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Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-27-2022

The #16 Stanford women's tennis team kicks off the spring season in earnest this weekend (sorry, UC Davis, no offense), as they travel to Charlottesville, VA for two matches. Up first is Arkansas, who is unranked as a team but is usually on the NCAA bubble, so they're no pushover. If Stanford wins, they'll play the winner of 9th-ranked and host UVA and James Madison (so, UVA). At stake is one berth at the ITA Indoor Nationals, hosted by the University of Wisconsin on February 11-14, 2022. Making it to Indoor Nationals and then doing reasonably well there is one of those scheduling bets that Lele has been making the last few years to ensure a good ranking heading into NCAAs, since our non-conference schedule is often lighter than most other top teams. (That said, with the Pac-12 looking tougher than usual this year, the fact that we'll play UVA/Texas/Pepperdine out of conference is probably enough good matches, depending on how well we do in them.)

Arkansas (3-0)
Friday, Jan. 28 at 6pm ET/3pm PT

The Razorbacks are undefeated, but they haven't really played anybody, either. There's a reason this is called Kick-Off Weekend; teams usually come in with some warm-up matches under their belts, but it's rare to have a match of the caliber of Cal-Pepperdine having already been played. Arkansas does not currently have any ranked singles players or doubles teams, but English sophomore Indianna Spink was ranked #26 in the preseason. Spink played #1 last year as a freshman, but this year she's been playing #2, so Yepifanova will have her work cut out for her. At #1 is 5th year Tatum Rice, who played #3 singles for the Razorbacks last season but who has played #1 in the past for them. Junior Kelley Keller, last year's #2, is now playing #3, so a little bit of shuffling atop that lineup. 

Prediction: Stanford wins 4-0. I figure doubles and depth will get us to four even if some of the top matches remain undecided. But I feel like every player in our singles lineup should win--whether they do is obviously a different matter.

Live video: https://virginiasports.com/womens-live-tennis-video/
Live stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=381665

#9 Virginia (3-0)
If we beat Arkansas, this match will be Saturday, Jan. 28 at 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT

UVA is one of the very best teams in the country, and it starts with the top of their lineup--the preseason #1 player and reigning NCAA singles champion, sophomore Emma Navarro. She's currently unranked, but that's due to her playing pro events in the fall rather than the usual fall college slate. Their singles lineup is outstanding at the top:

1. Emma Navarro (So., preseason #1)
2. #90 Elaine Chervinsky (Fr.)
3. #29 Natasha Subhash (Jr., preseason #8)

And that's not including #66 Melodie Collard, who is the 3rd-ranked newcomer and came in an even higher-ranked recruit than Chervinsky, but who hasn't played in one of the Hoos' three dual matches so far this year. Not sure if she's hurt, but if she's healthy, I'd expect her to slot in at 2 and push everyone else down. The rest of their lineup isn't bad, by any means, but it's unsettled--lots of movement around. 

This is a good doubles team, too. We've got a lot of fresh blood on our team, so who knows how they do, but UVA has had more success with it than we have in recent seasons.

Prediction: Stanford wins 4-3. UVA takes a tight doubles point and ultimately gets wins at #1 and #4, with Navarro and Subhash beating Ma and Xu in tight matches, respectively. (It's hard to imagine Subhash as only the 4th-best player on that team, but she's been behind Chervinsky in all three matches so far.) But our depth saves us, as Yepifanova wins the battle of highly-touted freshmen over Collard at #2, Blake takes care of Chervinsky at line 3, and we get wins from Geller at 5 and either Houghton or Choy at 6. With a win here, Stanford serves notice that they're a force to be reckoned with this year. It would go down as a brobdingnagian upset by some commentators' reckoning, but only a minor one according to others who think this match is more of a pick-'em. Either team could end up winning by 4-1 or so, of course, depending on how doubles goes and how quickly some of the matches go. (We could win the doubles point, and if we do, it obviously opens things up. I suspect we're better at doubles this year than last year.) But if all the matches got played out, this feels like a 4-3 or 5-2 match either way. A massive dual match test for our freshmen, and I'm betting they acquit themselves well--it's just that they'll likely be going up against two preseason top ten players in Navarro and Subhash. My confidence in predicting us to beat Arkansas is sky-high, but this is a very tentative prediction from me. Even if you view Stanford as better than #16, this is still a coin flip kind of match, and it's on UVA's home court. They have to be the favorite coming in, but we've got a good chance. The fun thing about freshmen is that you never know, and the terrifying thing about freshmen is that you never know. Could Ma beat Navarro? Sure! I'd be surprised but not shocked--Ma is terrific. Could Xu beat Subhash? Maybe! Yepifanova beat Subhash 6-3, 6-3 in the consolation semifinals at ITA Fall Nationals, so no reason to think it won't be at least competitive.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - martyup - 01-27-2022

A win over UVA would be awesome.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - oldalum - 01-28-2022

I assume we'll be playing indoors given the weather. I always think of that as a slight disadvantage for us since we don't practice or play indoors much, but we always seem to do well indoors so what do I know?  (don't answer that)

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-28-2022

(01-27-2022, 11:43 PM)martyup Wrote:  A win over UVA would be awesome.

Road wins get a 10% points bump, too, so that would be one valuable win in the rankings formula. 

And oldalum, UVA's indoor courts were donated by Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band, and they've hosted National Indoors there before, so should still be a good experience. (I agree that we don't do quite as well indoors as we do outdoors, so that probably hampers our chances a tad.)

Link to indoor video: https://virginiasports.com/womens-live-tennis-video/

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-28-2022

Arkansas took the doubles point. Yikes. Let’s hope that’s not a harbinger of things to come.
In singles, this is the lineup:

1. Ma
2. Yepifanova
3. Blake
4. Geller
5. Xu
6. Choy

So, could be that Houghton is out or that Lele likes Choy in that spot better and switched them one line today.
Arkansas 1, Stanford 0

1. Ma leads 4-3
2. Yepifanova tied 4-4
3. Blake leads 6-0, 0-0
4. I think Geller trails 3-5, but that score previously showed her losing the first set 6-1, so heck if I know
5. Xu leads 5-2
6. Choy leads 6-1, 0-0

Maybe some nerves early, and struggles adjusting to indoor courts? Yepifanova has been down a break, so good to see her level it against a tough opponent.

Geller needs to turn it around. If she’s healthy enough to play, she has no business losing this match.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-28-2022

Arkansas 1, Stanford 0

1. Ma tied 5-5, trading blows 
2. Yepifanova leads 7-5; what a great job to come back and take that set!
3. Blake leads 6-0, 4-0
4. Geller trails 3-6, 0-3
5. Xu leads 6-2, 2-0
6. Choy leads 6-1, 1-2 (on serve)

Need four wins, and we’re 4-1 in first sets so far. Geller looks to be in a tailspin.
Arkansas 2, Stanford 1

1. Ma leads 7-6, 0-0
2. Yepifanova leads 7-5, 4-1
3. Blake won 6-0, 6-2
4. Geller lost 3-6, 0-6
5. Xu leads 6-2, 4-2
6. Choy leads 6-1, 5-2

Geller first off court today. Usually that’s a mark of distinction for this team, but not today. Woof.

Ma had a deciding point at 5-5 in the first but Rice took it. She battled back to force a tiebreaker, though, and she dominated that from start to finish. 

Yepifanova looks to have flipped a switch. In control now.
Stanford 4, Arkansas 2

1. Ma leads 7-6, 2-0
2. Yepifanova won 7-5, 6-1
5. Xu won 6-2, 6-2
6. Choy won 6-1, 6-2

Goodness, that was a quick second set from Yepifanova. So fast that she almost caught up to Choy and finished a minute or so later, with Xu clinching it a minute or so after that.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-28-2022

Ok, so, a few takeaways:

1. The kids are alright. Xu cruised. Yepifanova struggled early but found another gear and won going away. Ma battled against a great player, found a way to win the set, and was up an early break in the second when it was called. Really encouraging day from the rookies.
2. The vets are also alright. Blake was our first win and Choy was our second, both in dominating fashion. 
3. Whither the sophomores? Houghton didn’t play, and Geller basically didn’t show up. 
4. Doubles ain’t there yet. Blake/Ma and Xu/Yepifanova lost at the 1 and 2 spots by the same 6-3 score, so that Geller/Madurawe were on the verge of winning on Court 3 doesn’t matter. They have to be a lot better if we’re going to win close matches against other top teams.
5. Back to Blake: her freshman year, I said on here somewhere we were watching a future #1 singles player. Well, I didn’t know we were going to get Ma and Yepifanova then, but you can see what a luxury it is to have a player like Blake playing #3.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

As a reminder, Kickoff Weekend has a bunch of 4-team single-elimination pods where the winner of each pod advances to Indoor Nationals. Here’s how it looks for other Pac-12 teams: 

* In Los Angeles, #4 UCLA rolled over Cal Poly 4-0 and UW squeaked by Denver 4-3; UW will try to pull the upset today at Noon (all times PT)
* In Berkeley, #4 Cal rolled over BYU 4-0 and Vanderbilt beat San Diego 4-1, so it’ll be Cal-Vandy at 1pm.
* In Waco, #15 USC beat #23 Miami 4-3, and they’ll face #22 Baylor today at 1pm. That should be a great one. 
* In Malibu, Colorado plays Notre Dame today at 1, and the winner will play #7 Pepperdine tomorrow.
* In Orlando, ASU lost to #25 Auburn 4-3 in the opening round yesterday.
* In Chapel Hill, Oregon lost in the opening round to Tulsa yesterday.

And FWIW, it probably doesn’t need to be said, but we’re not winning today if Geller plays like she did yesterday. The player she lost to played #6 at Oklahoma State last year. 

As Geller was one of my predicted wins as part of a 4-3 match prediction today, my hopes for a win today have certainly diminished somewhat. But Collard didn’t play yesterday, so if that holds true today as well, my hopes go right back up. Yepifanova should beat Chervinsky at 2, Blake has a shot at an upset over Subhash at 3, and I feel good about Xu and Choy. Can Geller bounce back? Did she have a minor injury that was hampering her and thus we see Houghton today? Don’t know! We’ll see soon enough!

Oh, and I just noticed that UCLA lost to Loyola Marymount 4-3 a few days ago in an absolute stunner. UCLA took doubles like they always do, and Bolton and Forbes won close matches against the only two threats LMU really has, but then UCLA dropped the other four singles courts. Just completely opposite what I would’ve expected in singles—maybe they lose one or two at the top because most teams have a player capable of knocking off your #1 if they have a great day, but UCLA’s depth should’ve overwhelmed LMU. Whoa. Maybe UW does have a chance.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

Link for today’s match: https://virginiasports.com/womens-live-tennis-video/
Both teams seem to be keeping their lineups the same, so no Collard is good news. In doubles so far:

1. Blake/Ma trail Navarro/O’Dell 0-4
2. Yepifanova/Xu tied with Subhash/Chervinsky 2-2
3. Geller/Madurawe lead Munera/Shaikh 3-1

In singles, the lineups say it’ll be:

1. Ma vs. Navarro
2. Yepifanova vs. Chervinsky
3. Blake vs. Subhash
4. Geller vs. Munera
5. Xu vs. O’Dell
6. Choy vs. Ziodato

Home fans make for a loud atmosphere indoors, that’s for sure.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

Hanging tough in doubles:

1. Blake/Ma trail 2-4
2. Yepifanova/Xu lead 4-3 (up a break)
3. Geller/Madurawe trail 3-4 (on serve)

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - magnus - 01-29-2022

All the doubles matches are on serve.

3-4
4-4
4-4

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

We’re up 5-4 on 3, tied 4-4 on 2, and Blake/Ma got back on serve at 3-4. This is a much closer doubles point than I anticipated, so that bodes well for the rest of the afternoon. Keep it up, Stanford!
We trade 7-5 results on 2 and 3, and it all comes down to court 1, currently knotted at 5-5!
Down 5-6 now on 1, looking to force a tiebreaker….
Force it they do! And they go up 3-0, then 4-2 as they change ends. Let’s go Card!!!
Ugh, now 4-4. Then 4-5. 4-6. 5-6! And 6-6!
7-6! One more point….

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - oldalum - 01-29-2022

We win a tight tiebreaker at #1 doubles to capture the point!

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - cardfan77 - 01-29-2022

Doubles point to Stanford.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

LET’S FREAKING GO, CARD! ALL RIGHT NOW!!

Holy mackerel, that felt good. What a fight from Blake and Ma. Down 4-0, they come back to tie it at 4-4. UVA goes up 5-4, we tie it again. They go up 6-5, we tie it again. We go up 4-1 in the breaker, UVA rattles off five straight to go a point away, and then we win four straight to win the breaker 8-6. What a fight! 

Where was this doubles effort yesterday?! Whatever the answer, I’ll take this any day! Onto singles needing just three more to punch our ticket to Madison.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - magnus - 01-29-2022

How hard is it for the net player to jump the cross court in doubles?

Saw a difference of styles between Ma and the VA player.  Ma waits til the last second and lunges.  The VA player creeps over.  Perhaps that allowed Ma to have enough time when she went down the line at 5-6 (not having played in a long time, did she have to adjust in the middle of her swing or is that something that one can decide before the swing?)

BTW, Ma looks really athletic out there.  Quick and light on her feet.  Several non-tennis athletic moves too.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - Lorcan - 01-29-2022

It's not been a rosy start to the singles, has it? Geller and Yepifanova have quickly dropped their first sets, and other matches are continuing to trudge along.

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

Stanford 1, Virginia 0

1. Ma trails 2-4
2. Yepifanova trails 1-6, 1-1
3. Blake trails 2-3; just lost deciding point, too
4. Geller trails 2-6
5. Xu leads 4-2
6. Choy leads 5-2

Another slow start from Yepifanova and Geller. Let’s hope they turn it on soon!

Within a couple of minutes, we had deciding points on each and every singles court. We lost all six games. Sigh…. Things going UVA’s way in singles at the moment…. Might need a three-setter or two today!
Stanford 1, Virginia 0

1. Ma trails 2-6, 0-0
2. Yepifanova trails 1-6, 2-2
3. Blake looks to be tied 4-4 but that score has been jumping around 
4. Geller trails 2-6, 1-1
5. Xu leads 5-3
6. Choy leads 6-2, 0-1
Stanford 1, Virginia 0

1. Ma trails 2-6, 3-1
2. Yepifanova trails 1-6, 5-3
3. Blake tied 6-6
4. Geller trails 2-6, 4-3
5. Xu leads 6-3, 2-1
6. Choy leads 6-2, 2-3

Better second sets so far from Ma, Yepifanova, and Geller. Ma and Yepi both just won two games in a row, all on deciding points!

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - ColoradoTree - 01-29-2022

Things looked rosy and now they’re a bit grimmer. Yepifanova had the third set under control and now trails 5-6. Geller got smoked in the third. Blake struggling to keep pace in her second. 

On the bright side, Xu won handily and Choy is up a break in the third. But we need one more.
Yepi and Blake quickly join Geller in the loss column and all of a sudden we’re down 3-2.
Ma had set points up 5-2 and 5-4, but now she has to survive a tiebreaker just to get to a third set she has to win. Choy looks good, fwiw.
Still alive! Choy leads 5-2 in her third and Ma wins the breaker 7-5 to force a decider!

RE: Women's Tennis: ITA Kick-Off Weekend - cardfan77 - 01-29-2022

Ma wins second set
Stanford would be in such great position if Yepifanova did not crumble and wins her match.

Ma down a break  in the 3rd set.
Damn Choy was just broken. Now her match is back to on serve. 5-4 choy.