Ohio State Regional
Stickney Tennis Center (Varsity Courts) – Columbus, OH
[5] Ohio State Buckeyes (30-2) vs. [49-64] Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (15-6) – Saturday 1pm ET – Ohio State earned the Big Ten’s automatic berth after defeating Illinois in the finals of the conference tournament while Tennessee Tech earned the Ohio Valley’s automatic berth after knocking off Eastern Kentucky in the finals. TTU will be playing without its No. 2 singles player, Alex Arovin, who was defaulted in the finals of the conference tournament so I’m guessing whatever he did must have carried at least a two-match suspension – rough way to end your collegiate career.
[17-32] Kentucky Wildcats (19-9) vs. [33-48] Virginia Tech Hokies (17-8) – Saturday 10am ET – Kentucky got in as an at-large after falling while Virginia Tech got an at-large after falling to Wake Forest in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Kentucky was downright awful in doubles going just 8-15 however they won 7 matches after dropping the doubles point so it wasn’t a total death blow. Virginia Tech went 16-1 when it won the doubles point but just 1-7 when it lost it. I think this is one of the more intriguing first round matches with Virginia Tech coming off a season that fell short of expectations while in my opinion Kentucky overachieved after playing without last year’s No. 1 Beck Pennington. Virginia Tech did show some moxie in the ACC Tournament by beating Miami and Florida State before losing 4-2 to Wake Forest. It seems like some of Kentucky’s guys ran out of stream down the stretch with Matsumura losing his final 3, Ellefsen losing his last 5, and Wallart losing his last 3.
Doubles Records: Kentucky 8-15, Virginia Tech 17-8
Projected Singles Lineups
Stickney Tennis Center (Varsity Courts) – Columbus, OH
[5] Ohio State Buckeyes (30-2) vs. [49-64] Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (15-6) – Saturday 1pm ET – Ohio State earned the Big Ten’s automatic berth after defeating Illinois in the finals of the conference tournament while Tennessee Tech earned the Ohio Valley’s automatic berth after knocking off Eastern Kentucky in the finals. TTU will be playing without its No. 2 singles player, Alex Arovin, who was defaulted in the finals of the conference tournament so I’m guessing whatever he did must have carried at least a two-match suspension – rough way to end your collegiate career.
Doubles Records: Ohio State 28-4, Tennessee Tech 11-10
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Ohio State 85, Tennessee Tech 74
FYI, the number beside the player’s school is the player’s Universal Tennis Rating as of May 9th. For more details about UTR check out their website.
The UTR Power 6 is the combined UTRs of the starting 6 (rounded to a whole #). An individual win/loss to anyone with a UTR difference of 1.0 or greater would be considered an upset.
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #1 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 15.16) vs. Eduardo Mena (TTU 13.39)
2. #88 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.84) vs. Alberto Esteban (TTU 12.45)
3. #45 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.42) vs. Guillermo Nicolas (TTU 12.50)
4. #103 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.85) vs. Marcos Bernardes (TTU 12.07)
4. #103 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.85) vs. Marcos Bernardes (TTU 12.07)
5. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 14.07) vs. Jorge Alfonzo (TTU 11.87)
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.93) vs. Alvaro Cintas (TTU 11.97)
O: Matt Mendez (OSU 13.54)
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.93) vs. Alvaro Cintas (TTU 11.97)
O: Matt Mendez (OSU 13.54)
The matchup at No. 1 singles will be between two guys that have a combined 43-1 dual-match record with Torpegaard 23-0 and Mena 20-1. Tennessee Tech was facing a major uphill climb as it was but without Arovin this one will go that much quicker. TTU’s projected No. 6, Alvaro Cintas, has only played in three dual-matches all season so I expect he’ll have a really rough time against the 17-0 Martin Joyce. Ohio State takes the doubles point and gets wins from Di Feo, Steinbach, and Joyce. Prediction: Ohio State 4-0.
[17-32] Kentucky Wildcats (19-9) vs. [33-48] Virginia Tech Hokies (17-8) – Saturday 10am ET – Kentucky got in as an at-large after falling while Virginia Tech got an at-large after falling to Wake Forest in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Kentucky was downright awful in doubles going just 8-15 however they won 7 matches after dropping the doubles point so it wasn’t a total death blow. Virginia Tech went 16-1 when it won the doubles point but just 1-7 when it lost it. I think this is one of the more intriguing first round matches with Virginia Tech coming off a season that fell short of expectations while in my opinion Kentucky overachieved after playing without last year’s No. 1 Beck Pennington. Virginia Tech did show some moxie in the ACC Tournament by beating Miami and Florida State before losing 4-2 to Wake Forest. It seems like some of Kentucky’s guys ran out of stream down the stretch with Matsumura losing his final 3, Ellefsen losing his last 5, and Wallart losing his last 3.
Doubles Records: Kentucky 8-15, Virginia Tech 17-8
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Kentucky 82, Virginia Tech 82
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #29 William Bushamuka (UK 14.21) vs. #14 Joao Monteiro (VT 14.45)
2. #42 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK 14.45) vs. #72 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT 13.94)
3. Nils Ellefsen (UK 13.70) vs. #107 Amerigo Contini (VT 13.51)
3. Nils Ellefsen (UK 13.70) vs. #107 Amerigo Contini (VT 13.51)
4. Enzo Wallart (UK 13.11) vs. #77 Edoardo Tessaro (VT 13.38)
5. Trey Yates (UK 13.25) vs. Mitch Harper (VT 13.12)
6. Austin Hussey (UK 12.98) vs. Jai Corbett (VT 13.46)
O: Jake Stefanik (UK 13.22); Aaron Gomez (VT 12.91)
Virginia Tech should take the doubles point and I look for the Hokies to take two of the top three while I think Kentucky takes two of the bottom three. The doubles point will be the difference and Monteiro will clinch the match in a long one at No. 1. Prediction: Virginia Tech 4-3
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Regional Final – [33-48] Virginia Tech at [5] Ohio State – Sunday 1pm ET – Ohio State played both Kentucky and Virginia Tech during the regular season. The Buckeyes won a close 4-2 match at Kentucky while it beat Virginia Tech 4-0 at home though the Hokies were a game away from winning on two courts.
Regular Season Meeting:
#8 Ohio State 4, #19 Virginia Tech 0
Feb 07, 2016 at Columbus, Ohio (OSU Varsity Tennis Center
Singles Competition
1. #7 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 14.45) def. #14 Joao Monteiro (VT 14.31) 6-3, 6-2
2. #19 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.98) def. Andres Bjerrehus (VT 13.91) 6-2, 7-6(5)
3. Amerigo Contini (VT 13.64) vs. #10 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.23) 7-5, 5-4, unf.
4. #46 Edoardo Tessaro (VT 13.66) vs. #25 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.61) 6-4, 6-6, unf
5. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 13.84) def. Jai Corbett (VT 13.37) 6-1, 6-4
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.74) vs. Mitch Harper (VT 13.01) 6-7(2), 6-5, 2-2, unf.
Doubles Competition
1. #22 Steinbach/Joyce (OSU) def. #21 Bjerrehus/Monteiro (VT) 6-3
2. #24 Torpegaard/Pollanen (OSU) def. Tessaro/Contini (VT) 6-2
3. Di Feo/Diaz (OSU) vs. Corbett/Harper (VT) 5-2, unf.
Match Notes
Virginia Tech 4-2; National ranking #19
Ohio State 8-0; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,1,2)
Official: Marcus Lee; T-2:16; A-261
#8 Ohio State 4, #19 Virginia Tech 0
Feb 07, 2016 at Columbus, Ohio (OSU Varsity Tennis Center
Singles Competition
1. #7 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 14.45) def. #14 Joao Monteiro (VT 14.31) 6-3, 6-2
2. #19 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.98) def. Andres Bjerrehus (VT 13.91) 6-2, 7-6(5)
3. Amerigo Contini (VT 13.64) vs. #10 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.23) 7-5, 5-4, unf.
4. #46 Edoardo Tessaro (VT 13.66) vs. #25 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.61) 6-4, 6-6, unf
5. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 13.84) def. Jai Corbett (VT 13.37) 6-1, 6-4
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.74) vs. Mitch Harper (VT 13.01) 6-7(2), 6-5, 2-2, unf.
Doubles Competition
1. #22 Steinbach/Joyce (OSU) def. #21 Bjerrehus/Monteiro (VT) 6-3
2. #24 Torpegaard/Pollanen (OSU) def. Tessaro/Contini (VT) 6-2
3. Di Feo/Diaz (OSU) vs. Corbett/Harper (VT) 5-2, unf.
Match Notes
Virginia Tech 4-2; National ranking #19
Ohio State 8-0; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,1,2)
Official: Marcus Lee; T-2:16; A-261
Doubles Records: Ohio State 28-4, Virginia Tech 17-8
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Ohio State 85, Virginia Tech 82
Projected Singles Lineups
1. #1 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU 15.16) vs. #14 Joao Monteiro (VT 14.45)
2. #88 Chris Diaz (OSU 13.84) vs. #72 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT 13.94)
3. #45 Hugo Di Feo (OSU 14.42) vs. #107 Amerigo Contini (VT 13.51)
4. #103 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.85) vs. #77 Edoardo Tessaro (VT 13.38)
4. #103 Herkko Pollanen (OSU 13.85) vs. #77 Edoardo Tessaro (VT 13.38)
5. Ralf Steinbach (OSU 14.07) vs. Mitch Harper (VT 13.12)
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.93) vs. Jai Corbett (VT 13.46)
6. Martin Joyce (OSU 13.93) vs. Jai Corbett (VT 13.46)
I look for a fairly similar result this time with Ohio State taking the doubles point and Torpegaard, Steinbach, and Joyce winning in singles. Prediction: Ohio State 4-0
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Texas A&M Regional
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center – College Station, TX
[12] Texas A&M Aggies (26-9) vs. [49-64] George Washington Colonials (14-8) – Friday – 1pm CT – Texas A&M was awarded an at-large berth after falling to Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament while George Washington earned an automatic berth after defeating VCU 4-3 in the finals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. GW went 0-5 against ranked opponents with its closest loss against Pacific (4-2).
Doubles Records: Texas A&M 25-10, George Washington 15-7
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating:
Projected Singles Lineups:
[17-32] Texas Longhorns (17-11) vs. [33-48] Lamar Cardinals (17-5) – Friday – 10am CT – Texas got in as an at-large after falling 4-1 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 quarterfinals while Lamar punched its first-ever ticket to the NCAAs after defeating Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the finals of the Southland Conference Tournament. Texas won the regular season meeting 6-1 back in mid-January though the only individual rematch from that first meeting will come at No. 1 between Goldhoff and Feucht. Lamar went 2-5 against ranked opponents with the two wins coming over Rice and Iowa.
1. #18 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU 14.42) vs. Julius Tverijonas (GW 13.04)
2. #52 Shane Vinsant (TAMU 13.87) vs. Danil Zelenkov (GW 12.76)
3. Jordi Arconada (TAMU 13.75) vs. Chris Reynolds (GW 12.90)
4. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU 13.60) vs. Chris Fletcher (GW 12.24)
5. Harrison Adams (TAMU 13.28) vs. Cahit Kapukiran (GW 12.27)
6. Jackson Withrow (TAMU 14.03) vs. Christos Hadjigeorgiou (GW 11.74)
O: Max Lunkin (TAMU 13.48)
O: Max Lunkin (TAMU 13.48)
George Washington is the only of the four participants not hailing from Texas but I don’t think A&M will be very hospitable. I like A&M in doubles and Rinderknech, Catanzariti, and Withrow in singles. Prediction: Texas A&M 4-0
[17-32] Texas Longhorns (17-11) vs. [33-48] Lamar Cardinals (17-5) – Friday – 10am CT – Texas got in as an at-large after falling 4-1 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 quarterfinals while Lamar punched its first-ever ticket to the NCAAs after defeating Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the finals of the Southland Conference Tournament. Texas won the regular season meeting 6-1 back in mid-January though the only individual rematch from that first meeting will come at No. 1 between Goldhoff and Feucht. Lamar went 2-5 against ranked opponents with the two wins coming over Rice and Iowa.
Doubles Records: Texas 13-13, Lamar 13-8
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating: Texas 81, Lamar 76
Regular season meeting:
#12 Texas 6, Lamar University 1
Jan 12, 2016 at Austin, Texas (Weller Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. George Goldhoff (UT) def. Michael Feucht (LU) 4-6, 7-6 (10-3), 1-0 (10-4)
2. Harrison Scott (UT) def. Nikita Lis (LU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Adrian Ortiz (UT) def. Sebastian Santibanez (LU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Michael Riechmann (UT) def. Benny Schweizer (LU) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
5. Julian Zlobinsky (UT) def. Jeandre Hoogenboezem (LU) 6-2, 7-6 (10-3)
6. Juuso Laitinen (LU) def. Colin Markes (UT) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Michael Riechmann/Adrian Ortiz (UT) def. Jeandre Hoogenboezem/Nikita Lis (LU) 7-6 (10-5)
2. George Goldhoff/Julian Zlobinsky (UT) def. Michael Feucht/Benny Schweizer (LU) 6-3
3. John Mee/Harrison Scott (UT) def. Juuso Laitinen/Sebastian Santibanez (LU) 6-1
Match Notes
Lamar University 0-1
Texas 1-0; National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,3,2,5,1,4)
T-2:30
Projected Singles Lineups:
1. #68 George Goldhoff (UT 13.66) vs. Michael Feucht (LU 13.26)
2. Adrian Ortiz (UT 13.80) vs. Nikita Lis (LU 13.11)
3. Harrison Scott (UT 13.71) vs. Benny Schweizer (LU 12.71)
4. Rodrigo Banzer (UT 13.37) vs. Sebastian Santibanez (LU 12.51)
5. Michael Riechmann (UT 13.34) vs. Jeandre Hoogenboezem (LU 12.39)
6. Julian Zlobinsky (UT 12.94) vs. Juuso Laitinen (LU 12.35)
O: John Mee (UT 13.15)
O: John Mee (UT 13.15)
Lamar is good enough to hang around but I don’t think they’ve got enough to pull off the upset. I’ll take Lamar in doubles but I’ll go with Ortiz, Scott, Banzer, and Riechmann for the Longhorns in singles. Prediction: Texas 4-1
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Regional Final – [17-32] Texas at [12] Texas A&M – Saturday 2pm CT: This will only be the second time these Lone Star rivals have met since Texas A&M left the Big 12 after the 2011-12 season. The one previous meeting came in May 2013 when Texas A&M defeated Texas 4-3 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a match that took place in College Station. Texas head coach Michael Center was named the ITA Texas Region Coach of the Year after returning only one starter off last year’s team yet still keeping this team inside the top 25 virtually all season.
Regional Final – [17-32] Texas at [12] Texas A&M – Saturday 2pm CT: This will only be the second time these Lone Star rivals have met since Texas A&M left the Big 12 after the 2011-12 season. The one previous meeting came in May 2013 when Texas A&M defeated Texas 4-3 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a match that took place in College Station. Texas head coach Michael Center was named the ITA Texas Region Coach of the Year after returning only one starter off last year’s team yet still keeping this team inside the top 25 virtually all season.
Doubles Records: Texas A&M 25-10, Texas 13-13
UTR Starting 6 Power Rating:
Projected Singles Lineups:
1. #18 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU 14.42) vs. #68 George Goldhoff (UT 13.66)
2. #52 Shane Vinsant (TAMU 13.87) vs. Adrian Ortiz (UT 13.80)
3. Jordi Arconada (TAMU 13.75) vs. Harrison Scott (UT 13.71)
4. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU 13.60) vs. Rodrigo Banzer (UT 13.37)
5. Harrison Adams (TAMU 13.28) vs. Michael Riechmann (UT 13.34)
6. Jackson Withrow (TAMU 14.03) vs. Julian Zlobinsky (UT 12.94)
O: Max Lunkin (TAMU 13.48); John Mee (UT 13.15)
O: Max Lunkin (TAMU 13.48); John Mee (UT 13.15)
Neither team played very good doubles down the stretch with Texas A&M dropping the point in its final three matches while Texas lost the point in its final four matches against quality competition (no offense PVA&M). Texas A&M went 18-3 in doubles at home and I think they’ll be able to feed off the crowd to take the early 1-0 lead. I think No. 2, 3, and 4 singles will all be very close but I like Rinderknech, Adams, and Withrow in straight sets at No. 1, 5 and 6. Prediction: Texas A&M 4-1
Coming up next: Cal and TCU regionals…..
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