Undefeated women’s tennis prepares for Pac-12 postseason action

April 25, 2017, 11:25 p.m.

After earning a 4-3 victory against No. 16 Cal (15-4, 8-2 Pac-12) in the season finale, No. 6 Stanford women’s tennis (18-2, 10-0) enjoyed a five-day hiatus to prepare for the Pac-12 Championships that will take place in Ojai, California, starting Thursday.

The Cardinal earned a bye in the first round of the tournament as they secured a regular-season conference title and top seed in their last season game in Berkeley. The team is scheduled to play on Thursday at 3 p.m. and will face the winner between eight-seeded Utah and ninth-ranked Arizona. However, regardless of the first-round winner, the Cardinal have already faced both teams and came away with a pair of convincing 6-1 victories.

Boasting an undefeated conference record, the Cardinal are looking to repeat as Pac-12 champion and extend their momentum from the end of the season into the NCAA tournament.

In Ojai, Stanford will rely on its team depth to defeat its opponents. The team’s lower lineup fueled the Cardinal this season, as freshman Emma Higuchi sits on an 18-win streak while also remaining undefeated in dual matches. Fellow freshman Emily Arbuthnott is also red-hot, coming off from a game-deciding clincher against Cal, her seventh this season. Arbuthnott also boasts a 16-1 singles dual record and is 4-0 on three-setters.

Playing at the second and fourth spots, sophomore pair Melissa Lord and Caroline Lampl largely contribute to the Cardinal effort, posting respective singles records of 14-3 and 15-3, respectively. Lord is also currently the Cardinal’s best-ranked player, checking in at No. 26 nationally.

At the top of the lineup, Caroline Doyle has had convincing upsets leading up to the postseason, while fellow senior Taylor Davidson seemed to have fully recovered from her injury earlier this season.

Stanford has also shown teamwork in doubles play, with the Cardinal’s winningest pair being Doyle and Lord, ranked 43rd nationally thanks to a 10-2 dual record.

 

Contact Alexandre Bucquet at bucqueta ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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