[ColoradoTree]

Also, I presume one scholarship we might have already had is spoken for since we signed more players in this year’s class than we really had scholarships for, no?

BC

I think that's right, but as I'm still not entirely sure of this team's scholarship math, I'll go through it here. When we signed Choy and Madurawe, we only had one scholarship available for that class, so I've always assumed (based only on their rankings at the time and relative desirability as recruits) that Madurawe paid her own way for a year but was put on scholarship for her sophomore year once the trio of Lord, Lampl, and Yee left. That would've put us at the 8-scholarship cap for 2019-20, but then covid happened, and Arbuthnott/Higuchi came back for a fifth season on scholarship while we welcomed Houghton/Geller, putting us presumably at 10 scholarships. We lose three scholarship players in Arbuthnott/Higuchi/Shin, but then we add Ma/Yepifanova/Xu. I thought the extra covid scholarship year was personal to the athlete, so it's not like Shin not playing a fifth year means that opens up a spot for a freshman, right? Anyway, here's the roster of presumed scholarship athletes by year:

Fifth year (1): Gordon
Seniors (2): Choy, Madurawe
Juniors (2): Blake, Mossmer
Sophomores (2): Geller, Houghton
Freshmen (3): Ma, Yepifanova, Xu

Because Xu wasn't announced with Ma and Yepifanova, I'm inferring she's paying her own way for the year, and at least one of Choy/Madurawe won't be invited back for a fifth covid year. Assuming that's the case, next year's roster looks like this:

Seniors (2): Blake, Mossmer
Juniors (2): Geller, Houghton
Sophomores (3): Ma, Yepifanova, Xu
Freshmen (1): TBD

I just hope we manage to avoid the mistake of 2014, though. In the 2013 class, we landed an outstanding trio (Davidson, Doyle, Zhao) and had the #1 class. In the 2015 class, we had another outstanding trio (Lord, Lampl, Yee) and again had the #1 class. But in 2014, we didn't have a class. Outstanding trios can be great for your program overall (that Lord/Lampl/Yee trio won three national titles, after all), but it creates some peaks and valleys and years where you lack senior leadership. It wouldn't be that big of a deal for next year's lineup, since we have seven scholarship athletes returning (and maybe you'd even see Choy and/or Madurawe play a fifth year to help our depth), but it makes hitting on the 2023 class all the more vital. 

Doesn't look like that one will be Lutkemeyer, who seems set on UCLA for a one-and-done before embarking on a pro career. And top recruit Brantmeier will be a tough get with her best friend and training/usual doubles partner Kimmi Hance a freshman at UCLA this year, though Brantmeier is also friendly with Yepifanova, so we'll see. (Yepifanova has beaten Brantmeier in the four matches they've played, including in the finals of the 2019 US Open Juniors and of a top ITF event in San Diego this past spring, but Brantmeier is a year and change younger than Sasha. They've played at least one time together as a doubles pair, too, at an ITF tournament this past spring.) Alexis Blokhina is another name I'll be watching as signing day approaches.

[ColoradoTree]

Also, I presume one scholarship we might have already had is spoken for since we signed more players in this year’s class than we really had scholarships for, no?

BC

I think that's right, but as I'm still not entirely sure of this team's scholarship math, I'll go through it here. When we signed Choy and Madurawe, we only had one scholarship available for that class, so I've always assumed (based only on their rankings at the time and relative desirability as recruits) that Madurawe paid her own way for a year but was put on scholarship for her sophomore year once the trio of Lord, Lampl, and Yee left. That would've put us at the 8-scholarship cap for 2019-20, but then covid happened, and Arbuthnott/Higuchi came back for a fifth season on scholarship while we welcomed Houghton/Geller, putting us presumably at 10 scholarships. We lose three scholarship players in Arbuthnott/Higuchi/Shin, but then we add Ma/Yepifanova/Xu. I thought the extra covid scholarship year was personal to the athlete, so it's not like Shin not playing a fifth year means that opens up a spot for a freshman, right? Anyway, here's the roster of presumed scholarship athletes by year:

Fifth year (1): Gordon
Seniors (2): Choy, Madurawe
Juniors (2): Blake, Mossmer
Sophomores (2): Geller, Houghton
Freshmen (3): Ma, Yepifanova, Xu

Because Xu wasn't announced with Ma and Yepifanova, I'm inferring she's paying her own way for the year, and at least one of Choy/Madurawe won't be invited back for a fifth covid year. Assuming that's the case, next year's roster looks like this:

Seniors (2): Blake, Mossmer
Juniors (2): Geller, Houghton
Sophomores (3): Ma, Yepifanova, Xu
Freshmen (1): TBD

I just hope we manage to avoid the mistake of 2014, though. In the 2013 class, we landed an outstanding trio (Davidson, Doyle, Zhao) and had the #1 class. In the 2015 class, we had another outstanding trio (Lord, Lampl, Yee) and again had the #1 class. But in 2014, we didn't have a class. Outstanding trios can be great for your program overall (that Lord/Lampl/Yee trio won three national titles, after all), but it creates some peaks and valleys and years where you lack senior leadership. It wouldn't be that big of a deal for next year's lineup, since we have seven scholarship athletes returning (and maybe you'd even see Choy and/or Madurawe play a fifth year to help our depth), but it makes hitting on the 2023 class all the more vital. 

Doesn't look like that one will be Lutkemeyer, who seems set on UCLA for a one-and-done before embarking on a pro career. And top recruit Brantmeier will be a tough get with her best friend and training/usual doubles partner Kimmi Hance a freshman at UCLA this year, though Brantmeier is also friendly with Yepifanova, so we'll see. (Yepifanova has beaten Brantmeier in the four matches they've played, including in the finals of the 2019 US Open Juniors and of a top ITF event in San Diego this past spring, but Brantmeier is a year and change younger than Sasha. They've played at least one time together as a doubles pair, too, at an ITF tournament this past spring.) Alexis Blokhina is another name I'll be watching as signing day approaches.