05-17-2019, 09:26 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-17-2019, 09:48 AM by ColoradoTree.)
UNC and UCLA getting started now. Here's the live stats link if you're interested: http://ncaachampstennis.smtinternetservi...s_unc-nc-w
And here's the live video: https://www.ustanationalcampus.com/en/home/watch.html
Recall that as great as UCLA has been in doubles, UNC hasn't lost the doubles point yet this season. Right now, UNC is up a break on Courts 1 (4-1) and 3 (3-2), while UCLA is up a break on #2 (4-1). In singles, UNC is favored by a lot on #3 and #4 and by a little on #1, while the other three courts are toss-ups. So a UCLA upset would seem to require taking doubles and then winning the toss-ups. Four singles wins is possible, but it's asking an awful lot.
If we get past Pepperdine (who legit terrifies me, as do most teams remaining), UCLA would be a much better matchup for us. Against UCLA, we'd be big favorites on #3 and #4, a slight favorite on #1, a slight/moderate underdog on #6 depending on who plays, and #2 and #5 would be toss-ups, even though it'd be another Shin-Altick rematch, which haven't gone our way. Against UNC, every single court in singles would be a toss-up. Sure, we wouldn't run the risk of losing to UCLA, which is a silver lining, I suppose, but 6 toss-ups is the kind of match that will put me into an early grave.
I don't know if it's the right move (I can envision both Higuchi and Madurawe beating and losing to Iamachkine), but I'm cool with it, assuming she really is in the lineup today and they didn't just preload the scoreboard with our standard lineup. She's proven her worth on this stage before (8-2 all-time in NCAA team play; she was All-Tournament Team at #6 singles last year), and I don't know that Madurawe is any likelier to beat Iamachkine than Higuchi is. Since Iamachkine is a freshman, maybe Higuchi's experience can help her get the job done.
It's crunch time, after all. We know Emma has the ability to dominate in NCAA play, and we don't know that about Madurawe yet, so why not?
UCLA won 6-1 at #2 doubles, but UNC still has the edge on #1 and #3. At #1, UCLA will serve to stay in it, down 2-5. At #3, UNC will serve for that match, up 5-4.
UCLA holds for 3-5 on #1, but UNC promptly serves it out at love to win that court 6-3. But! Over at #3 doubles, UCLA broke UNC's serve to knot it at 5-5, and then held for 6-5, so UNC will now serve to force a tiebreaker that would decide the doubles point.
And here's the live video: https://www.ustanationalcampus.com/en/home/watch.html
Recall that as great as UCLA has been in doubles, UNC hasn't lost the doubles point yet this season. Right now, UNC is up a break on Courts 1 (4-1) and 3 (3-2), while UCLA is up a break on #2 (4-1). In singles, UNC is favored by a lot on #3 and #4 and by a little on #1, while the other three courts are toss-ups. So a UCLA upset would seem to require taking doubles and then winning the toss-ups. Four singles wins is possible, but it's asking an awful lot.
If we get past Pepperdine (who legit terrifies me, as do most teams remaining), UCLA would be a much better matchup for us. Against UCLA, we'd be big favorites on #3 and #4, a slight favorite on #1, a slight/moderate underdog on #6 depending on who plays, and #2 and #5 would be toss-ups, even though it'd be another Shin-Altick rematch, which haven't gone our way. Against UNC, every single court in singles would be a toss-up. Sure, we wouldn't run the risk of losing to UCLA, which is a silver lining, I suppose, but 6 toss-ups is the kind of match that will put me into an early grave.
(05-17-2019, 09:15 AM)oldalum Wrote: from the scoreboard it looks like we're going with Higuchi at #6 today
I don't know if it's the right move (I can envision both Higuchi and Madurawe beating and losing to Iamachkine), but I'm cool with it, assuming she really is in the lineup today and they didn't just preload the scoreboard with our standard lineup. She's proven her worth on this stage before (8-2 all-time in NCAA team play; she was All-Tournament Team at #6 singles last year), and I don't know that Madurawe is any likelier to beat Iamachkine than Higuchi is. Since Iamachkine is a freshman, maybe Higuchi's experience can help her get the job done.
It's crunch time, after all. We know Emma has the ability to dominate in NCAA play, and we don't know that about Madurawe yet, so why not?
UCLA won 6-1 at #2 doubles, but UNC still has the edge on #1 and #3. At #1, UCLA will serve to stay in it, down 2-5. At #3, UNC will serve for that match, up 5-4.
UCLA holds for 3-5 on #1, but UNC promptly serves it out at love to win that court 6-3. But! Over at #3 doubles, UCLA broke UNC's serve to knot it at 5-5, and then held for 6-5, so UNC will now serve to force a tiebreaker that would decide the doubles point.