The No. 13 Stanford women’s tennis team extended their winning streak to six matches with an emphatic pair of victories over Washington State and Pepperdine this weekend. The Cardinal earned a shutout victory over the Cougars on Saturday, before coasting to a 6-1 win over the No. 16 Waves on Sunday.
Stanford (15-4, 7-2 Pac-12) entered Saturday’s contest the heavy favorites against Washington State, as the Cougars were on a four-match losing streak that had placed them in last place in the Pac-12. The 10 a.m. match was part of Cardinalpalooza, a free all-day sports festival on the Farm that featured seven teams in action. However, the Cardinal made sure there would be little suspense at Taube Stadium from the start by capturing the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. The doubles team of Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao, who recently became the No. 1 ranked pairing in the country, were particularly impressive with an 8-3 victory over the Cougars’ Elizaveta Luzina and Lize Leenknecht.
In singles play, Stanford’s deep lineup was too much for Washington State to handle. With five of their top six players currently ranked in the top 100 in the country, the Cardinal swept the Cougars to earn the 7-0 shutout. No. 24 Caroline Doyle clinched the match for Stanford with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Lize Leenknecht. Ellen Tsay, Stanford’s No. 5, achieved a significant career milestone with her 6-4, 6-4 victory over WSU’s Victoria Matejevic. The senior and lone remaining member from the Cardinal’s 2013 national championship team earned her 100th career singles win, a testament to her consistency over the last four years.
Stanford’s match against No. 16 Pepperdine on Sunday was expected to be a lot more interesting, as the Waves entered the contest winners of their last eight. In addition, Pepperdine’s only losses of the season had come against USC, UCLA and Cal, who currently represent the top four teams in the country and who had also handed Stanford defeats. However, the match failed to live up to its hype.
The Cardinal rolled to an early lead by capturing the doubles point and never looked back. Strong performances by Krista Hardebeck and Caroline Doyle at the Nos. 4 and 3 positions put Stanford ahead 3-0. Ellen Tsay clinched the match for the Cardinal with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-0 victory over Pepperdine’s Michaela Capannolo. Christine Maddox earned the Waves’ lone point with a straight-set victory over Lindsey Kostas at the No. 6 spot. The victory was the Cardinal’s fifth against a top 25 team this season.
The weekend marked the end of a four-match home stretch for the Cardinal. The team ends the season on the road against No. 3 Cal across the bay. The two teams faced each other earlier this season in a non-conference match, with the Golden Bears eking out a 4-3 victory in a thrilling match at Taube Stadium.
However, the Cardinal, winners of their last six, enter this match brimming with confidence. In addition to bragging rights, the teams will play for the third spot in the final Pac-12 standings. Stanford will then head to Southern California for the singles and doubles Pac-12 Championships, before opening NCAA tournament play in early May.
Contact Neel Ramachandran at neelr ‘at’ stanford.edu.