Shaquila Sarapao, Press Committee Member Coming from the core of Texas is a familial pair with hearts as big as the state. Instead of spending the weekend with family or going to the zoo, Vikas Dusad and his 11-year-old daughter Kanika decided to come to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and assist with the NCTTA national collegiate tournament. But it wasn’t Vikas Dusad’s idea to come out here—instead, it was senior umpire Scott Ryan. “[He] had encouraged me to start umpiring,” Kanika says, “and then told us about this NCTTA tournament. It was a really nice opportunity to help out.” Their love for the ..read more

By Joel Lidstrom Press Committee Member Enticed by the cheers, I moved to the Men's semifinals match on Court 2. In progress was the #1 seed, Nikhil Kumar of California against the #6 seed, Jonatan McDonald of Texas Wesleyan. Kumar had won the opening game. Kumar can turn on the power at the shortest of notices. A rapid-fire exchange with McDonald’s backhand is always dangerous, and it knotted the match score at 1-1. Buoyed by his win in the second game, and with an excited cadre of supporters, McDonald was looking to jump out to an early lead. But it is Kumar, chop blocking a forehand topsp ..read more

By Michael Reff Press Committee Chair Elite TT on display from West and South Got this event spreading by word of mouth. The conclusion of singles and the tourney in all, The players were fiery, they answered the call! In the Women’s arena, Zhen Deng of TWU, Battled Angie Tan of UCLA, with a triple crown breakthrough! Deng already had the doubles and teams under her belt, This additional title trophy would go on her shelf! In the Men’s single’s there was an all Cal final, Between Nikhil Kumar and Ved Seth, balls spinning like vinyl. Two different styles: Seth’s passionate, dynamic, And Kumar ..read more

By Joel Lidstrom NCTTA Press Committee Member Seeing Texas Wesleyan’s Jonatan McDonald warm up with his teammates is a thrilling affair. His power, depth, and consistency, whether from the forehand or backhand, is astonishing. Knowing that he is not the highest seed in the men’s draw speaks eloquently about the extraordinary quality of this tournament. On Saturday, he faced perhaps an even more premier player in Gal Alguetti, the #3 seed (and #2 doubles seed with his brother, Sharon). From the outset, McDonald held his own. Was the plan to stay close, in hopes of forcing a 4th and then 5th d ..read more

By Joel Lidstrom Press Committee Member She was a number one cadet, a number one junior; she had an uncle who was a high-level table tennis coach…but she hated to practice. She wanted the thrill of competition. She rode that love of competition, and suffered enough practice along the way, to win an Olympic medal. When I asked how one can succeed without having done the hard work, she smiled and said, “Maybe I was born under a lucky star.” I met Jasna Rather sixteen years ago at this very tournament, hosted by my home club in Rochester, Minnesota. She was a player coach on what was easily the ..read more

Shaquila Sarapao, Press Committee Member Saturday set the scene for the quarterfinals of Coed Teams. Walking into the McPhee gymnasium early in the morning, there was already a cacophony of claps and cheers, particularly at tables 5 and 6. Red vs. blue—Indiana University vs. UCLA. The first matchups were Sharon Alguetti against Kai Zarehbin and Andi Mai vs. Andrew Wong, respectively. S. Alguetti swiftly won his singles against Zarehbin 3-0. In the second singles match, Mai and Wong battled it out. Mai, down 1-2, stayed calm and collected, ultimately winning the fourth set. The final set was ..read more

Shaquila Sarapao, Press Committee Member Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has been a mainstay location for NCTTA. This year marks their third year hosting the collegiate national tournament, the past years being in 2015 and 2017. As the host, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire sent in a team of four that turned into a three-person Coed team. Their president Carter Tacke, a senior majoring in Information Systems, notes their excitement to be hosting. Tacke says, “This has been a really cool opportunity to play people with such a higher skill level than us, and it’s a really good learning opportunit ..read more

By Michael Reff Press Committee Chair Champs day 2, all were pumped and choing The adrenaline was overflowing! The best of the best fought to lead their teams To victory, and clinch College TT dreams. On the Women’s side Texas Wesleyan, Lept over all obstacles like equestrians. Defeating UCLA, and with too many titles to name, When TWU comes to town, they show off their elite game. On the Coed end, the cho’s were intense, And the TWU team clinched all in the end. The California athletes succumbed to them, Upon TWU’s win, the roaring commenced! Congrats to Texas Wesleyan, we have one more day ..read more

By Jia-Yu (Trinity) Sung NCTTA Press Committee Member Let’s talk about support systems. Table tennis may be an individual game, but with collegiate table tennis, it’s ultimately a team sport. Behind the player on the table there’s countless unseen supporters and having your most fervent fan in your corner could make a world’s difference, whether it’s a coach or a friend. For Rice University’s Daniela Yano, it’s boyfriend Kevin Li. Pursuing her PhD at the prestigious Rice University following her undergraduate years at Columbia, Daniela first met Kevin at a Los Angeles table tennis tournament ..read more

Joel Lidstrom, Press Committee Member The NCTTA Championships are a great spectacle each year: teams and their athletes marching together; their camaraderie a joy to see; their excitement palpable. But there was another team this year, one that did not compete, one that no one had heard of, whose skills have been honed by dint of hard work, as if they, too, aspire to be top seeds. The Innocent Men, an all-male acapella group, performed both the Canadian and American National Anthems to commemorate the opening of our NCTTA championship. To say that they received thunderous applause is an unde ..read more