Hello everyone — I apologize for tonight’s late post and for the absence of a Pond Talk last week. The transition into my new coaching role at Juniata has been intense, with my work responsibilities often keeping me in the office late into the night. I haven’t managed the FrogJump schedule as well as I should have this year, that’s on me (Ramius). The standard here matters, and I’m committed to being better and more consistent moving forward. Harvey wasn’t able to join us this week, so Lindsay and I are handling the hot takes! Thanks for sticking with us, let’s get into it.
- Which match this weekend surprised you the most, and which didn’t get enough attention it deserved?
Ramius: There were quite a few matches of significance this week. Southern Virginia’s loss to Wittenberg after losing Tolman to injury is a huge boon for Wittenberg, coming back to beat Loras in 5 shows a lot. Springfield over Stevens and Stevens over Carthage definitely shook up the top 5 a lot, and our algorithm shows Springfield as the top dog amongst the top 5 by a decent margin as of right now.
The matches that probably didn’t get as much national attention as it deserved was likely Endicott over MIT or Thiel over Buffalo State. Good signs for two programs building for the future.
Lindsay: There was an unusual amount of activity on Sunday. MSOE, who has been ranked in the top 20, dropped both of their matches, a 5 setter against Augustana and then were swept by Illinois Wesleyan. Over in Massachusetts, Endicott beat #16 MIT in 4. I think all those results were somewhat surprising. - As we enter the second month of the season, who do you see as the frontrunners to win each conference?
| Conference | Ramius | Harvey | Lindsay |
| UVC | NYU | TBD | NYU |
| CVC | Who knows | TBD | Juniata |
| AMCC | Buffalo State | TBD | Buffalo st |
| CCIW | Carthage | TBD | Carthage |
| MAC | Stevens | TBD | Stevens |
| CUNY | Baruch | TBD | Baruch |
| GNAC | Wentworth | TBD | Lasell |
| MCVL | Baldwin Wallace | TBD | Wittenberg |
| NEVC | Endicott | TBD | Endicott |
| NACC | Dominican | TBD | Aurora |
| ODAC | Randolph-Macon | TBD | Randolph Macon |
| PAC | Thiel | TBD | Thiel |
| Skyline | SJLI | TBD | SJLI |
| United East | Lancaster Bible | TBD | Lancaster Bible |
- What matches are on your radar this week? Is anyone on upset alert?
Ramius: Honestly there are a bunch of matches upcoming this week that are worth looking at. We have the first of the home-and-home series of New Paltz vs Springfield, plus a very interesting tri-match in Ohio between Baldwin Wallace, Messiah, and Hobart. For an upset alert, give me UCSC over Carthage this week. Currently our power ranking algorithm has Carthage as a 60/40 favorite over UCSC, so the Slugs are definitely in striking distance of taking that match. A win for either program is huge in the world of NPI.
Lindsay: NYU vs Stevens on Tuesday. NYU hasn’t played anyone ranked since opening weekend, so I’m curious to see how they look against Stevens, who went back to back with Carthage and Springfield. For an upset, give me Nichols over Randolph Macon. People remember Nichols upsetting Stevens last year in the NCAAs, but they had to get through Randolph Macon first. I do like a nice tournament rematch!
4. Who are your personal Top 5 teams?
Ramius: Springfield, Stevens, Carthage, Team-from-Huntingdon-not-to-be-named, Cal Lutheran
Lindsay: Springfield, Stevens, Carthage, Cal Lutheran, NYU
Harvey: TBD