Last weekend I went 38-7 picking matches during the Kick-Off Weekend when the lineups were set in advance but this week I’ll predict some matches where the lineups won’t be known until match time. I’ll take a guess at the lineup though I’d expect some teams to make changes from what they had in place last weekend.
Friday Previews
#2 North Carolina (4-0) vs. #12 Texas Tech (2-0) – Friday 6 p.m. @ USTA National Campus/Orlando – North Carolina has yet to drop a point this season with all four matches finishing in shutouts however they were tested in a few spots last weekend against Oregon and Texas. Texas Tech won both of its KOW matches last weekend against UCSB and Arizona State however it dropped the doubles point in both and had five singles matches go three sets against Arizona State (won four of five). North Carolina is going to a pretty big favorite in this one and if they win the doubles point I think they’ll get the three singles courts that they need. I’ll go UNC in doubles and Carter, Daavettila, Aney, and Graham in singles. Prediction: North Carolina 5-2
Projected Singles Lineups (UTR Power 6 – UNC 68. Texas Tech 66)
1. #5 Hayley Carter (UNC 11.83) vs. #26 Gabriela Talaba (TT 11.93)
2. #3 Sara Daavettila (UNC 12.06) vs. #81 Felicity Maltby (TT 11.39)
3. #9 Jessie Aney (UNC 11.59) vs. Alex Valenstein (TT 10.67)
4. #44 Alexa Graham (UNC 11.35) vs. Sarah Dvorak (TT 10.73)
5. #45 Makenna Jones (UNC 10.92) vs. Sabrina Federici (TT 10.87)
6. Rachael James-Baker (UNC 10.40) vs. Katelyn Jackson (TT 10.36)
B. Chloe Ouellett-Pizer (UNC 10.42); Alba Cortina Pou (TT 10.22)
#8 California (2-0) at #3 Pepperdine (2-0) – Friday 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT – Cal has owned Pepperdine over the years winning 14 straight dating back to 2001 however Pepperdine comes into this one as the higher ranked team with a pretty loaded lineup. Both teams are coming off routine wins during the KOW with Cal shutting out Xavier and Missouri while Pepperdine did the same against UNLV and NC State. Pepperdine returns its top four singles starters from last year’s team but added freshman Ashley Lahey and Fresno State transfer Mayar Sherif Ahmed which will let last year’s No. 2 Laura Gulbe, No. 3 Dzina Milovanovic, and No. 4 Jean Runglerdkriangkrai slide down to No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6. Cal also returns four of six singles starters however the two it lost (Klara Fabikova/Lynn Chi) played at No. 2 and No. 3 so everyone else has had to shift up in the lineup this year. I think this is the year that Pepperdine snaps the streak – I’ll take the Waves in doubles and Stefani, Lahey, Sheriff Ahmed, and Gulbe in singles with Cal getting wins from Jansen and Smith. Prediction: Pepperdine 5-2
Projected Singles Lineups (UTR Power 6 – Pepperdine 69, California 67)
1. #49 Maegan Manasse (Cal 11.64) vs. #8 Luisa Stefani (Pepp 11.97)
2. #17 Karla Popovic (Cal 11.98) vs. #21 Ashley Lahey (Pepp 12.08)
3. Denise Starr (Cal 11.23) vs. #22 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (Pepp 11.44)
4. Olivia Hauger (Cal 11.40) vs. Laura Gulbe (Pepp 11.30)
5. Maya Jansen (Cal 10.28) vs. Dzina Milovanovic (Pepp 10.96)
6. Maria Smith (Cal 10.45) vs. Jean Runglerdkriangkrai (Pepp 10.98)
B. Stephanie Lin (Cal 9.80); Adrijana Lekaj (Pepp 11.46)
Duke (3-1) at #17 Illinois (1-1) – Friday 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – Illinois opened up its season last week with a tight 4-2 win over an Arkansas team that was without its top player (Redlicki) and then it suffered a rough 4-0 loss to Oklahoma in a match where it didn’t win any sets in singles. Duke wasn’t able to play at a KOW regional due to its low 2016 year-end ranking but it did play a pair of matches last weekend defeating both VCU and Michigan State by 6-1 scores. Duke’s top singles player Nicolas Alvarez has yet to play a dual-match after injuring his wrist against LSU’s Justin Butsch in the Rainbow Warrior Classic back on January 11 so I guess we won’t know until matchtime if he’ll suit up. I’ll take Duke in doubles and at #3 and #6 singles but I like the Illini elsewhere – should be a 4-3 match one way or another. Prediction: Illinois 4-3
Projected Singles Lineups (UTR Power 6 – Illinois 83, Duke 83)
1. #10 Nicolas Alvarez (DU 14.33) vs. Aleks Vukic (ILL 14.39)
2. Vincent Lin (DU 13.46) vs. #29 Aron Hiltzik (ILL 14.33)
3. Catalin Mateas (DU 13.70) vs. #100 Gui Gomes (ILL 13.09)
4. Robert Levine (DU 13.85) vs. #85 Aleksandar Kovacevic (ILL 13.94)
5. Nick Stachowiak (DU 13.61) vs. Zeke Clark (ILL 13.84)
6. Spencer Furman (DU 13.85) vs. Noe Khlif (ILL 13.18)
B. TJ Pura (DU 13.25); Julian Childers (ILL 13.18), Pablo Landa (ILL 12.31)
Saturday Previews
#5 Georgia (3-0) vs. #6 UCLA (4-0) – Pac-12/SEC Challenge @ Gainesville, FL – 10 a.m. ET – Both teams come in undefeated with Georgia coming off wins over Purdue and Washington while UCLA defeated Lamar and New Mexico last weekend. If the singles lineups stay the same as last week it’ll be an all-freshmen showdown at No. 3 between Nathan Ponwith and Evan Zhu. UCLA has been a little sluggish so far with the Bruins getting pushed to four third sets against New Mexico and a 5-2 win over UCSB two weeks ago came down to a pair of third sets at No. 1 and No. 2. If UCLA doesn’t up its game this weekend it’ll leave Gainesville winless however the one advantage it does have over Georgia is that this will be Georgia’s first outdoor match of the year whereas UCLA has played them all outdoors. One of the biggest question marks for Georgia will be the status of Paul Oosterbaan who missed all of the fall with a wrist injury. Oosterbaan made his season debut against Purdue but looked rusty and fell in straight sets to Purdue freshman Stephan Koenigsfest. Oosterbaan played doubles during the next match against Washington but he sat out in singles.
I’m going to take Georgia in doubles and Montgomery, Ponwith, Zielinski, and Duncan in singles with UCLA picking up wins from Redlicki and Di Giulio. Prediction: Georgia 5-2
Projected Singles Lineup (UTR Power 6 – Georgia 84, UCLA 84)
1. #22 Wayne Montgomery (UGA 14.55) vs. #11 Gage Brymer (UCLA 14.34)
2. #31 Emil Reinberg (UGA 13.76) vs. Martin Redlicki (UCLA 14.35)
3. #124 Nathan Ponwith (UGA 13.98) vs. Evan Zhu (UCLA 13.94)
4. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA 14.22) vs. #90 Joseph Di Giulio (UCLA 13.98)
5. #56 Jan Zielinski (UGA 13.45) vs. Logan Staggs (UCLA 13.86)
6. #79 Walker Duncan (UGA 13.53) vs. Austin Rapp (UCLA 13.69)
#8 USC (5-0) at #11 Florida (4-0) – Pac-12/SEC Challenge @ Gainesville, FL – 1:30 p.m. ET – Both teams were dominant last weekend with Florida routing UNC Wilmington and LSU while USC had no issues with East Tennessee State and San Diego. USC’s Thibault Forget didn’t play at all in singles last week though he did play once in doubles so I’m not sure if he has a small injury or if he was just sitting out since the team was expected to roll. As the UTRs tell you this is a pretty even matchup with a point here or there probably going to decide it. I like Florida in doubles and Perez and Ingildsen in singles but I’m going to take Holt, Crystal, Forget, and Jaede at 2, 3, 4, and 5 to give USC the win. Prediction: USC 4-3
Projected Singles Lineup (UTR Power 6 – USC 83, Florida 83)
1. #28 Logan Smith (USC 13.74) vs. #13 Alfredo Perez (UF 14.46)
2. #20 Brandon Holt (USC 14.44) vs. #64 Elliott Orkin (UF 13.86)
3. #88 Nick Crystal (USC 14.10) vs. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF 14.12)
4. #114 Thibault Forget (USC 13.96) vs. #67 McClain Kessler (UF 13.51)
5. Jake Devine (USC 13.66) vs. #98 Maxx Lipman (UF 13.47)
6. Jack Jaede (USC 13.41) vs. Johannes Ingildsen (UF 13.69)
B. Riley Smith (USC 13.29)/Laurens Verboven (USC 13.69); Jordan Belga (UF 13.66)
#7 North Carolina (7-0) at #17 Illinois (2-1) – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – North Carolina won a pair of tough matches last weekend against Notre Dame and Vanderbilt while Illinois is coming off an emotionally draining 4-3 win over Duke on Friday night (look above I actually predicted that one right). North Carolina has yet to lose a doubles point while Illinois has yet to win so you know which way I’m going there. I’ll take UNC in doubles and Blumberg, Kelly, Soendergaard, and Murray in singles with Illinois picking up wins from Vukic and Clark. I think it’ll be tough for Illinois to come back less than 24 hours after playing Duke while North Carolina will be well rested. Prediction: North Carolina 5-2
Projected Singles Lineups (UTR Power 6 – North Carolina 83, Illinois 83)
1. #38 Ronnie Schneider (UNC 14.04) vs. Aleks Vukic (ILL 14.39)
2. William Blumberg (UNC 14.75) vs. #29 Aron Hiltzik (ILL 14.33)
3. Simon Soendergaard (UNC 12.44*) vs. #100 Gui Gomes (ILL 13.09)
4. Robert Kelly (UNC 14.05) vs. #85 Aleksandar Kovacevic (ILL 13.94)
5. Jack Murray (UNC 13.80) vs. Julian Childers (ILL 13.18)
6. #57 Joshua Peck (UNC 13.43) vs. Zeke Clark (ILL 13.84)
B. Bo Boyden (UNC 13.44); Noe Khlif (ILL 13.18), Pablo Landa (ILL 12.31)
*Soendergaard’s UTR only has 12% reliability – in my opinion he’s closer to a 13.75
#1 Florida (2-0) at #3 Pepperdine (2-0) – 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT – Both teams were coming off easy wins in the KOW and both were supposed to play challenging matches on Friday however the rain cancelled Pepperdine’s match with No. 8 Cal and Florida’s match with No. 22 USC. Pepperdine has never beaten Florida (0-7) and while I think the Waves will give the Gators a run for its money the difference will be the bottom of the lineup where Florida has a top 40 player that probably even be in the starting lineup. I’ll take Pepperdine in doubles and Stefani in singles but I like Florida in the other five spots. Prediction: Florida 5-2
Projected Singles Lineups (UTR Power 6 – Florida 71, Pepperdine 69)
1. #37 Belinda Woolcock (UF 11.71) vs. #8 Luisa Stefani (Pepp 11.97)
2. Ingrid Neel (UF 11.93) vs. #21 Ashley Lahey (Pepp 12.08)
3. #15 Josie Kuhlman (UF 12.04) vs. #22 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (Pepp 11.44)
4. #30 Anna Danilina (UF 11.89) vs. Laura Gulbe (Pepp 11.30)
5. Brooke Austin (UF 11.84) vs. Dzina Milovanovic (Pepp 10.96)
6. #24 Kourtney Keegan (UF 11.76) vs. Jean Runglerdkriangkrai (Pepp 10.98)
B. #39 Spencer Liang (UF 11.16); Adrijana Lekaj (Pepp 11.46)
Sunday Previews
#5 Georgia (3-1) vs. #8 USC (5-1) – Pac-12/SEC Challenge @ Gainesville, FL – 10 a.m. ET – Both teams are coming off 4-3 losses with USC’s loss to Florida the first time the Trojans had lost a match at this four-year old event. I’ll go with Montgomery, Ponwith, and Duncan in singles for Georgia and Holt, Forget, and Jaede for USC plus the Trojans in doubles. Prediction: USC 4-3
Projected Singles Lineup (UTR Power 6 – Georgia 84, USC 83)
1. #22 Wayne Montgomery (UGA 14.55) vs. #28 Logan Smith (USC 13.74)
2. #31 Emil Reinberg (UGA 13.76) vs. #20 Brandon Holt (USC 14.44)
3. #124 Nathan Ponwith (UGA 13.98) vs. #88 Nick Crystal (USC 14.10)
4. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA 14.22) vs. #114 Thibault Forget (USC 13.96)
5. #56 Jan Zielinski (UGA 13.45) vs. Jack Jaede (USC 13.41)
6. #79 Walker Duncan (UGA 13.53) vs. Riley Smith (USC 13.29)
B. Robert Loeb (UGA 13.39); Jake Devine (USC 13.66); Laurens Verboven (USC 13.69)
#6 UCLA (5-0) at #11 Florida (5-0) – Pac-12/SEC Challenge @ Gainesville, FL – 1:30 p.m. ET – Both of these teams are coming off 4-3 win though Florida’s win was the more comfortable of the two even though they started out in a 1-0 hole after losing the doubles point. If the two teams play the same way they did yesterday this will likely be another 4-3 match. I like Alfredo Perez, Chase Perez-Blanco, Elliott Orkin, and Johannes Ingildsen for Florida while I’ll go with Joseph Di Giulio and Logan Staggs for UCLA plus I like the Bruins in doubles. Prediction: Florida 4-3
Projected Singles Lineup (UTR Power 6 – UCLA 84, Florida 83)
1. #11 Gage Brymer (UCLA 14.34) vs. #13 Alfredo Perez (UF 14.46)
2. Martin Redlicki (UCLA 14.35) vs. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF 14.12)
3. Evan Zhu (UCLA 13.94) vs. #64 Elliott Orkin (UF 13.86)
4. #90 Joseph Di Giulio (UCLA 13.98) vs. #67 McClain Kessler (UF 13.51)
5. Logan Staggs (UCLA 13.86) vs. #98 Maxx Lipman (UF 13.47)
6. Austin Rapp (UCLA 13.69) vs. Johannes Ingildsen (UF 13.69)
B. Jordan Belga (UF 13.66)
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