with 5 ranked singles players starting in the lineup.
Live scoring links for today matches are below
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
2016 Season Preview - Cal Bears
When you think of ideal places to play college tennis the University of California in Berkeley has to be pretty high up on the list due to its strong academics, scenic views, and year-round mild climate. Cal has a recently renovated tennis facility, a tenured head coach, and is in one of the most fertile states for tennis but success in terms of conference and national titles has eluded them for years. The Bears have played second, third, and fourth fiddle to its in-state Pac-12 neighbors Stanford, USC, and UCLA for quite some time with Cal's last conference title coming all the way back in 1953 when the conference was known as the Pacific Coast Conference. Cal is 6-29 against the Big 3 since 2010 and the last time it beat all 3 in the same season was all the way back in 2005.
Despite its struggles against the heavy hitters this could be the season that Cal makes its mark because it'll be starting 5 ranked singles players which is something that has probably never happened before.
Despite its struggles against the heavy hitters this could be the season that Cal makes its mark because it'll be starting 5 ranked singles players which is something that has probably never happened before.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
2016 Season Preview - Wake Forest Demon Deacons
When you're in the same conference as Virginia you know it's going to be an uphill battle to win a conference championship but Wake Forest has come as close to beating the 9-time defending champs as just about anyone else in the last few years. Wake has played for the conference championship in 2 of the last 3 seasons and one of the main reasons is because of its head coach Tony Bresky. The 1998 Western Illinois graduate was part of Brian Boland's staff during the years when the program went from an also-ran to a perennial powerhouse. Bresky learned how to recruit and put a team together and when he left Virginia after the 2010 season to take over as head coach at Cornell he immediately took the Big Red to new heights. In his one season at Cornell he led them to their first-ever Ivy League Championship, first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, and won 26 matches which blew away the schools previous best win mark of 20.
Bresky took over at Wake Forest in the fall of 2011 and with a fairly inexperienced roster he went 14-15 in his debut season but he turned things around in year two. Bresky guided the Deacs to a 20-9 record in the 2012-13 season, which was only the third time Wake had ever won 20 matches, and was named ACC Coach of the Year. Bresky had to replace his top 3 for the 2013-14 season and his young roster fought hard but they lost 8 matches that finished with a 4-3 score and ended up going 15-14 on the season.
Bresky took over at Wake Forest in the fall of 2011 and with a fairly inexperienced roster he went 14-15 in his debut season but he turned things around in year two. Bresky guided the Deacs to a 20-9 record in the 2012-13 season, which was only the third time Wake had ever won 20 matches, and was named ACC Coach of the Year. Bresky had to replace his top 3 for the 2013-14 season and his young roster fought hard but they lost 8 matches that finished with a 4-3 score and ended up going 15-14 on the season.
Monday, January 11, 2016
What's Coming Up This Week
The dual-match doors have been unlocked and they are open for business - there will be 17 dual-matches this week between ranked teams plus I wouldn't be surprised to see an unranked team upset a ranked opponent.
The most intriguing matches in my opinion are #12 Texas at #62 Washington, #21 Cal at #29 Tulsa, Kentucky at #13 Duke, and #16 Virginia Tech at #65 Alabama. I'll be interested to see what lineups Texas puts out on Tuesday against some lighter foes in preparation for its trip to Seattle to face both UC Santa Barbara and Washington. Even though Kentucky is unranked I'd make their match against #13 Duke a toss-up. Duke has a lot of new faces that will be called upon to start in this one and Kentucky is coming off a strong showing against LSU, Memphis, and Florida Gulf Coast.
Alabama bulked up its roster in the off-season bringing in Mazen Osama (Fr), Grayson Goldin (FSU transfer), Matthew Rossouw (Tyler JUCO transfer), and Spencer Richey (Fr) so I think they'll be much improved this season. Virginia Tech better bring its A-game or it'll be a long trip back to Blacksburg.
Also make sure you keep an eye on the Sherwood Cup and MLK Invitational. Oklahoma, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech will lock horns using a hidden-dual format while USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Baylor will be sending their best to Thousand Oaks for the Sherwood Cup.
Sunday Recap: Kentucky Finishes Strong, Sarkissian Wins Again, Futures Action Continues in CA & FL
The final day of the FGCU Invitational was cut short a little with LSU and Memphis leaving after doubles due to a 6-hour rain delay. Kentucky waited out the delay and played singles with the host Florida Gulf Coast with Kentucky winning 4 of 6 matches. Kentucky ended up the big winner during the 3-day tournament winning 15 of 21 singles matches and 6 of 10 doubles matches. Kentucky's Jake Stefanik, Gus Benson, and Kevin Lai each went 3-0 in singles while Ryotaro Matsamura went 2-0. Memphis's Ryan Peniston, Andrew Watson, Kai Lemke each went 2-0 as did LSU's Gabor Csonka.
Sunday Results Singles/Doubles
Kentucky 4-2/2-0
Memphis 0-0/2-1
LSU 0-0/1-2
FGCU 2-4/1-2
Sunday Results Singles/Doubles
Kentucky 4-2/2-0
Memphis 0-0/2-1
LSU 0-0/1-2
FGCU 2-4/1-2
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Kentucky & Memphis Dominate, Sarkissian Qualifies In Sydney, Huskies Sweep Seattle
Kentucky and Memphis were the big winners on Day 2 of the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational. Kentucky went 9-2 overall including 6-1 in singles with freshman Ryotaro Matsamura rolling for a second day in both singles and doubles. Memphis's Ryan Peniston knocked off LSU's #78 Justin Butch in 2 close sets and Memphis freshman Chris Patzanovsky picked up a win over LSU's Tam Trinh. Sunday wraps up the tournament with each starting dual-match play in the coming weeks. Below the scores are quotes from 3 of the 4 coaches.
Saturday Results Singles/Doubles
Kentucky 6-1/3-1
Memphis 5-2/2-1
LSU 2-5/1-2
FGCU 1-6/1-3
Saturday Results Singles/Doubles
Kentucky 6-1/3-1
Memphis 5-2/2-1
LSU 2-5/1-2
FGCU 1-6/1-3
Saturday, January 9, 2016
LSU Shines in Florida, BYU Wins Opener, Vukic/Norrie/Sarkissian Win Down Under, Futures Action
LSU's guys were the top performers in Day 1 of the FGCU Invitational as they went 5-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles. Kentucky had 2 freshmen make their debuts as Ryotaro Matsumura (14.08) won in straight sets over Memphis's Felix Rauch (12.63) while Enzo Wallart (13.17) lost a tough 3-setter to Memphis's Kai Lemke (13.38).
Friday Results Singles/Doubles
LSU 5-2/2-1
Kentucky 5-3/1-3
Memphis 3-4/2-1
FGCU 2-6/2-2
Friday Results Singles/Doubles
LSU 5-2/2-1
Kentucky 5-3/1-3
Memphis 3-4/2-1
FGCU 2-6/2-2
Friday, January 8, 2016
2016 Season Preview - Illinois Fighting Illini
Despite its early exit in Waco I'd still consider last season a success for Illinois because after years of playing second fiddle to Ohio State the Illini beat the Buckeyes not once, not twice, but three times. Illinois won its second Big Ten Tournament Championship in the last four years and won its first regular season Big Ten Championship since 2005 though they did have to share it with Ohio State and Minnesota. The first and third wins over Ohio State came in tournament play but the second win snapped the Buckeyes 97-match Big Ten regular season winning streak which dated back to 2005.
Brad Dancer enters his 11th season as head coach of the Illini and currently sits in second on the all-time wins list with 215 wins which is only 59 behind Craig Tiley's 274 (12 seasons).
Dancer returns half of his starting 6 from last year's team but he lost some solid contributors with Farris Gosea, Tim Kopinski, Ross Guignon, and Blake Bazarnik all departing. Those 4 accounted for 38% of the Illini's dual-match singles wins and were part of 53% of Illinois's doubles wins.
Brad Dancer enters his 11th season as head coach of the Illini and currently sits in second on the all-time wins list with 215 wins which is only 59 behind Craig Tiley's 274 (12 seasons).
Dancer returns half of his starting 6 from last year's team but he lost some solid contributors with Farris Gosea, Tim Kopinski, Ross Guignon, and Blake Bazarnik all departing. Those 4 accounted for 38% of the Illini's dual-match singles wins and were part of 53% of Illinois's doubles wins.
Last Few Invitationals, Dual-Season Starting, Pro Action Heats Up In LA
The dual-match season gets underway in a few places this weekend while there are still a few more weeks of individual play at other schools.
BYU opens its season tonight at 5:30pm MST against Southern Utah and Washington opens up on Saturday with a doubleheader against Seattle. Washington will have live scoring and streaming video available at this link.
Florida Gulf Coast hosts the FGCU Invitational with players coming from #30 LSU, #45 Memphis, and Kentucky.
Central Florida hosts the UCF Spring Invitational with players coming from Florida A&M and The Citadel.
BYU opens its season tonight at 5:30pm MST against Southern Utah and Washington opens up on Saturday with a doubleheader against Seattle. Washington will have live scoring and streaming video available at this link.
Florida Gulf Coast hosts the FGCU Invitational with players coming from #30 LSU, #45 Memphis, and Kentucky.
Central Florida hosts the UCF Spring Invitational with players coming from Florida A&M and The Citadel.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
ITA Releases First Rankings of 2016
Earlier today the ITA released its first team and individual rankings of the 2016 season. The individual rankings are based off the computer so therefore they had several big shakeups from the initial rankings which were based solely off last season's rankings with the seniors removed.
I did my own Top 20 and took into account roster additions and subtractions from last season while the first 6 team rankings are done by the ITA's National Ranking Committee with each voter probably knowledgeable on their region but not much outside it. I highlighted all the teams below that moved at least 4 spots from the final rankings of last season and put them in green if they went up and yellow if they went down.
I did my own Top 20 and took into account roster additions and subtractions from last season while the first 6 team rankings are done by the ITA's National Ranking Committee with each voter probably knowledgeable on their region but not much outside it. I highlighted all the teams below that moved at least 4 spots from the final rankings of last season and put them in green if they went up and yellow if they went down.
My Preseason Men's Top 20
The ITA's first team rankings of the season should be out shortly so here is my top 20 along with a few questions for each team. I'm thinking that both Oklahoma and Baylor will have some January roster additions and Wake Forest should have their guys added in a few days. It seems like there are more teams counting on freshman this year than I can remember in the past. I can't see anyway that Virginia isn't the preseason #1 because they've got it all. Here is my top 20 - if you've done one yourself add yours to the comment section below - I'm sure we'll all have many differences and opinions.
1. Virginia - how well will they do without Mitchell Frank?
2. Oklahoma - top 5 is strong but who is going to play #6 - waiting to see January admits?
3. TCU - how well do Alex Rybakov and Eduardo Nava adjust to the college game?
4. Ohio State - can Herkko Pollanen play in the spring like he did the fall and can Martin Joyce hold his own?
5. Georgia - can Paul Oosterbaan be a force at 3 or 4 and how does Walker Duncan perform?
1. Virginia - how well will they do without Mitchell Frank?
2. Oklahoma - top 5 is strong but who is going to play #6 - waiting to see January admits?
3. TCU - how well do Alex Rybakov and Eduardo Nava adjust to the college game?
4. Ohio State - can Herkko Pollanen play in the spring like he did the fall and can Martin Joyce hold his own?
5. Georgia - can Paul Oosterbaan be a force at 3 or 4 and how does Walker Duncan perform?
Monday, January 4, 2016
2016 Season Preview - South Florida Bulls
2015 was a historic season for South Florida with the Tampa-based Bulls making its first ever appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. USF started playing tennis in 1966 (school founded in 1956) and prior to last season they had made the NCAAs 10 times (not bad) but had only managed to get past the first round on 5 occasions. Head coach Matt Hill was able to get his 2014 team into the second round (beat Florida State 4-2) but after dropping a tough doubles point to Florida, and then enduring a 3-hour rain delay, the Gators were just too strong in singles and shut them out 4-0.
The experience of making it to the second round had to give the team a belief that they belonged with the big boys but after winning its first 3 matches in 2015 the Bulls dropped 4 of its next 5. The toughest loss of the 4 came when Penn State beat them 4-1 which denied them a shot at qualifying for the National Team Indoors for the first time in school history. Instead of packing it in the team rallied and won 9 straight before losing a 4-3 heartbreaker at Tulsa. The Bulls would avenge that loss to Tulsa in the finals of The American Conference Tournament and rise to #18 but they'd just miss out on hosting a NCAA regional. South Florida traveled to Blacksburg for the Virginia Tech regional and after shutting out Boise State in the first round they'd surprisingly do the same to the host Hokies in the second round. South Florida drew Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen and stood toe to toe with the hosts before falling 4-1 (more on this match at the very bottom of this post).
The experience of making it to the second round had to give the team a belief that they belonged with the big boys but after winning its first 3 matches in 2015 the Bulls dropped 4 of its next 5. The toughest loss of the 4 came when Penn State beat them 4-1 which denied them a shot at qualifying for the National Team Indoors for the first time in school history. Instead of packing it in the team rallied and won 9 straight before losing a 4-3 heartbreaker at Tulsa. The Bulls would avenge that loss to Tulsa in the finals of The American Conference Tournament and rise to #18 but they'd just miss out on hosting a NCAA regional. South Florida traveled to Blacksburg for the Virginia Tech regional and after shutting out Boise State in the first round they'd surprisingly do the same to the host Hokies in the second round. South Florida drew Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen and stood toe to toe with the hosts before falling 4-1 (more on this match at the very bottom of this post).
SEC To Stream Again
When I was in Naples at the ITA Coaches Convention I heard someone mention that the SEC schools would be able to stream matches again this year after not being able to last year due to ESPN/SEC Network holding the streaming rights. I reached out to Tammy Wilson, the SEC's Director of Communications, and she told me that the SEC schools can stream tennis this year as long as the following guidelines are met.
* Production must involve a multi-channel, multi-court offering for the viewer
* Distribution must take place via the institution's official athletic department website
* Any single-feed production will remain the property of SECN and be distributed via SECN+
* ESPN shall have the nonexclusive right to distribute highlights of any tennis event programs produced by SEC member institutions on any SEC-ESPN Platforms (or any other media)
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2016 Season Preview - North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina has a lot of tradition (been playing tennis since 1908) but prior to last season it had never made the NCAA quarterfinals in consecutive years. Sam Paul had to feel confident going into the 2015 season, due to having an experienced starting 6, but as the season rocked on the injury bug took turns biting his starters and some of his reserves. Throughout the course of the season Brayden Schnur (knee-7), Ronnie Schneider (shoulder-3), Esben Hess-Olesen (back-21), and Oystein Steiro (foot-11) would miss a combined 51 starts which meant Paul constantly had to shuffle both his singles and doubles lineups. Despite all the changes the Tar Heels still managed to win 24 matches including an upset of #4 Illinois in the Sweet Sixteen before losing a tough 4-1 match to TCU in the Elite 8.
Sam Paul is back for his 23rd season as head coach of the Tar Heels and with his top 5 singles starters returning (all ranked) he's probably hoping for a little smoother ride this year. Esben Hess-Olesen and Oystein Steiro both graduated so Paul will have to replace those 16 dual-match singles wins and his top 2 choices to do so are both freshmen. Anu Kodali, who was a Top 15 Blue Chip, picked up his first career ranked win when he beat NC State's #71 Simon Norenius at the Duke Bonk Invitational while Bo Boyden, a Top 25 5-star, posted a 4-4 singles record this fall. I'd say Kodali definitely has the inside track to the #6 spot with Boyden likely the first off the bench at #7.
Sam Paul is back for his 23rd season as head coach of the Tar Heels and with his top 5 singles starters returning (all ranked) he's probably hoping for a little smoother ride this year. Esben Hess-Olesen and Oystein Steiro both graduated so Paul will have to replace those 16 dual-match singles wins and his top 2 choices to do so are both freshmen. Anu Kodali, who was a Top 15 Blue Chip, picked up his first career ranked win when he beat NC State's #71 Simon Norenius at the Duke Bonk Invitational while Bo Boyden, a Top 25 5-star, posted a 4-4 singles record this fall. I'd say Kodali definitely has the inside track to the #6 spot with Boyden likely the first off the bench at #7.