05-21-2025, 09:10 AM
CardDevil8500 explained it clearly on another site:
“In NCAA match play, coaches determine the order and pairings of their teams using a strategy similar to the Presidents Cup, where the higher seeded team has the first choice of players. The opposing team then selects an opponent for that match, and the process continues in an alternating "S" curve until all five matches are determined.”
So in today’s case, I think the pairings chess match between Coach Walker and FSU’s Coach went something like this:
1. Walker decided to send out (9) Paula first again. As Paula demonstrated in her come-from-behind victory in her morning match, she is patient, mentally tough, and fearless. Paula had also played the course as well as anyone during Stroke Play. FSU’s coach countered with (114) Williams — who was dominant in her morning match contest against u$c — hoping to get an early upset without using either of their two top guns. (In retrospect, the FSU coach probably regrets not using her most accomplished player (3) Woad in the first match, as she usually does to take the momentum-generating first point.)
2. FSU’s coach had to assume Stanford would most likely win Match 1 and couldn’t afford to go down 2 right out of the gate so she went with her best, most experienced player in Match 2 - JR (3) Woad. This is where Walker made the strategically key decision to send out her equally experienced JR (16) Ganne. It proved prescient.
3. Walker regularly puts (29) Xu — our lowest ranked player — in the 3 hole. Coach’s logic today being that even if Kelly loses and we go down 1-2, we can rely on her frosh phenoms Örtengren and Revuelta to win the last two matches. FSU’s coach countered Xu with her second lowest ranked player (105) Fulbrook in hopes of possibly stealing a full point but at least earning a tie for a half point.
4. FSU’s coach probably calculated she’d be knotted at 1.5-1.5 after 3, or worst case down 1-2. There’s no point in saving the NCAA’s top-ranked player (1) Ting for the last match and risk her score not even counting. Coach Walker countered with (7) Revuelta. Despite Andrea’s erratic performance in Stroke Play, she had been on fire the last month of the season. She is an intelligent player, very poised, and athletic enough to not be intimidated by the physically imposing and long Ting. Revuelta was also fresh and riding high after her morning match 5&3 rout. While I have no doubt our Örtengren could have risen to the occasion against Ting, I think Coach Walker thought Andrea was the slightly better choice in that Revuelta and Ting have similar on course dispositions — quiet but affable bullies. :)
5. That left Coach Walker with her highest ranked player, (5) Örtengren, as our insurance policy in case we needed a full point in the last match to win. FSU’s coach, on the other hand, was left with her lowest ranked player (270) Gazzoli. If it got to the 5th match, Stanford would have a brobdingnagian advantage and FSU would have needed a miracle.
“In NCAA match play, coaches determine the order and pairings of their teams using a strategy similar to the Presidents Cup, where the higher seeded team has the first choice of players. The opposing team then selects an opponent for that match, and the process continues in an alternating "S" curve until all five matches are determined.”
So in today’s case, I think the pairings chess match between Coach Walker and FSU’s Coach went something like this:
1. Walker decided to send out (9) Paula first again. As Paula demonstrated in her come-from-behind victory in her morning match, she is patient, mentally tough, and fearless. Paula had also played the course as well as anyone during Stroke Play. FSU’s coach countered with (114) Williams — who was dominant in her morning match contest against u$c — hoping to get an early upset without using either of their two top guns. (In retrospect, the FSU coach probably regrets not using her most accomplished player (3) Woad in the first match, as she usually does to take the momentum-generating first point.)
2. FSU’s coach had to assume Stanford would most likely win Match 1 and couldn’t afford to go down 2 right out of the gate so she went with her best, most experienced player in Match 2 - JR (3) Woad. This is where Walker made the strategically key decision to send out her equally experienced JR (16) Ganne. It proved prescient.
3. Walker regularly puts (29) Xu — our lowest ranked player — in the 3 hole. Coach’s logic today being that even if Kelly loses and we go down 1-2, we can rely on her frosh phenoms Örtengren and Revuelta to win the last two matches. FSU’s coach countered Xu with her second lowest ranked player (105) Fulbrook in hopes of possibly stealing a full point but at least earning a tie for a half point.
4. FSU’s coach probably calculated she’d be knotted at 1.5-1.5 after 3, or worst case down 1-2. There’s no point in saving the NCAA’s top-ranked player (1) Ting for the last match and risk her score not even counting. Coach Walker countered with (7) Revuelta. Despite Andrea’s erratic performance in Stroke Play, she had been on fire the last month of the season. She is an intelligent player, very poised, and athletic enough to not be intimidated by the physically imposing and long Ting. Revuelta was also fresh and riding high after her morning match 5&3 rout. While I have no doubt our Örtengren could have risen to the occasion against Ting, I think Coach Walker thought Andrea was the slightly better choice in that Revuelta and Ting have similar on course dispositions — quiet but affable bullies. :)
5. That left Coach Walker with her highest ranked player, (5) Örtengren, as our insurance policy in case we needed a full point in the last match to win. FSU’s coach, on the other hand, was left with her lowest ranked player (270) Gazzoli. If it got to the 5th match, Stanford would have a brobdingnagian advantage and FSU would have needed a miracle.