Week 2: Williams

Williams enters the 2007-2008 season with a veteran team and a first year head coach. They are returning 5 of 6 starters from last year’s team who lost a heartbreaker in the NCAA Elite 8. Williams always has a lot of depth on their team and this year is no exception. I asked Coach Donn what he expects from his team this year and he said “as a coach, I will never put material goals onto our players. My goal each year is to prepare the team (both mentally and physically) as best I can for the spring season. We as a team cannot always control how well we play, but we can control how well we compete and that is the mentality I want to get out of them each year." Williams will have to be very prepared because they will face very tough opponents in their conference, the NESCAC, which is probably the toughest conference in the country and has 7 potential Top 25 teams. Williams will really need to train hard in the offseason to beat the likes of Amherst, Middlebury and Bowdoin. This will be quite a task for the Williams team who has to deal with a very rigorous academic workload. But Coach Donn said that he feels his players do a great job with their work ethic.

Williams has great depth as a team and should almost never lose at #5 and #6. As their senior captain and team leader, Dan Greenberg is looking to have a special season both for his team and as an individual. He will enter the spring season as a contender at NCAA’s and a strong #1 for Williams. The middle of Williams lineup is strong but they are vulnerable there as well as having fairly weak doubles compared to the other top teams in the country. Williams strong suit are their 4-6 players who will be very tough to beat. I expect Williams to return to the Elite 8, as I have them at #7 in the country heading into the spring. They will be tested in the NESCAC and this will prepare them well to face some of the best teams in the country. I wouldn’t expect Williams to make the Final 4, and it may take a big upset of Emory, CMS or Santa Cruz for them to do so. Williams is a solid team and they are always a threat to the big name teams, so definitely watch for this team to be a contender in the spring.

Projected Lineup
1. Greenberg/Thacher
2. Lebedoff/Simonette
3. Furmaga/Devlin
1. Dan Greenberg
2. Nick Lebedoff
3. Gary Simonette
4. Karol Furmaga
5. Rick Devlin
6. Jeremy Weinberger



Next Week: Amherst

Week 1: Gustavus Adolphus

Gustavus Adolphus has a streak of 8 straight appearances in the NCAA Elite 8 and 3 straight appearances in the Final Four. This team is a Division III powerhouse who has competed for a national championship every year for the last 15 years. This year’s team is no different. Coming off a 4th place finish last year in NCAA’s, Gustavus is looking to top that performance. They are known for their strong doubles, and this year it is doubtful that they will ever trail after doubles in a dual match. I had a chance to talk with Coach Wilkinson and he said that he feels “doubles strategy is one of the team’s strong suits.” GAC starts their real season by hosting the National Indoor Championships, where they are always the favorites, no matter who is there.

Gustavus has matches during the spring against all of the top teams in the nation at neutral sites, and this is where they will really be tested. Gustavus has the firepower and personnel to stay with anyone in the country. It is absolutely crucial for Gustavus to win at least 2 doubles matches against any top 10 team because they will struggle in singles against top teams. Coach Wilkinson said that he believes “there are more good teams out there this year and they will need to get better as a team to maintain a 4th place finish in NCAAs.” Coach Wilkinson also expects Andy Bryan to improve as a singles player and I expect him to be one of the contenders in NCAAs after his second place finish at the Fall Nationals in Mobile. He should make at least the quarterfinals of Singles and I am sure GAC will return to the Elite 8 for the 9th straight year as a team. Whether they can make the Final Four is still up in the air. Going in to the spring, I have them ranked as the 6th best team in the country, but a victory against Wash U, Emory or Middlebury is very do-able for this team. Expect Gustavus to be a threat to top teams all season long and expect Coach Wilkinson to have his team ready for a run at a National Championship in 2008.

Projected Lineup
1. Bryan/Paukert
2. Kauss/Burdakin
3. Hansen/Tomasek
1. Andy Bryan
2. John Kauss
3. Mike Burdakin
4. Charlie Paukert
5. Ben Tomasek
6. Aaron Zenner


Next Week: Williams