“We just played pretty well in those first few matches,” head coach Roger Follmer said. “That’s part of playing outdoor tennis: Longer rallies, and it’s a little more of a game of patience and resiliency. That probably helped us.”

Leading the surge early in the week were juniors Max Woods and Isaac Stein, who both finished the week 3-1 in singles play.

“Usually I am more emotionally unstable,” Woods said. “But last week, I stayed calm, collected, and stayed focused on the match.”

Woods and Stein also teamed up to finish 2-1 in doubles for the week. Senior John Watts and freshman Kareem Farah shared some success in doubles, finishing the week with a 4-1 record.

“We tried to start off very quickly, have some positive energy when we got out there on the court,” Watts said. “We did a good job of getting a lead early, and then staying on top of our opponents.”

The team’s doubles success did not go unnoticed by Follmer, who has been stressing the importance of doubles play all season.

“I definitely think we’ve made some progress in doubles,” Follmer said. “That’s what’s won championships the last couple of years: the teams that play good doubles. It’s kind of like foul shooting in basketball, or pitching in baseball or goaltending in hockey. If you’ve got good doubles, you put yourself in a position to compete with anyone in the country.”

Despite the 9-0 defeat to Armstrong, the No. 1 team in Division II men’s tennis, the Bears were not discouraged. In fact, the Bears took this match as a learning experience that could be used to improve their own games.

“They might be the best team we’ve played ever in my nine years at Wash. U.,” Follmer said. “They were just more poised, and had a more-attacking style, especially in doubles. It was good for the guys to see that, not only the pace, but the intensity and the focus.”

After that match, the Bears took on Kenyon College, and they used their previous loss to regroup and refocus on their way to the victory.

“It was good that we saw much higher-level competition and I think that actually got us ready for the Kenyon match,” Watts said. “Everyone stepped up their intensity and stepped up their focus, and we were ready to go against Kenyon. I think [the Armstrong] match helped a lot.”

The Bears will take on ninth-ranked Graceland University at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Tao Tennis Center outside the Athletic Complex.

“We’ll have some good matches coming up,” Follmer said. “And then we’ll be gearing up toward the UAA conference at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.”

Caleb Knepper goes for a shot on Dec. 5, 2009, against Pomona. (Paul Goedeke | Student Life)

This last opportunity came with a narrow 64-60 victory at the University of Chicago on Saturday.

“From now on, it’s one and done,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “So you’ve got to win them or you’re out.”

Senior co-captain Aaron Thompson, who put up a game-high 23 points, facilitated the win in the final game of the regular season. After Saturday’s performance, Thompson surpassed Tyler Nading (’05-’09, 1,552 points) for third place on Washington University’s all-time scoring list with 1,558 points. Thompson shot 7 for 11 from the field, and 4 for 6 from three-point range in the game.

“The thing that has impressed me the most about Aaron this year is the fact that he has had a target on his back,” Edwards said. “They have different strategies for double teaming, for zoning, for trying to be physical with him, for not letting him get the ball. But he has kept his poise, he’s taking good shots, and he hasn’t changed the type of shots that he looks for.”

Despite shooting only 25 percent from the field in the first half, the Bears lead 20-19 at halftime.

“I told them, ‘The good news is that we are holding Chicago to 28 percent shooting, but the bad news is that we are shooting 25 percent,’” Edwards said. “I was pretty confident that our shooting percentage would go up in the second half. We were taking good shots, but we weren’t finishing some of the open shots we were getting.”

The team responded to Edwards’ talk, and over a 3:13 period in the middle of the second half, the Bears went on a 13-0 run. During this stretch, four points by Thompson, two three-pointers by junior Caleb Knepper and one by senior Ross Kelley helped solidify a 12-point lead that the Bears never let go. Knepper finished the game with 10 points.

“[The scoring run] happened when a bunch of guys that came in off the bench were in,” said graduate student Sean Wallis, a co-captain. “They did a great job picking up the energy. They have been playing so well in practice that it was great for that to carry over into a game. I think that’s was what turned around the game.”

Wallis, who finished the game with seven points, three assists and three rebounds, believes that the Bears have the knowledge and experience as a team to continue their postseason success this year.

“We are a confident group, but at the same time, we understand what it takes,” Wallis said. “It’s not a cockiness by any means, but we understand that we’ve got to go out and play hard, and hopefully the ball bounces the right way for us and we can make another run at it.”

Edwards echoed Wallis’ sentiment.

“How could you not be confident playing with guys that you’ve played with all these games for the last four years?” Edwards asked.

Now that the Bears have concluded the regular season, they will await their postseason schedule, which will be released at 9 a.m. on Monday. The team will find out where they head in the Danforth University Center Fun Room, and Bon Appétit will provide a free continental breakfast to fans.

Junior Isaac Stein rips a forehand in the ITA Indoor National Championship match against No. 1 UC-Santa Cruz on Saturday. Stein was defeated by Marc Vartabedian 4-6, 6-4, 5-7. The No. 3 Bears fell 6-2. (Michael Kyllo-Kittleson | Gustavus Sports Information)

After consecutive victories over No. 6 Johns Hopkins University (8-1) and No. 2 Emory University (5-4) to advance to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Championship finals, the No. 3 Washington University Bears fell to the No. 1 University of California, Santa Cruz, 6-2.

On Sunday, in the finals, the Bears managed only two singles victories, but the three matches that the Bears lost were taken to three sets by juniors Isaac Stein and Max Woods and freshman Adam Putterman.

“We were right there with them,” Stein said. “I don’t think it was us being unprepared. They just played better than we did on that day.”

But the Bears got swept in doubles play, including losses by Stein and Woods and by the previously undefeated John Watts and freshman Kareem Farah.

“We played reactive instead of proactive, and then they jumped on us,” head coach Roger Follmer said. “I talked about how we’ve got to put on the big boy pants, and for whatever reason, I think we lost those big boy pants when we got there. That wasn’t the case for the first two days against just as good­—or better—doubles teams, but in both 2 and 3 doubles, there was some lacking of big-boy pants, and they just took it to us.”

Despite the results in the championship match, the Bears found success in doubles earlier in the tournament.

During the first two days of play, the No. 3 doubles team, Stein and Woods, won both of its matches, including an 8-4 victory over David Maldow and Andrew Wang of Johns Hopkins and a 9-8 (7-5) win over Chris Goodwin and Dylan Pottish of Emory.

“I think at this point in the season and at this point in our careers, it comes down to experience,” Stein said. “We’ve played together for so many matches, freshman, sophomore and now junior year, that when a ball comes to us, we know who is going to take the ball. We know what they’re going to do with the shot.”

On Friday against Johns Hopkins, the team swept doubles play, which was a specific goal of Follmer’s coming into the weekend.

“It was our first match, and it was our best match,” Follmer said. “In fact, it was the best match we’ve played to date. That’s why it was so lopsided.”

The next day, the Bears faced conference rival Emory in the semifinals, and the competition was just as tight as anticipated. Senior Danny Levy won the deciding singles match 6-4, 6-3 over Emory’s Chris Redmond to clinch a 5-4 victory and solidify a spot in the finals.

“We have to call him the Emory slayer,” Follmer said. Levy also defeated Emory opponents at the 2008 Division III national championships and the 2009 UAA championships.

Despite the team’s strong showing on Saturday against Emory, the reliably consistent senior John Watts dropped his first singles match of the season, a 6-2, 6-2 defeat to fourth-ranked Pottish. Watts had beaten Pottish in the quarterfinals of the ITA Small College Championships last October, 7-5, 6-0.

“Next time, I will need to be a little but more aggressive, serve a little bit better,” Watts said. “I don’t think I played my best match that I could have played. The next time I play him, it will probably be outdoors, and I will step up my game a little bit and make some more shots.”

The Bears continue play next weekend at the Principia College Men’s Invitational in Elsah, Ill., which is the final indoor tournament before the outdoor season.

“We will just continue to build on what we accomplished this past weekend,” Follmer said. “Then we’ll set our sights on outside play.”

Full coverage to follow on Wednesday.

Senior John Watts recorded his 200th career victory on Sunday. Watts won all four of his matches over the weekend. (Student Life Archives)

Senior John Watts captured his 200th career victory on Sunday, a feat that no other Washington University tennis player has ever achieved, as the Bears defeated Case Western Reserve University 8-1 on Saturday and No. 16 University of Chicago 5-4 on Sunday.

In Chicago, Watts won the milestone match with freshman Kareem Farah, in an 8-4 doubles victory over Will Zhang and Dillon Klincke.

“At the time, the thought really didn’t cross my mind at all that I had [won my 200th match],” Watts said. “But now that I look back at it and I think about it, it was really a great accomplishment for me. A little bit of it was luck because I’ve managed to stay healthy, and I always managed to find a spot in the lineup and find some good results.”

Watts’ success over the course of his career has won admiration from his teammates and earned the respect of his coach.

“John is absolutely incredible,” junior Isaac Stein said. “He always brings up his game when the time calls for it. He never folds under pressure. In fact, when the pressure is on, that’s when he’s on. Having a player like John is invaluable to us.”

Head coach Roger Follmer said: “He just takes care of business. He is always mentally prepared to play. It is rare that he’s overconfident, but he is never under-confident going into a match. The mental approach, he’s always been good at, from freshman onto senior year.”

Watts finished the weekend 4-0 overall, with two singles victories and two doubles victories with Farah against both Case Western Reserve and Chicago.

On Saturday in Indiana, the Bears bounced back after their opening day loss and dropped only one match as a team on the day. The sole loss was a 9-8 (7-3) defeat in the first doubles, featuring the Division III No. 3 team of Stein and junior Max Woods. At that point, the perennially successful duo was 0-2 to start off the season.

“We played kind of a sloppy match,” Stein said. “When we are playing our best doubles, we are making a lot of first serves and our first volleys are going through the court deep, which kind of sets us up for the rest of the point.”

The experienced team recovered the very next day in Chicago, with an 8-5 victory over Garret Brinker and Steve Salterelli, a team that had beaten Case Western Reserve’s first doubles team the previous night.

“That [victory], so to speak, nullified the loss to Case,” Follmer said. “Now I think those guys kind of realize, when they play number one doubles, whoever they play, whether they are ranked, like Chicago, or unranked, like Case Western, you play number one doubles, you’ve got to be mentally prepared to play.”

Looking ahead to the weekend at the National Indoor Championships in St. Peter, Minn., Follmer knows there are some decisions that have to be made for the squad to have depth and success in doubles.

“We’ve got to put the big boy pants on in number three doubles next week,” Follmer said. “We were timid [and] scared, and you don’t need to be.”

Junior Max Woods serves in a Sept. 26 match. Woods recorded a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 win against A. Garcia Santos of Drury University in a 6-3 loss on Feb. 6, 2010. (Jared Bullock | Student Life)

Despite a strong finish to the fall season, the No. 3 Washington University men’s tennis team dropped last Saturday’s match to Division II No. 29 Drury University, 6-3.

“On the whole, I think our team performed very well,” senior John Watts said. “If you look at some of the scores, most of the sets were very close. We will play a few more matches and get back in the competitive groove.”

Watts and junior Max Woods highlighted the team’s performance, each getting a win in singles play. Watts handily defeated Roman Gonda 6-3, 6-1, and Woods bested Antonio Garcia Santos 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.

“I just tried to get out on the court, tried to play solid for the first few games, feel out my opponent, see what he’s doing, see how I’m feeling,” Watts said. “I found a good early rhythm, and I think he kind of came off a little slow. I just tried to stay focused, stay on top of him and not let him back in the match, and it worked pretty well.”

Watts also teamed up with freshman Kareem Farah to pick up a doubles victory, 8-6, over Alex Kacamakis and Ivan Marevic, Drury’s second doubles team.

Woods summarized his singles victory as somewhat of an internal battle of mental toughness.

“In the second set, I got away from what I was doing in the first set: coming to [the] net,” Woods said. “In the second set, I got a little too aggressive and a little impatient. In the third set, I calmed down, regrouped and tried to play like I did in that first set.”

Even the doubles team consisting of Woods and junior Isaac Stein, who placed fifth in the ITA Regional Championship in October, lost a close 8-6 match at first doubles to Gonda and Lukas Zielen.

“The team we played was really good, and it was our first match back for the spring season,” Woods said. “A little bit of it was rust, but the team we played was a big team with big serves, and they closed the net hard.”

The Bears’ suffered a 2-1 match deficit after doubles play, but overall, head coach Roger Follmer explained that although Woods and Stein are the team’s only returning doubles duo, there is a lot of potential in this team.

“The energy in doubles is something we’re working on, matching up our strengths against their weaknesses,” Follmer said. “But we have a lot of depth, a lot of options.”

The squad continues play next Saturday, Feb. 13, against Case Western Reserve University in Griffith, Ind.

“On any given day, it comes down to being solid in singles, being poised, believing in each other in doubles,” Follmer said.

Quarterback Peyton Manning will lead the Colts into the Super Bowl against the Saints on Sunday. (Mark Cornelison | Lexington Herald-Leader | MCT CAMPUS)

The legend

Peyton Manning is unquestionably one of the most intelligent, prepared, clutch and talented quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. This season has been no aberration, as he boasted his NFL-record fourth MVP award of his career with 33 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Manning spurred an astounding seven come-from-behind victories this season, and at age 33, he shows no signs of slowing down. Peyton won his first Super Bowl three years ago in Miami, and now he returns to the Sunshine State to claim his second. The Saints are confident in their offensive game plan, but will their 26th-ranked secondary be able to keep up with the legendary Peyton Manning? I don’t think so.

The receiving corps

Perennial Pro Bowlers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have led one of the most lethal passing attacks in the NFL for the better part of this decade. With them alone, the Saints’ secondary would have trouble containing the pass. But after wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez suffered a season-ending injury in Week One, two youngsters, second-year player Pierre Garçon and rookie Austin Collie, have stepped up, especially in the playoffs. In the AFC Championship against the Jets, the duo combined for 18 receptions for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Pooled with Peyton Manning’s uncanny ability to read defensive schemes, this quartet of receiving threats will be more than the Saints’ secondary can handle on Sunday.

The defensive quickness

Much to America’s pleasure, this year’s Super Bowl is a battle between two of the biggest offensive powerhouses of the modern era. Unlike either of the defenses that Saints quarterback Drew Brees faced in the playoffs, however, the Colts have an undersized but abnormally quick defense, highlighted by linebackers Gary Brackett (99 tackles), and Clint Session (103 tackles). The Colts’ defensive personnel match up favorably against the Saints’ quick offensive weapons like Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush. With Manning on the offensive side of the ball to generate points, the Colts’ defense does not need to be overpowering to win the game. They simply need to negate the Saints’ speed advantage and prevent Brees from taking over the game, which is a very attainable goal.

The X-factor: Robert Mathis

The possible loss of Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney, who amassed 13.5 sacks this season, would be a huge blow to the Colts’ pass rush, but Robert Mathis, the Colts’ other Pro Bowl defensive end (9.5 sacks), leads the rest of an athletic defensive front. Even if Freeney is able to play, he will be limited by his right ankle injury, and Mathis will be relied on heavily to create pass rush. Mathis, who played on both sides of the line during Freeney’s absence in a few games this season, can exploit the matchup against backup left tackle Jermon Bushrod. But if there is not enough pressure to disturb Brees, the Colts’ secondary will be in for a long day.

Prediction:

Colts 34, Saints 31

Sophomore Dylan Richter scored 14 points to help defeat the University of Rochester on Friday. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The Washington University men’s basketball team capped off a four-game road trip unscathed, highlighted by two victories this weekend against conference rivals University of Rochester and Emory University.

On Friday in New York, graduate student Sean Wallis led the squad in an 82-78 thriller over Rochester, tying his career high of 27 points and adding 10 assists.

“It was really important for us to continue this road trip with a win,” Wallis said. “I was able to get to the free-throw line and make some free throws. I wasn’t really thinking about the points or anything like that, just getting the team a win.”

The largest lead of the game was 10 points in favor of the Bears, but that lasted only 35 seconds. Bur the Bears’ smart plays and perseverance helped them escape the contest with a victory.

“We gave them a bunch of different looks that caused them problems,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “In the last few minutes of the game we didn’t have a true post on the floor. Even though our posts were playing pretty good, it just gave us a little more flexibility.”

Junior Spencer Gay chipped in with 15 points for the game, while sophomore Dylan Richter added 14.

After Friday’s win, the Bears headed to Atlanta to face Emory in a game that decided sole possession of the University Athletic Association conference lead. Drawing on experience in high-pressure situations, the Bears came away with a 65-56 win over the Eagles.

“We have an experienced team that knows what it’s like to play in this conference,” Edwards said. “They know that on Sundays you have to be just as sharp as you were Friday night or you’re going to get caught, especially when you’re playing somebody that’s already first place in the conference.”

“Knowing that the conference was on the line, I feel like it energized us a little bit,” Gay added. “One thing that we stress a lot is that the UAA championship is won on Sundays, so every Sunday we have to come out and play as hard as we can.”

With these two victories, the Bears improved their road record to 8-1 on the season, and have continued to assert their dominance away from home.

“I think it’s our ability to leave everything back in St. Louis— distractions, class,” Wallis said. “Now it will be nice to head home, play on our own court, and hopefully we will have the fans out to support us on Friday night.”

The Bears return to the Field House at 8 p.m. on Friday and noon on Sunday, and those two games will once again be against Rochester and Emory.

“It’s not going to be any walkover, and both teams are coming back ready because of what we did last weekend on their home courts,” Wallis said. “Obviously [last weekend] was a confidence builder, but at the same time, if we are not playing our game—playing well—we could come out on the other end [without the win].”

Sophomore Dylan Richter moves around an Augustana College defender on Dec. 12. In Sunday’s away game against Carnegie Mellon University, Richter scored 15 points as the Bears won 81-60. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Coming off of four straight games decided by five or fewer points, the Washington University men’s basketball team finally got some room to breathe. The Bears handed Carnegie Mellon University their 12th loss of the season with an 81-60 rout on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

For most of the first half, the game was tight, but in the last 4 minutes and 54 seconds, the Bears erupted for a 12-3 scoring run to enter the break with a 43-29 lead.

“We started running a little more, we got the wings ahead of the guards, and that really helped us out,” graduate student Sean Wallis said. “We were able to make some shots and finish some layups around the basket, so that put it out of reach after we picked up the tempo of the game.”

Wallis recorded a team-high 17 points in the rout.

“I think Sean brings the best out of the other players,” head coach Mark Edwards said. “He orchestrates the team. It’s a great gift that he has. I couldn’t be happier with the way that he’s playing in his fifth year.”

In the second half, the Tartans could not get within 14 points, as the Bears continued pouring onto the lead.

“I think they have a tough time keeping up with us and being able to keep track of all the stuff that we ran, and it showed,” Wallis said.

Sophomore Dylan Richter and junior Spencer Gay contributed 15 points and eight points, respectively, en route to the victory.

Gay, who was recently promoted to the starting lineup, has been rewarded for his elevated performance with increased playing time.

“It’s a lot easier to be ready to play as soon as I step out on the court as a starter,” Gay said. “I feel like it brings defensive intensity to get boards.”

Despite this considerable victory, Edwards knows that teams are always especially ready to face the notoriously talented Bears.

“It’s important to realize  that when we play teams this year, they are looking at us as an opportunity to establish themselves, to knock off the two-time defending champion, or whatever,” Edwards said. “We get everybody’s best game, and that’s kind of fun. We enjoy that.”

Sunday’s game was the second of a four-game road trip for the Bears. On Friday, the Red and Green bested Case Western Reserve University 66-61, led by Gay’s 16-point performance. Gay made three out of four free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. Next weekend, the Bears will travel to the University of Rochester and Emory University before returning home on Feb. 5 to face Rochester again.

“These two games next week are really big for us,” Wallis said. “If we can sneak out of next week with two more wins, that would really put us in a good position trying to win this conference.”

Junior Caleb Knepper goes up for the lay-up with two defenders on him in the regular season opener against MacMurray College on Sunday Nov. 15. Wash. U. won 88-53 as Knepper pulled down a career-high eight rebounds in his first collegiate start. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

“It’s always good to get that first win under your belt,” said co-captain Sean Wallis, a graduate student. “We went out, we played hard, and we did a great job defensively, not letting them do what they wanted to do.”

Head coach Mark Edwards said, “We got out and competed. At times, we executed very well. We didn’t make a lot of first-game mistakes, which I was pleased with.”

Senior co-captain Aaron Thompson led the team with 24 points to complement Wallis’ nine assists.

“When you have two All-American guards that everyone is keying on, it’s pretty important that they are able to handle [the outside game],” Edwards said. “Aaron missed his first three three-pointers, and then he hit four in a row, so it didn’t seem to bother him too much.”

The team largely attributed their strong start to familiarity among the same group of players. Wallis, Thompson and fellow co-captains Cameron Smith and Zach Kelly are all returning starters who have played together for the past four years.

“With repetition, you start to know where people like to get the ball and where they are going to be when you make a certain cut,” Thompson said. “With that experience, it really helps.”

Junior Caleb Knepper, the only starter who did not start last season, stepped into his new role nicely, putting up eight points and grabbing a career-high eight rebounds.

“I think he did a good job,” Edwards said. “He took smart shots, good shots and got rebounds. That’s what we need from him.”

Despite a strong showing in the home opener, the squad was quick to critique their performance and talk about the areas they need to work on as the season progresses.

“We had a lot of good open shots that we missed, but that’s basketball,” Edwards said. “What you miss on one end, you have to make up for on the other end on defense, and that’s what we did.”

Nevertheless, the Bears took a lot of positives away from the win, and they expect to build on this performance for the coming weeks.

“Getting all 10 guys that we want in our rotation on the floor and playing with those rotations really helps,” Thompson said. “It is really going to give us confidence going forward, which is huge.”

The Bears take on Ohio Wesleyan University at the Titan Tip-Off Tournament next Saturday, Nov. 21, in Bloomington, Ill.

“Looking forward, there is definitely room for improvement, but it’s a good way to start,” Wallis said.