After coming off a SoCal sweep last weekend where it defeated top-ranked Pac-10 rivals No. 6 UCLA and No. 14 USC, the Cardinal looks ahead to another double-header weekend with matches against No. 13 Arizona State and No. 30 Arizona.
Just after finishing exams, the Cardinal (17-0, 4-0 Pac-10) aimed to continue its winning streak of 36 consecutive victories as it traveled to Los Angeles during Stanford’s spring break. The women’s team defeated UCLA earlier in the season though the match did not count toward Pac-10 standings and sought a second win over the team that last handed them defeat in February of 2010.
For sophomore Stacey Tan, this match was especially meaningful.
“Our loss last year to UCLA definitely motivated me,” Tan said. “It was a bit of a grind for the team because of finals, but I felt that everyone put in as much work as they could to get ready for these matches and, fortunately, the results turned out well.”
Tan won both her matches on court five, defeating UCLA’s Courtney Dolehide as well as her junior rival, USC’s Alison Ramos, in straight sets.
Stanford now looks forward to welcoming the Arizona schools on its home courts. Preparation will be paramount for the Cardinal if it wishes to continue its perfect season. Junior Veronica Li explains the recent focus on conditioning.
“We are definitely working harder on our fitness than we have in the past months simply due to the fact that we are starting a new quarter and have just returned from spring break road matches,” she said. “Everyone has been busy the past two weeks, and getting back up to speed is important. Technically and strategically speaking, we’ve maintained the same focused mentality that we always have.”
The first match will be against the Arizona State Sun Devils (13-3, 3-0 Pac-10) on Friday. Despite coasting past them 6-1 in last season’s match up, the Sun Devils are another team undefeated in the Pac-10 and boast two players ranked in the top 20.
“Arizona State should be a tougher match, Li said. “Their team is very feisty and really loud. I think it will be different playing them on our home courts. We have to be aware of their toughness and respond by being vocal, supportive and energetic.”
On Saturday afternoon, the Cardinal will face the Arizona Wildcats (15-4, 2-1 Pac-10), a team it also defeated 6-1 in last year’s faceoff. Despite the seemingly lop-sided score, Li remembers the match actually being a turning point in the Cardinal’s season.
“I remember playing in very tough conditions against Arizona last year. It was definitely a key moment for a lot of the players on our team,” she said. “It was windy and some girls were down, but they fought and pulled through in the end. I mean, I was very impressed that day, and I’m hoping for some great matches this weekend.”
As of March 29, Stanford was once again the No. 1 team in the country, as the University of Florida whose single loss was to the Cardinal at ITA National Indoors in February fell back to No. 2.
Li knows that strength of schedule is a big determinant in NCAA rankings, saying “It’s kind of ambiguous how the rankings are set, but it has a lot to do with the ranking of the teams that you beat. I think Florida has played and defeated some higher ranked teams.”
However, Li affirms that rankings really don’t matter to the Stanford women.
“Honestly, we don’t really talk about rankings whether we are No. 1 or not,” Li explained. “What matters in the end is ultimately who is holding the NCAA trophy.”
The weekend series will take place at the Taube Tennis Stadium, where Stanford faces Arizona State on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and Arizona on Saturday at noon.