South Regionals Preview

SOUTH (Baton Rouge, LA)

The South Regionals aka The Highlander Classic (“There Can Be Only One”) is going to be a very interesting tourney to keep an eye on for a few simple reasons: 1) there is only one bid, 2) there are eight teams with a realistic shot at getting the bid to Nationals, and 3) the amount of quality ultimate in the region is growing rapidly. I can hear the murmuring in the wind already – ‘If you build it, the South will rise again.’ Or something like that.

I am a fair amount older than the players who will be playing this weekend, so I’m not sure if the 80s cult film ‘The Highlander’ is something that this generation is familiar with. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s basically about a bunch of immortals who can only be killed by being beheaded. There are only a certain number left walking the Earth, and they are summoned to battle each other until there is only one left.

Just as ‘The Highlander’ was not going to win any Oscars, the South is highly unlikely to produce a National champion (or even a team that reaches the semifinals). Regardless, this year’s tourney has the potential to be the tournament of the year, drawing attention to a historically overlooked region and signifying a turning point in the region’s evolution.

Pool A
In the role of Connor MacLeod is St. Louis SLULU. [No offense to the St. Louis women, but that has to be the second worst name in women’s ultimate. St. Louis St. Louis University Ladies Ultimate? What’s next? The William and Mary Marys? The University of Virginia Virgins? The Illinois Illini… oh, right.] Despite being the overall number one seed, SLULU is the underdog that everyone wants to root for. Led by Kara O’Malley and Tricia Wong, St. Louis showed vulnerability at Frostbite, but otherwise, they have had an impressive season including an upset over Texas at the Texas Throwdown.

[On a side note, if I have a daughter, I’m naming her Frankie O’Malley Jr. Or maybe O’Malley Rho. Or just Rho’Malley. There’s something about that name that equates to being a high caliber player.]

St. Louis will have to contend with last year’s representative at Nationals, Truman State aka Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (played by Sean Connery). Just as we know that Truman is not one of the fifty states, we know that Spaniards don’t have Scottish accents. Though they are 1-2 against St. Louis this season, their last two matchups have been decided by one point. Amanda Carron, Mona Baucom and Noelle Peterson will be their keys to success.

Playing Daniel Larusso is Oklahoma. They are a long shot but they have proven that they can compete with several of the other contenders in the region. What they haven’t proven is that they can consistently beat every single one of them when only one spot is on the line. Jessica Hoppe, Mary Henson and Mr. Miyagi will be crucial to their success. [I know that this is the wrong movie, but don’t tell Oklahoma that. If they just listen to Miyagi and the rockin’ tune ‘You’re the Best’, all the teams will fall like the members of Cobra Kai.]

Pool B
Because I can only remember so much from ‘The Highlander’, I’ll reach into the world of Star Wars and increase the dork factor of this preview by ten.

Texas A&M is Darth Maul. Except for the select few in College Station, nobody could have predicted their Sectionals win over Texas. Very little is known about where they came from, who they are and where they got that cool double-bladed lightsaber. What is known is that they beat Texas and that makes them scary.

Unfortunately for the SkyU ladies, Kansas is Obi-Wan McGregor. Kansas is a hard team to read. They’ve lost decisively to teams like St. Louis, Truman State and Wash U., but they’ve also beaten both St. Louis and Truman State and notched other quality wins against Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Oklahoma. They lack the consistency needed to be a major threat for the top spot. Tasha Parman and Paige Blair lead the way for Betty.

Auburn is an exciting young program but they don’t have the depth to seriously compete this year. Consider them the young Anakin Skywalker (not the annoying adolescent version but the cuddly one from the first crappy movie).

Pool C
In the role of the big, bad Kurgan is Texas Melee. They are the powerhouse, heavily favored to start the season but their stumble at Sectionals has put a major chink in the armor. Coupled with a loss to St. Louis at the Texas Throwdown, they are definitely beatable, but if they can maintain their confidence, those two losses will look like aberrations after this weekend. Look for Michelle Ng, Becca Shelton and Gina Phillips to be a crucial part of their success this weekend.

Vanderbilt enters as Luke Skywalker (the Empire Strikes Back version as opposed to the 2 Live Crew version). They are young and decently battle-tested, but they are still not quite ready to take down the Texas Empire. Despite being seeded second in the pool, I think they are likely to finish third. They keep the bulk of the team intact next year, so look for them to take the step up and return with a green lightsaber and black uniforms that make them look like a cross between Italian Blackshirts and Catholic priests.

Washington WUWU (owners of the third worst name in women’s ultimate) stumbled in pool play at Sectionals, but lost both games by one point. Being seeded ninth belies the fact that they are a legitimate threat to Texas and the top spot overall. There’s no adequate analog for WUWU relating to The Highlander or Star Wars; however, this is Washington we’re talking about. I’ve heard that they’re twelve stories high and made of radiation. They also possess the most disturbing uniforms in all of women’s ultimate. Ninja Turtles to watch include Kate Stambaugh, Abby Stephens and Tracy Horner.

Prediction: Texas. As much as we all want to see an underdog come out on top, we all know that The Kurgan would have kicked Christopher Lambert’s ass in real life. Truman State will upset St. Louis in pool play. Kansas upsets Texas A&M but loses to St. Louis in the quarters. Texas holds seed and beats St. Louis in the semis and Truman State in the finals.

NW, SW, and ME women's Regionals Previews

BY GUEST BLOGGER: Frankie Rho

Now that Sectionals are over, it's time to get giddy about the fight for the right to throwdown in Boulder. I'm going to start with the regions that I think are mostly likely to produce the eventual national champion.

NORTHWEST (Davis, CA)

As always, the depth in the region is very good with six (arguably seven) national caliber teams. Though the region has essentially been the House that Stanford Built, I would be surprised if the top three seeds (Washington, UBC and Oregon) don't qualify for Nationals. The biggest mistake for any of these teams would be to overlook Stanford, Western Washington, Cal and Pacific Lutheran.

Pool A

One of the great stories this season has to be Element's rise to the top while dealing with the loss of their captain Sarah Plants. Element will dominate their pool on their way to a potentially intriguing crossover game against Oregon. In the battle of 'Who's the Best ______ St.?', Humboldt St., Oregon St. and Sonoma St. will fight for the two spot. I'm putting my money on Humboldt, but Sonoma St. is a sleeper here; D'Vine features Brinn Langdale, an exciting young player to watch in the years to come.

Pool B

Despite falling to Washington twice at Sectionals, UBC has the feel of a team that knows their time is now. This being Kira Frew's senior year coupled with winning the inaugural NCUS title, the Thunderbirds will face a lot of pressure knowing that the Callahan and the South-of-the-Border-Nationals is tantalizingly within their grasp. PLU is a very interesting team on the rise and their rematch with UBC will be an interesting one. Having played UBC to a tight 8-10 loss at Sectionals, they will be going into the game with a lot of confidence. Their coach, Jaime 'Idaho' Arambula, is a brilliant motivator and may help the young Reign squad find an edge to pull off the upset.

Pool C

Oregon will have to contend with the revitalized Pie Queens squad. Not much has been written about Oregon and their emergence this year under coach Lou Burruss. Their top seven, which includes Molly Suver, Jessica Huynh, Shannon McDowell, Chris Norton and Julia Sherwood, is as strong as any in the women's game. They are more than capable of taking down Washington or UBC, and I think the likely Washington/Oregon crossover will be one of the more interesting games to watch this weekend. Berkeley started the season with solid results at Santa Barbara and Vegas but they've taken the Britney Spears ride to shame since then. Much of this has to do with Nat Wu's injury. With her back in action, she and Cree Howard give them a forceful combination that could lead to an upset.

Pool D

It goes without saying that the Spawn of Rasputin has the knowhow to take one of the spots. Amazingly, they have only missed the trip to Nationals once since 1995 (in 2000). Superfly has a lot of pride and their solid showing at DUI has them primed for a strong performance at Regionals. The key for them is whether their role players step up and perform at a high level to take the pressure off of Cassel, Barghelame, Founds and Damon. Western Washington features an aggressive game and the coaching wisdom of Ron Kubalanza. They simply lack the depth needed to take out the top three teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they have an impressive Saturday but fade late in bracket play.

Prediction: A lot of excitement but boring results -- Washington, UBC and Oregon in that order. Oregon beats Superfly in a tight game to go.

SOUTHWEST (Tucson, AZ)

Most agree that five teams are in the mix - UCLA, UCSB, Colorado, Arizona and USC. The weather has forecast warm temperatures this weekend (highs in the mid-90s), and depth will play a pivotal role in this weekend's outcome.

Pool A

The top spot out of the region is UCLA's to lose. Their big five - Taz, Gizmo, Cosmo, Kix, Fresh - gives them the confidence and swagger to compete with anybody. Their Achilles' heel appears to be playing to the level of their competition and their continuing problems with their nemesis, the Burning Skirts. At Sectionals, they played very sharply in the semifinals but lost some of their edge in the first half of the finals against Santa Barbara. They'll have a decent test against Arizona in pool play, but otherwise, they should be able to march into the title game with relative ease.

The big question for Arizona will be how much the lack of elite competition will hurt them. They recently traveled to DUI to play some of the elite teams and that decision may help them compensate for missing out on the Stanford Invite and Centex. Scorch has been a team that has been grossly overlooked all year (currently #20 on the RRI, #26 on the UPA), and have received essentially zero attention despite having a great deal of depth and a couple star players like Julia Tenen and Jodi McCloskey. They'll be going into this weekend with a big chip on their shoulder and will factor in as the weekend's biggest wildcard. Don't be surprised if they take away some of their male counterparts' thunder if Sunburn fizzles in San Diego.

Pool B

This pool has the potential to be the most exciting pool this weekend with UCSB, Colorado and USC duking it out. There could easily be a three way tie with point differential determining who faces UCLA in the finals. UCSB will definitely be the favorite, having beaten both Colorado and USC this season (2-0 vs. Colorado and 1-0 vs. USC - the margin was two points in all three games). The Burning Skirts played well at Sectionals despite being without Katie Barry (broken toe) and Andrea Romano (foot injury). Barry is almost a lock to play at Regionals, but Romano's presence remains a mystery. As a senior, she'll obviously do whatever it takes to play, but having been out all season may pose some chemistry problems in Tucson. Kaela Jorgensen is becoming a star, and along with fellow sophomore Carolyn Finney, they'll take the reigns next year and keep the Burning Skirts highly competitive.

Colorado has had an up and down season with their recent down being a disappointing performance at Centex. They'll have to be ready for the hot weather in Tucson. They certainly have the athletes and the talent to finish out the year in their backyard, but they'll have to find the mental edge they've been lacking all season. Kali split their previous matchups to USC, both of which were at the Stanford Invite.

USC has had a breakthrough season but lost Alice 'Swift/Balls' Chen, one of their captains and playmakers, to an ACL/meniscus tear in the game against UCSB. Her loss hurts the Hellions, but Anne Ohliger, Mary Kate Hogan, Lindsey Cross and their emerging young players will keep them in the hunt. Colorado St. could steal a spot into bracket play if any of the top three letdown their focus.

Prediction: Pain. Clubber Lang says, 'Ain't no fool who gonna predict nothing when they put themselves on the line.' Actually, I'm fairly certain he said no such thing, but Mr. T rules.

METRO EAST (Princeton, NJ)

Being originally from the East Coast, I'm a big fan of double-elimination bracket play. In geographically larger regions, it doesn't make as much sense; but when it is in effect, there is something wonderful about teams fighting to stay alive every step of the way. It also makes Sunday at Regionals feel even more like the playoffs.

The Anton Chigurhs did a number on their section, taking it to a very respectable Cornell squad with an impressive 15-7 win. Having been fairly invisible since Vegas, Ottawa validated their status as a frontrunner by allowing exactly seven points against them, all of which were in the finals.

The trio of Pittsburgh, Maryland and Cornell figures to be the most likely to take the second spot. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pitt and Maryland face each other twice, once in the semis and once in the backdoor finals. The winner of their likely semis matchup will have an interesting option in the finals against Ottawa -- go all out for the win or save some energy to avoid the common pitfall that has plagued many teams who have lost a tough game in the finals.

NYU is seeded above Cornell but they haven't proven over the course of the season that they can beat several quality opponents in a row. For them to have a legitimate shot, they'll have to beat Cornell in their likely quarterfinal matchup. Getting to the semis is crucial in this format.

Prediction: Ottawa and Pitt. Maryland beats Pitt in the front door semis but loses to them in an epic backdoor final that goes to double game point.

AC Regionals Preview

It is hard to give predictions when it is the Thursday (almost Friday) before Regionals and it is still unclear who is going to regionals and what the format is. It looks like a team has dropped (my nightmare as an RC), and I am sure folks are scrambling to either 1) replace that team or 2) pick a format. If #1 is being thrown out, I am not so sure why a schedule has not been posted. #2 is easy. Adam Tarr and co. made it easy. Just plug the teams into their spots. So, I am assuming #1 is what is going on.

Anyway.....it does not matter.

It will be quite simple in my opinion: anything can happen. In the last couple of years, the South has been exceptionally strong. I highly doubt a South section team will be seeded #1 or #2, but that does not matter. UGA, Florida, and Emory all have players on their teams that know how to win at Regionals. They will win games at Regionals, they will threaten upsets, and the teams from the Carolina section better be ready.

Wake Forest appears untouchable. They have probably the most versatile player in the region on their team with Lucia Derks - but here is the kicker - the rest of the team catches and throws now. I know there are going to be Wake girls pissed at me for saying it like that, but it is the honest truth. Now, I dont know if it was just because Lucia was not throwing to other girls or if the other girls just could not get integrated into the offense quick enough for her or if they just could not simply not catch and throw. Does not matter now, because they are a good, deep team with a lot of players with solid fundamentals. Besides Lucia and Kennedy there are about ten other players who will make plays, pivot, catch, advance the disc, and slowly kill your team. Defensively, Wake will eat you alive if you do not score quick and early in the game. They love their clam looks and their four person cup that is very much NOT flat. They love playing man on down field and they love for you to turn it over and have four people who play in the cup (runners) taking off for their deep deep (Lucia) to throw it against your three handlers (typically, not runners/defenders) trying desperately to play D and figure out why in the world you can not beat their D. That is Wake.

UNC appears to be at the front of the pack as well posting decent wins against decent teams at their two cultimate tournaments. For the first time in like 10 years, UNC has not won sectionals and honestly, THANK GOD. Maybe for once, UNC is focused on winning some games at a much more important series tournament.

Then, you have the South Section. The sleepers. The scary teams. The teams that have not done much yet this year as in quality wins, but they know how to win. Florida, UGA, Emory = a lot of turnover. Wind will benefit Florida more, but there will be no wind. Florida graduated all of their handlers and their big hope is that it is windy enough so their two receivers who have now turned handlers can huck it deep, call it a good pull, and play their junky zone. UGA is led by Jam and a few others and being they are from a good program, they are going to be dangerous. Everyone has to remember that they upset Pitt at QCTU and Pitt is like 9th in the now. They also upset Pitt on a windy, windy day and that means UGA has some players who can catch and throw. We all know catching and throwing is that much harder on a windy day. Emory, I honestly know nothing about except for they lost a lot of people. I would expect them to be least likely to pull out an upset over the top 2.

Virginia, Richmond, and Tenn appear to be the dark horses from the blue ridge. Tenn made a nice run at regionals last year - beating Wake Forest - but have more than likely lost some folks to graduation. There does not seem to be much on the score reporter about them. Richmond and Virginia look very dangerous and UVA is a solid program that has been to the big dance before. They made Nationals in 2004 and there should still be some players from that team remaining that knows what it takes and what it feels like to make it.

Alright, just waiting for the schedule now.....

Sectional Previews (2nd Round)

BY GUEST BLOG WRITER: Frankie Rho

The main slate of Sectionals tourneys takes place this weekend. Here are a few select tourneys that are worth paying attention to.

METRO EAST

In recent years, the Metro East has been kicked around on the national level, finishing no higher than 9th since 2004. This year, the fight for what should be two bids promises to be a fascinating one and could produce a legitimate contender for the title. Ottawa, Cornell, Maryland, NYU, Pittsburgh and all have legitimate hopes of procuring a bid and historically strong programs like Delaware, Penn St. and Penn cannot be overlooked.

Upstate NY

The Anton Chigurh of women’s ultimate is Ottawa. They mysteriously showed up at Trouble in Vegas and slaughtered the opposition. Since then, they haven’t been heard from. I guess that makes them sound more like Keyser Soze. Either way, they’re definitely for real and they get a solid opponent in Cornell as both teams prep for Regionals. This tourney should give a sense of whether the Lady Gee Gee’s deserve to be one of the frontrunners for Nationals.

Penn

Like Ottawa, Pittsburgh is a new face in the national picture and this tourney should be a warmup for Regionals in Princeton. Having placed 4th in the region last year, Lucy Gillespie, Amanda Virbitsky and the rest of the Danger crew should dispatch Penn St. and Penn without too much trouble. Their successful run at Centex may be the edge they need over Maryland and NYU.

Colonial

Maryland is the prohibitive favorite in the section. With two tourney wins under their belt (Roll Call and Huck of the Irish), they will be going into Regionals with as much confidence as anyone. While they have many quality wins (NYU, Illinois), the one knock on the crew led by Charlie Mercer, Jess Trinh and Heather Smith is that they are lacking games against elite competition.

ATLANTIC COAST

North Carolina

The favorites to qualify from the Atlantic Coast region come from this section. Wake Forest will battle with UNC to lay claim to the top team in the region. Kate Scott and Lucia Derks are two of the big names in the region and both teams will be relying heavily on them to take them to Boulder. They have split their two previous matchups, both of which were fairly convincing wins. Duke is capable of surprising either team though their lack of depth will be a problem come Regionals.

Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge will always be worth covering for me simply because I’m from there. That said, this section is almost a complete mystery. Virginia and Tennessee are the top seeds and will be fending off challenges from William and Mary, James Madison and Richmond.

NORTHWEST

Bay Area

Stanford and Cal are generally perceived as being a sizeable notch below where they were last year. Both could be very dangerous opponents at Regionals, especially if the Pie Queens get Nat Wu back. Stanford also had a successful showing at DUI and they have a habit of making people pay when they are counted out. I’m convinced that Superfly is actually the Spawn of Rasputin.

Santa Cruz and Davis are both in rebuilding years, and they will be duking it out for third. Lillian Berla gives Sol an edge over Davis and their army of short Asian handlers.

Oregon/NorCal

Oregon has been flying under the radar a bit but they are making a strong case to be in consideration for the national title. Lewis and Clark and Humboldt are both decent tests for Fugue as they get ready for Regionals.

SOUTH

Ozarks

This is suddenly one of the more interesting sections in the country, a reflection of the growth in the South region that was once known as that region where Texas is. Truman State upended Texas last year, the first time since 2001 that Texas didn’t represent the region. While Texas has returned to its place as the favorite in the region, several other teams join Truman State as viable challengers to Melee including St. Louis, Washington University and Kansas.

Unfortunately for the South, the region will likely receive only one bid to Nationals. This tourney will be a vital step in determining who will be Texas’ main challenger.

Sectionals Previews

BY GUEST BLOG WRITER: Frankie Rho

This weekend kicks off the official start of the College Series. The So Cal and Washington/BC Sectionals are two of the strongest in the nation this year and feature teams that are in the mix for the title. The South Section features three teams that were national-caliber last year and find themselves in the new position of being the challengers.

So Cal Sectionals Preview

UCLA BLU and UCSB Burning Skirts are having interesting parallel seasons. Both had a very successful 2007 season (UCLA – National Semifinalist and UCSB – Finalist), both have been successful this season despite having lost a large group of core players last year and both feature a small group of talented seniors who lead a very young and promising group of rookies.

One of the great rivalries last season, BLU and the Burning Skirts look to get an edge on each other this weekend. Something key to watch will be whether Andrea Romano plays and if so, how much her foot injury will be affecting her play.

Meanwhile, USC is the new kid on the block looking to upset both teams. Claremont, Caltech and Cal Poly SLO (who has been strangely quiet this spring after a solid showing at Socal Warmup) are all looking to position themselves into the top three.

Whoever ends up in the finals will almost certainly go into Regionals as the number one and two seeds.

Washington/BC Sectionals

The finalists from Centex, UW and UBC have laid claim as two of the favorites to take it all in Boulder. Don’t be surprised to see them as the number one and two seeds at Regionals and at Nationals. Will the two teams play all their cards against each other to get a psychological advantage at Regionals or will they play it close to the vest?

Pacific Lutheran and Western Washington are looking to upset Element and the Thunderbirds, but that will be a big challenge for both of these young squads. Reign and Chaos are both poised to make a big breakthrough win to vault them into the next tier.

South Sectionals

Last year, the Georgia/Florida/Emory trio finished 1-2-3 in the region with Emory and Florida going to Nationals. This year, all three teams are rebuilding as the balance of power in the Atlantic Coast has shifted to North Carolina.

Georgia enters as the top seed and has a couple quality wins under its belt (Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt) and gained big game experience from Centex. South Carolina is curiously seeded below Florida despite having beaten them at College Southerns. The winner of this section will have to take on the likes of Wake Forest, UNC and Duke at Regionals and likely enter as the number three or four seed.

Bama Sectionals

The teams to watch in this section are Vanderbilt and Auburn. Both teams could be dark horses in the South Region and give the favorites (Texas and Truman State) a run at the end of the month. Of the two, Vanderbilt seems to be in better position to pull off the upset, despite being seeded second below Auburn. They have experience from Centex with some tight games (UCLA and Georgia) and a nice win over Califonia. The offense runs through Katie Patterson, Sara Gibson and Sarah Edmonds (transfer from Oregon).

The Auburn Tiger Lilies are a relatively new team led by captain Annie Newton. In their third year as a team, they've notched some solid wins in the spring (Georgia, Iowa State) and they will definitely be a team to watch in the future.