This tie has evolved rather strangely. It started out being a marquee showdown (sisters vs "sisters"). Then, with injuries to the top Americans, it looked like a probable Belgian win. Then the top two Belgians withdrew, and it looked like a probable US win. However, without Chanda on the team either, the tie looks up for grabs again. Meg has struggled mightily indoors, Alex is hurting. It wouldn't be far-fetched to see Els pull off 2 singles wins indoors. If Lisa plays singles, she could be in a position of playing the second singles on day 2, then having to immediately play the (possibly) decisive doubles.
A lot of the blame could actually be given to the change in format for the YEC. Rather than admit their own shortcomings last year, the tournament promoters decided to blame the format (which worked fine in MSG for about 20 years). The change means that those expecting to contend for the title (Justine, Kim) must now play 5 matches in 6 days, instead of 4 in 7 days. Likewise, with the reduced field, Chanda has had to keep her schedule open to add tournaments if necessary to qualify (thanks to an untimely shoulder injury), whereas under the old format, she'd have clinched a spot long ago, and could have scheduled an extra week or two off to allow for Fed Cup duties.
