It is quite nice to see some Stanford teams returning to their past form. For several sports at Stanford, their histories have been decorated with championships and all-around great teams. But in recent years, some Stanford sports have slipped below that standard and have struggled. A point should be made that “struggling” at Stanford probably translates to success at other schools, such as making only the first round of the NCAAs or having a record barely above .500. In any case, there are at least three teams on this campus that are righting their respective ships and turning themselves back into teams that are legitimate contenders for NCAA titles. These are men’s volleyball, women’s tennis and men’s tennis.
Men’s volleyball is probably assured a bid to the four-team NCAA field this year, something it hasn’t done in 13 years. Four years ago, the team won three matches in the entire season, and ever since, it has slowly progressed upward to being this year’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) champions, the No. 1 seed for the MPSF Tournament and — barring any unforeseen circumstance — a NCAA semifinalist. Stanford’s last of six conference titles came in 1997, the same year it won its last NCAA title. This year’s team looks as good as any in the nation, and the team is a legitimate contender for the NCAA title. It would be a long time coming. It would also set the team up nicely for the future, as success breeds success in terms of new, outstanding recruits. Stanford men’s volleyball could be on the verge of an era of wild success.
The Stanford women’s tennis team knows championships better than almost any team on this campus, having captured 15 NCAA titles. In a six-year span from 2001-2006, the team won five NCAA titles, only falling in 2003, when Stanford finished second. The 1986-1991 women’s tennis teams actually went all the way, winning six straight NCAA titles.
Stanford has not seen the top of the podium since 2006. While it is quite nitpicky to say that Stanford is not having as much success as it has had in the past, it is true that the team has been “underachieving” over the past three years. But this year, the Stanford women are poised to reverse that trend. They are 20-1 on the season, won the Pac-10 with an 8-0 record and will surely receive a favorable seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. With some solid players at the top of the lineup and some young talent that has contributed in big ways, the team has a chance to go all the way. This year could be the year Stanford halts the “downward” trend and gets back to the championship-winning ways that so many previous teams possessed.
Another team that is no stranger to NCAA titles is the men’s tennis team. It is the most decorated sports program on the Stanford campus, having captured 17 NCAA titles and another five runners-up. But the team has not won an NCAA title since 2000, and has been through some down seasons since then. But the recruits got better. After making the final 16 of the NCAA Tournament last year — the team’s best result in three years — today, Stanford finds itself the No. 7 team in the nation and the 2010 Pac-10 co-champions. The starting lineup features just one senior and several highly ranked individual players. The team has shown it can beat anyone in the nation this year, with several wins over top-10 opponents. Stanford has the talent to advance far into the NCAAs this year if it can continue to play well (the Cardinal is currently on a seven-match win streak).
While men’s tennis, women’s tennis and men’s volleyball are definitely not the only sports at Stanford having success this year, they are three teams that have bounced back from some recent struggles and down years. When you hail from the school dubbed the “Home of Champions,” anything less is an internal disappointment, and everyone knows that the team is capable of better things. For these three teams, better days are certainly here — and hopefully here to stay.
Danny Belch is letting Stanford’s success get to his head. Calm him down at dbelch1 “at” stanford.edu.