[ColoradoTree]

I guess they're changing up how they do it! The previous guidance was that players who miss out by one round (so, losing in the semis here, or losing in the R16 at All-Americans) are added to the alternate pool, and then sorted by ITA ranking, and then that's the list used to fill any vacancies that arise because some players qualify more than once. 

But I'm guessing Blokhina--a borderline candidate for NCAAs in the first place based on preseason ranking--will take it! 

The decision to play out the semifinal in the first place is something you could question. Glozman could have done her teammate a solid and just withdrawn from the match to punch Blokhina's ticket. That has happened at least once elsewhere around the country, with an already-qualified Auburn player giving her teammate a walkover in the semifinal. But the singles pecking order for the spring is hardly established with Glozman coming in, Blake gone, and Yepifanova a question mark. If I'm Glozman and I think I should be playing at the top of the lineup, this tournament gave you a chance to prove you should be above Blokhina (your main competition for #2 if Sasha is out) and gives you a chance against Ma for the top spot, too. Why give that up just so you can help Blokhina book a spot to NCAAs, where she'd very likely lose in the first round? 

I might feel a little different if it were Glozman against, say, Yepifanova, because Yepifanova is a known quantity at that level who could make a deep run at NCAAs. Of course, I'd also want both Yepifanova and Glozman to get a high-quality match against each other, and I'd also want to see who wins in a tournament setting versus a challenge match or something back on campus. 

This also tells me that Frankie didn't have a conversation with Glozman about how it might be better for the program overall for her to give Blokhina a walkover. And that suggests an internally competitive environment. Go out and play your best and see what happens. Good. 

(Or maybe it was unclear if the sort of gamesmanship involved in a strategic walkover would be tolerated at this tournament, or if it might subject you to consequences elsewhere--these sorts of incentives were the downside of the structure they created when they wanted to make NCAAs something you have to earn your way into with specific tournaments. We'll see if the Auburn situation is addressed.)

[ColoradoTree]

I guess they're changing up how they do it! The previous guidance was that players who miss out by one round (so, losing in the semis here, or losing in the R16 at All-Americans) are added to the alternate pool, and then sorted by ITA ranking, and then that's the list used to fill any vacancies that arise because some players qualify more than once. 

But I'm guessing Blokhina--a borderline candidate for NCAAs in the first place based on preseason ranking--will take it! 

The decision to play out the semifinal in the first place is something you could question. Glozman could have done her teammate a solid and just withdrawn from the match to punch Blokhina's ticket. That has happened at least once elsewhere around the country, with an already-qualified Auburn player giving her teammate a walkover in the semifinal. But the singles pecking order for the spring is hardly established with Glozman coming in, Blake gone, and Yepifanova a question mark. If I'm Glozman and I think I should be playing at the top of the lineup, this tournament gave you a chance to prove you should be above Blokhina (your main competition for #2 if Sasha is out) and gives you a chance against Ma for the top spot, too. Why give that up just so you can help Blokhina book a spot to NCAAs, where she'd very likely lose in the first round? 

I might feel a little different if it were Glozman against, say, Yepifanova, because Yepifanova is a known quantity at that level who could make a deep run at NCAAs. Of course, I'd also want both Yepifanova and Glozman to get a high-quality match against each other, and I'd also want to see who wins in a tournament setting versus a challenge match or something back on campus. 

This also tells me that Frankie didn't have a conversation with Glozman about how it might be better for the program overall for her to give Blokhina a walkover. And that suggests an internally competitive environment. Go out and play your best and see what happens. Good. 

(Or maybe it was unclear if the sort of gamesmanship involved in a strategic walkover would be tolerated at this tournament, or if it might subject you to consequences elsewhere--these sorts of incentives were the downside of the structure they created when they wanted to make NCAAs something you have to earn your way into with specific tournaments. We'll see if the Auburn situation is addressed.)