2021 Maroon & White Classic VII
Podcast Preview by David Louis
Checkout the podcast where David goes over his preview with the Lone Start State of Roundnet Crew!
1 Texaners
Fredric Hinkle & Grant Laughlin
Tier 1: Unbeaten at the past 2 M&W tournaments, and every other TX tournament they’ve played at together, this is the team to beat. Grant recently beat Rahul and Garrett with Dax, so in theory he should be able to win with Fredric being a better partner. With the last-minute change of the tournament being played with a No-Hit-Zone, clean setting and hitting become an absolute necessity in this tournament. With Grant’s unbelievable off-net hitting alongside Fredric’s solid setting and impeccable defense, they are the favorites to flourish in this game variation.
2 Seg Fault
Rahul Murthy & Garrett Hornok
Tier 1: There's a likely chance this team gets 1st. Garret beat Grant and Clark Marshall (who's arguably in the same Tier as Fredric), with Luke Mowry as his partner. Now that he has Rahul as a better partner, they could very well do it. With the No-Hit-Zone being implemented this tournament, Rahul will be grateful to not only be the most powerful hitter in Texas, but to also have Texas’ best setter by his side. See these two in the finals going to game 3 deep extras with Texaner.
3 Zoinked
Luke Mowry & Josh Weinbach
Tier 2: The most likely team to upset one of the two teams above. They lost to Grant and Rahul in a close 3-game series back in Houston last year. If the other teams above them don't serve well, Luke and Josh will make the finals. On paper they’re too consistent together not to be in the "top two" conversation. It's worth mentioning that Josh didn't show the greatest consistency in the recent Austin tournament, so he'll be out to regain that consistency title and prove his 9th place ranking.
4 Crouching Tiger
Matt Cole & Dylan Keen
Tier 2: Matt and Dylan had a great result last time they played in College Station, taking 3rd at the Major last year. They both are constantly improving their game; Dylan’s serves have somehow gotten wider, and Matt is making much less errors than before. This team is looking for blood having been disallowed to play at TX Nationals last year. It’s important to note that Matt Cole’s hitting will be buffed with his long reach and “tweenering” ability. See them in the semis.
5 Hard 90
Ryan Messick & Blake Henke
Tier 3: I have the next 6 teams in the same tier, which will make this an exciting tournament. This is definitely my hot take – but I stand by it. There are some players in this Tier that have higher individual rankings than these two Aggies. But if I know anything about TAMU Spikeball, it’s that when they find promising players they train them hard and grind 3-4 times a week. Although they may not have other fundamentals quite as down, they are very strong servers (no surprise), which will give receiving teams a much harder time getting the ball back to the net due to the No-Hit-Zone. Depending on how pool plays out, we might even be seeing this team genuinely fight for a semis spot on their home ground campus.
6 Persnickety Fits
Luke Marshall & Brian Childs
Tier 3: It's a hot take to put this team at 6th place, but with their current confidence levels it's where they're heading. With the No-Hit-Zone favoring this team the most in their Tier I see this team having the talent to break into the top 4, but it’ll depend on how they feel on the day. Although they are best defensive pairing in their Tier, their serving consistency is questionable. Brian still played very well at TX nationals, giving Coleman and Grant a hard time while playing with Jerm. My prediction is that even though they'll struggle with Matt's lefty serves and Dax’s hard cut serves, their defense and agility will pull through thanks to the rule-change.
7 Knull
Dax O’Hair & Chase Meyer
Tier 3: The TASR Podcast duo…. Dax O’Hair and Chase have been playing much better recently. Coming off a great result at the Spike N’ Spook event last year and his good showing at TX nationals, Dax is feeling more confident about his serving ability. Both he and Chase need to clean up their sets and work on more versatile hitting, especially with the No-Hit-Zone being intact. But I feel that together they have enough talent to pull ahead of the teams below them, putting them at 7th.
8 Lukrightbal
Matt Burrows & Ethan McWhirter
Tier 3: Matt Burrows is actively trying to improve his game, and he showed his progress at the Austin tournament recently. Playing very well with Nick, he almost took out Fred and Josh. Ethan has the agility on defense to support Matt, who tends to play near-net defense. If Matt can keep his head clear and find consistency on his jams and drops, see them fight for a place in the semis. I have them below Dax and Chase by a hair, simply because their chemistry wasn’t as convincing at Texas Nationals. However, with Matt’s great hitting ability and Ethan’s outright athleticism, expect this team to never lose a game in two.
9 Sub 20
Nick Noguez & Seth Searcy
Tier 3: Nick is a great all-round player, and he's gaining more firepower with his serves. Seth hasn't been the most consistent player, but he has his ways of popping off on touches and the occasional butter set. If he's able to attempt more put-on serves, he'll give himself and Nick a chance to shine on defense and fight for 5th or 6th place. Nick's confidence and current form wants to make me put them much higher, but Seth will struggle against this Tier’s serves, so I have them at 9th.
10 Josenji & Aobajosai
Caleb Cummings & AJ Hutchinson
Tier 3: This is also another hot take. Caleb and AJ would normally be much higher, but their lack of finishing ability makes me question how they’ll do with a No-Hit-Zone. We all know they’re very strong servers, extremely athletic, and scrappy on defense. All the more to keep this team in Tier 3, because it’s very likely they could end up with a 5th/6th place finish. I hope they prove me wrong; I am a big fan of this team. I just don’t believe this rule change favors them as much.
11 Freddy’s Prospects
Ryan Canfield & Luke Moran
Tier 4: The next 4 teams fall under the final Tier. At one time, these two players were the branded future of TAMU Spikeball club. But after breeding much inconsistency over the past year, it’s harder to make an argument for them to be in Tier 3. With No-Hit-Zone not favoring this team, the big question for me is: can this team set? I’ve had the joy of seeing these two play at their best, and at that level they could take on anyone. It’ll come down to how much they’ve practiced at this point.
12 Taint Ticklers
Kyle Walsh & Matt Purvis
Tier 4: Kyle continues to improve and had a good showing at TX nationals playing with Trey from AZ. Matt has a surprisingly great serve now, and I'm excited to see how he uses it at this tournament. These two aggies look better and better from their grinding at A&M, and Kyle's consistent jam will cause problems for even the top receivers.
13 Space City Suck
Grayson Wills & Spencer Lee
Tier 4: Grayson has a lot of doubters to prove wrong, and I hope he does at this event. His form has dipped over the past months, despite developing a reverse cut serve. Spencer on the other hand has been grinding at A&M, and he's more used to seeing difficult serves than the team below them. I don't see them having cleanliness and chemistry to overcome Taint Ticklers, but it'll be close. For that reason, I have them at 13th.
14 Guapo
Joseph St Cyr & Logan Miller
Tier 4: Joseph has a better serve and has consolidated lots of experience playing in TX. Expect this team to put up a fight and possibly even top their Tier. Logan is still one to make a name for himself as this team suffered quite a few defeats at TX nationals. For me, their lack of practice of receiving serves in TX puts them at 14th place.
The maroon & white classic is not an official TASR tournament but rather one run by the TASR Community