It was a pretty wild weekend of college tennis with several unexpected surprises. Some teams positioned themselves really well to get a NCAA at-large bid while others took some bad losses and may have put themselves on the outside looking in.
We will start with the big winners of the week on the men’s side. Dartmouth extended its winning streak to four, and put itself in position to win its first Ivy League title since 1997, after coming back from a 3-0 deficit to stun No. 15 Columbia 4-3. Dartmouth senior Max Fliegner tied the match at 3-3 after coming back from a break down in the third set to defeat Columbia sophomore Adam Ambrozy 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4. Ambrozy was serving up 3-2 (40/15) in the third set before being overruled on an out call and after being assessed a point-penalty (3rd overrule) he lost the 40/40 point to make it 3-3. After an exchange of holds, Fliegner was serving 4-4 (40/30) when Ambrozy called a serve out. Fliegner appealed the call to the chair and when the overrule was granted that meant it was game, set, and match since it was Ambrozy’s fourth overrule which resulted in a game penalty. By this time Dartmouth freshman Dan Martin had opened up a 4-0 lead in the third set at No. 3 and would go on to close out Columbia freshman Jack Lin 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-0.
The win by the Big Green snapped Columbia’s seven-year Ivy League home winning streak which dated back to April 23, 2011.
Dartmouth entered the weekend in good shape to get an at-large bid but after beating Columbia and Cornell they don’t have to worry about being on the bubble any more. The Big Green can secure the Ivy’s automatic bid by defeating Penn and Princeton at home next weekend.
Ohio State, ranked No. 3, all but locked up its 13th consecutive Big Ten title after defeating No. 6 Illinois 4-0. The Buckeyes also added a 7-0 win over Northwestern on Sunday and can now win the Big Ten title outright with wins over Indiana and Purdue.
Fifth-ranked Texas A&M won it’s second straight SEC regular season title after knocking off No. 7 Mississippi State 5-2. The Aggies added a 4-3 win over Auburn on Sunday to finish the regular season 12-0 in SEC play.
Ninth-ranked TCU extended its winning streak to 10 with a 4-2 win over No. 14 Oklahoma and a 4-0 win over No. 11 Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs close out the regular season this week against Baylor and Texas Tech and unless they lose both they’ll be the top seed in the conference tournament.
Texas, ranked No. 19, moved back into position to host a regional after shutting out both No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Oklahoma. The Longhorns close out the regular season this week with road matches at Baylor and Texas Tech – if they win both the new Texas Tennis Center will see men’s action in mid-May (women are already a lock to host).
Georgia, ranked No. 25, entered the weekend needing to win one of its final two matches to guarantee itself a .500 or better record. The Bulldogs not only won one but they won both matches with a 4-1 win over No. 22 Vanderbilt and a 4-3 win over No. 18 Kentucky. Head coach Manuel Diaz’s son, Alex, won the deciding match at No. 6 singles against Kentucky with a 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Gus Benson.
Oregon, ranked No. 41, won a crucial road match on Saturday over No. 35 Utah. The Ducks finish the regular season this weekend on the road at Stanford and Cal so a win over a top 35 team was a huge resume booster and probably enough to get Oregon on the right side of the bubble.
Middle Tennessee State, ranked No. 43, upped its winning streak to nine with a road win over East Tennessee State and a home win over Georgia State. The Blue Raiders will move inside the top 40 this week and if they can get past Rice in the CUSA Tournament opener (Rice hosting) and the winner of the FAU/UTSA match in the semis they should be in regardless of whether they beat probable finalist ODU or not.
Arkansas, ranked No. 47, put itself right on top of the bubble after defeating No. 37 Ole Miss 4-3. The Razorbacks will meet Georgia a week from Thursday in the 8 vs. 9 matchup at the SEC Tournament – a win puts them in while a loss is a season-ender.
Indiana, ranked No. 48, kept its NCAA hopes alive after extending its winning streak to four with road wins at Iowa and Nebraska. The Hoosiers close out their regular season this weekend against Ohio State and Penn State. The Penn State match is obviously a must-win with IU a big underdog to Ohio State.
Virginia, ranked No. 49, picked up a much needed 5-2 win at home over No. 23 NC State. The Cavaliers are still sitting below the at-large cut-off but a win this weekend over No. 40 Virginia Tech would put them in much better shape.
Alabama State became the first school to officially punch its ticket to “The Show” after winning the SWAC Tournament. The Hornets, which were the top seed, defeated the No. 4 seed Alcorn State 4-2 in the semifinals and then on Sunday in the finals they blanked the No. 5 seed Jackson State 4-0. The title is the second in a row for Alabama State and its third in the last four years.
Losers:
Utah, ranked No. 35, had a chance to lock up a bid with a home win over Washington or Oregon but the Utes dropped both and have now lost four straight. Utah’s losing streak will most likely hit six because they head to LA this weekend to face heavily favored USC and UCLA.
Ole Miss, ranked No. 37, also had a chance to sew up a bid but they fell at Arkansas 4-3. The Rebels will have almost two weeks to get healthy before they step back on the court a week from Thursday against South Carolina in the 7 vs. 10 match at the SEC Tournament. It’s possible Ole Miss could still make it with a loss to South Carolina but they’d need some other dominoes to fall in the right direction.
UCF, ranked No. 38, suffered a stunning loss on Sunday night (indoors) in the War on I-4 against No. 113 South Florida. The Knights will now head to the AAC Tournament in Dallas where they’ll meet Tulsa in the 3 vs. 6 match on Friday. For UCF to move up in the rankings they’ll need to make it to the finals which would include a win over Tulane in the semis; if they are unable to do so they’d need some help to stay on the right side of the bubble.
Louisville, ranked No. 39, suffered a pair of home losses over the weekend to No. 1 Wake Forest and No. 23 NC State. Louisville closes its the regular season on Friday in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech in a huge match for both teams. Louisville only has four wins against top 75 opponents and I’m not sure they’ll be able to get in unless they can add a fifth.
Miami, ranked No. 42, suffered a stunning, stunning loss on Sunday in Chestnut Hill to No. 223 Boston College. How stunning was the loss? Boston College had lost its last 72 matches against ACC opposition with its last win coming on March 30, 2012, against Miami. The Canes close out the regular season this weekend with visits from North Carolina, Duke, and Dayton. If Miami can’t defeat UNC or Duke they’d have to pull off some upsets in the ACC Tournament.
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