Special from
Division3Tennis.com
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Hey there, avid tennis fans! It's been a couple of weeks, but I am back to write another one of our guest articles for the site as we head into the biggest time of the year. As you know from all the hard work being done on Tennis Recruiting, the NCAA's are upon us and everyone is hyped up for the one tournament everyone looks to capture. While the D-I bracket has gotten a lot of love (and rightfully so), there has been a ton of excitement in D-III Tennis as well as we head into the Elite Eight. I'm going to give you some quick previews of the 16 teams that will be competing - eight on the men's side and eight on the women's. Let's get started!
Men's Elite Eight (seeding in parenthesis)
(1) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. (9) Johns Hopkins
This match features two very talented teams who showcase a ton of recruits who graduated in the top 200 of their respective recruiting classes. CMS has dominated the year so far - they were rightfully named the team most likely to win it by my friend D3Northeast in our latest article on Tennis Recruiting. Nothing has changed since then, as the Stags (CMS) breezed through their regional with two convincing 5-0 wins over UC Santa Cruz and Top 10 team Pomona-Pitzer. The amount of depth that the Stags have is incredible, and they will be the heavy favorite in this match. With the No. 1 overall player in the nation (Warren Wood) as well as previous national champions throughout the lineup, this team is a scary team to face.
On the other side, Johns Hopkins has had a rocky year, but one that has blossomed at the right time. Their senior-heavy lineup came through on the big stage as they upset the
Kenyon Lords by the score of 5-1 to move onto another Elite Eight. Just last year, this was a team that gave CMS all it could handle on the first day of the national tournament, and this may or may not haven taken some of their luster out prior to last year's final. Hopkins relies heavily on their seniors as well as Michael Buxbaum, who has been far and away the Jays best player this year. Despite their talent, Hopkins is a heavy underdog and I would not be surprised if this match is a quick one.
(2) Amherst vs. (7) Chicago
Currently on the blog, Amherst vs. Chicago is winning the poll question "Which Quarterfinal are you most looking forward to?" The reason why is because both these teams are stacked with talent. Amherst has been considered a top 3 team in the country all year long, and they also have the title of Defending National Champions. With a new coach in Coach Doebler, who was previously the coach at Penn State, there were some questions about this team going into the season. However, they have made it to the Elite Eight as the team most likely to challenge CMS for the title.
Over in Chicago, we have a team that was extremely hyped coming into the season. Coach Jay Tee notched multiple Top 200 recruits this past year, featuring a recruiting class that was ranked No. 1 in D-III and even got some votes for best class throughout all divisions. The Maroons got off to a semi-slow start this year, but they have bloomed late season, taking out multiple top teams and giving Emory a run for their money. Chicago is a team no one wants to play late season and this will be a heavyweight battle.
