[ColoradoTree]

The brackets are now out, and the 4-way tie for 5th shook out the way I expected it to--with Washington State as the 5 seed, USC as the 6 seed, Oregon as the 7, and Washington as the 8.  That means that Washington will play (and beat) Colorado for the right to play Stanford in the quarterfinals.  Here's the match schedule in bracket order:

First Round (Wednesday, April 25):

(8) Washington vs. (9) Colorado (11:00am) 
(6) USC vs. (11) Arizona (11:00am)
(7) Oregon vs. (10) Utah (3:00pm)

Quarterfinals (Thursday, April 26):

(1) Stanford vs. UW/CU winner (so, UW) (2:00pm)
(4) Cal vs. (5) Washington State (10:30am)
(3) Arizona State vs. USC/Arizona winner (so, USC) (10:30am)
(2) UCLA vs. Oregon/Utah winner (it'll be Oregon) (2:00pm)

Semifinals (Friday, April 27):

Both semifinals are at 1:00pm

Final (Saturday, April 28):

The final is at 12:00pm

How to watch: it's unclear that there will be any live scoring since the matches will be played in Ojai rather than at a campus site that would have a preexisting setup for that, but the women's final will air on the Pac-12 Network, but only the Los Angeles feed for some unknown reason. (And just the final, too. Meanwhile, the men's semis and the final will air on the main Pac-12 Network as well as the Los Angeles feed.)  So, your best bet on following along might be team twitter updates (remember to follow the opponent, as the opponent's team account often provides more frequent score updates than our own).  The press release announcing the brackets promises that "scores and updates can be found at Pac-12.com/tennischamps," so maybe there will be live scoring after all.

[ColoradoTree]

The brackets are now out, and the 4-way tie for 5th shook out the way I expected it to--with Washington State as the 5 seed, USC as the 6 seed, Oregon as the 7, and Washington as the 8.  That means that Washington will play (and beat) Colorado for the right to play Stanford in the quarterfinals.  Here's the match schedule in bracket order:

First Round (Wednesday, April 25):

(8) Washington vs. (9) Colorado (11:00am) 
(6) USC vs. (11) Arizona (11:00am)
(7) Oregon vs. (10) Utah (3:00pm)

Quarterfinals (Thursday, April 26):

(1) Stanford vs. UW/CU winner (so, UW) (2:00pm)
(4) Cal vs. (5) Washington State (10:30am)
(3) Arizona State vs. USC/Arizona winner (so, USC) (10:30am)
(2) UCLA vs. Oregon/Utah winner (it'll be Oregon) (2:00pm)

Semifinals (Friday, April 27):

Both semifinals are at 1:00pm

Final (Saturday, April 28):

The final is at 12:00pm

How to watch: it's unclear that there will be any live scoring since the matches will be played in Ojai rather than at a campus site that would have a preexisting setup for that, but the women's final will air on the Pac-12 Network, but only the Los Angeles feed for some unknown reason. (And just the final, too. Meanwhile, the men's semis and the final will air on the main Pac-12 Network as well as the Los Angeles feed.)  So, your best bet on following along might be team twitter updates (remember to follow the opponent, as the opponent's team account often provides more frequent score updates than our own).  The press release announcing the brackets promises that "scores and updates can be found at Pac-12.com/tennischamps," so maybe there will be live scoring after all.

[ColoradoTree]

Here's a quick rankings update: Stanford is up to 16th!  With a good run in the Pac-12 tournament, hosting duties seem nearly assured.  

Of some concern is that the teams ranked 15th-19th are very closely bunched together: 

15. Miami (42.07)
16. Stanford (41.44)
17. Florida State (41.00)
18. Kansas (40.70)
19. Illinois (40.66)

Meanwhile, Texas Tech is 14th and has a significant edge over Miami, so these are basically the four schools we'll be fighting for the final two hosting spots.  The ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 conference championships are all this week around the same time as the Pac-12 tournament, so spare a thought to wish them poor luck.  In the ACC tournament, Miami is the 4 seed and Florida State is the 5, so one of them is likely out of the mix.  Illinois is the 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, so them getting upset by 6th-seeded Nebraska would be useful, but a loss to #2 Michigan would do the trick, too. 

Pac-12 teams in the rankings

(Conference tournament seed in parentheses):

#13 UCLA (2)
#16 Stanford (1)
#30 Oregon (7)
#35 Arizona State (3)
#43 Washington (8)
#45 Cal (4)
#48 Washington State (5)
#49 USC (6)

As you can see, UCLA will get more credit for beating Oregon and ASU than we'll get for beating UW and the Cal/WSU winner. 

Stanford's individual rankings:  


Singles:

# 16 Michaela Gordon (season high of #10)
# 51 Emily Arbuthnott (season high of #22)
# 68 Melissa Lord (season high was #7 preseason)
# 94 Caroline Lampl (season high was #51 preseason)
# 95 Janice Shin (season high)
#109 Emma Higuchi (season high was #44 preseason)

Doubles:

# 2 Arbuthnott/Gordon (season high of #1)
# 78 Lampl/Yee (season high of #54)

---

As we get into the conference tournament, here are the singles rankings for Pac-12 players so you can assess how each matchup might go:

#14 Shibahara (UCLA) 
#15 Fung (UW) 
#16 Gordon
#26 Bayerlova (WSU) 
#30 Hart (UCLA) 
#38 Rosenqvist (Cal) 
#40 Smith (USC)  
#42 Bright (Cal)
#43 Tobita (Oregon) 
#47 Hauger (Cal)
#50 Wong (UW) 
#51 Arbuthnott  
#59 Altick (UCLA)  
#61 John-Baptiste (ASU) 
#68 Lord
#84 Popovic (Cal) 
#90 Valdes (USC) 
#94 Lampl
#95 Shin 
#109 Higuchi
#110 Anderson (ASU)
#117 Miller (UCLA)

[ColoradoTree]

Here's a quick rankings update: Stanford is up to 16th!  With a good run in the Pac-12 tournament, hosting duties seem nearly assured.  

Of some concern is that the teams ranked 15th-19th are very closely bunched together: 

15. Miami (42.07)
16. Stanford (41.44)
17. Florida State (41.00)
18. Kansas (40.70)
19. Illinois (40.66)

Meanwhile, Texas Tech is 14th and has a significant edge over Miami, so these are basically the four schools we'll be fighting for the final two hosting spots.  The ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 conference championships are all this week around the same time as the Pac-12 tournament, so spare a thought to wish them poor luck.  In the ACC tournament, Miami is the 4 seed and Florida State is the 5, so one of them is likely out of the mix.  Illinois is the 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, so them getting upset by 6th-seeded Nebraska would be useful, but a loss to #2 Michigan would do the trick, too. 

Pac-12 teams in the rankings

(Conference tournament seed in parentheses):

#13 UCLA (2)
#16 Stanford (1)
#30 Oregon (7)
#35 Arizona State (3)
#43 Washington (8)
#45 Cal (4)
#48 Washington State (5)
#49 USC (6)

As you can see, UCLA will get more credit for beating Oregon and ASU than we'll get for beating UW and the Cal/WSU winner. 

Stanford's individual rankings:  


Singles:

# 16 Michaela Gordon (season high of #10)
# 51 Emily Arbuthnott (season high of #22)
# 68 Melissa Lord (season high was #7 preseason)
# 94 Caroline Lampl (season high was #51 preseason)
# 95 Janice Shin (season high)
#109 Emma Higuchi (season high was #44 preseason)

Doubles:

# 2 Arbuthnott/Gordon (season high of #1)
# 78 Lampl/Yee (season high of #54)

---

As we get into the conference tournament, here are the singles rankings for Pac-12 players so you can assess how each matchup might go:

#14 Shibahara (UCLA) 
#15 Fung (UW) 
#16 Gordon
#26 Bayerlova (WSU) 
#30 Hart (UCLA) 
#38 Rosenqvist (Cal) 
#40 Smith (USC)  
#42 Bright (Cal)
#43 Tobita (Oregon) 
#47 Hauger (Cal)
#50 Wong (UW) 
#51 Arbuthnott  
#59 Altick (UCLA)  
#61 John-Baptiste (ASU) 
#68 Lord
#84 Popovic (Cal) 
#90 Valdes (USC) 
#94 Lampl
#95 Shin 
#109 Higuchi
#110 Anderson (ASU)
#117 Miller (UCLA)

[Papa John]

Looks like nice weather in Ojai this week. Highs in the 70s--could be much warmer--and only a bit breezy. Wish I could make it, since it's only a 45 minute drive away, but I'll be following online.

Many readers probably don't know that Ojai was seriously threatened in December, as it was, for all intents and purposes, surrounded by the largest wildfire in recorded California history (since 1932). Only the heroics of firefighters and a little bit of meteorological fortune spared the town.

[Papa John]

Looks like nice weather in Ojai this week. Highs in the 70s--could be much warmer--and only a bit breezy. Wish I could make it, since it's only a 45 minute drive away, but I'll be following online.

Many readers probably don't know that Ojai was seriously threatened in December, as it was, for all intents and purposes, surrounded by the largest wildfire in recorded California history (since 1932). Only the heroics of firefighters and a little bit of meteorological fortune spared the town.

[ColoradoTree]

Live scoring should be available here: http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships-2018/scores

Doesn't seem to be working at the moment, though.

---

Now that Washington has beaten Colorado (4-1), Stanford's quarterfinal opponent is locked in, so let's take another look at the Huskies.  The match is tomorrow at 2:00pm.  

Washington preview:
 
UW disappointed somewhat over the course of the year, though a strong finish got them close to where I figured they'd be. I thought they'd be around 5th in the conference, and late-season upsets over Cal and Wazzu meant they tied for 5th but ended up with the 8 seed, because while they beat two teams seeded higher than they are (#4 Cal and #5 Wazzu), they played poorly against two of the other tied teams (Oregon and USC).  
 
But make no mistake--this is a team capable of more than they've shown all year.  We just saw them a couple of weeks ago, so we found out firsthand how well UW is playing to finish the season (beating Cal and pushing us to the limit). 
 
What are they good at?  
 
Start at the top.  Stacey Fung is 15th in the country, and just in the last two weeks, she rolled over Cal's #1, Julia Rosenqvist, in straight sets, and beat Wazzu's Bayerlova in three sets (her match vs. Michaela Gordon was tied at 3-3 in the third set when it was abandoned).  Both she and Gordon look like they'll be All-Americans this year. Vanessa Wong is a dangerous #2, as she showed by outlasting Melissa Lord in three sets in Seattle, but she has been wildly inconsistent.  At #3, Miki Kobayashi cruised past Lampl, 6-1, 6-1, in something of a shock result for both players.  
 
They're not as strong in doubles (Stanford won 6-2 at #2, 6-4 at #3, and was up 5-2 at #1), so a Washington upset would almost certainly need 4 singles wins, with the top 3 courts among that number.
 
Matchups:
 
1. #16 Gordon vs. #15 Fung
2. #68 Lord vs. #50 Wong
3. #94 Lampl vs. Kobayashi
4. #51 Arbuthnott vs. Prokopuik
5. #95 Shin vs. Hance
6. #109 Higuchi vs. Kopcalic
 
At #1, you can pick the past results you want to focus on to predict this one.  Of the 5 ranked conference opponents they've both played, both beat Cal's Rosenqvist and basically both beat ASU's John-Baptiste (Gordon won 6-3, 6-0; Fung's match was abandoned with her leading 6-1, 5-1).  Of the other three, Gordon beat USC's Smith handily while Fung lost in three, but Gordon lost in three sets to both Oregon's Tobita and WSU's Bayerlova, while Fung beat both players in three sets. Predict this one at your peril (and let's hope Stanford doesn't need this point to win the match). 
 
Team comparisons: 

* UCLA: Stanford won 4-3; UW lost 4-0 (but without Fung)
* USC: Stanford won 4-0; UW lost 4-3
* ASU: Stanford won 4-0; UW lost 4-0 
* Oregon: Stanford won 6-1; UW lost 5-2
* WSU: Stanford won 4-2; UW won 5-2
* Cal: Stanford won 4-0; UW won 5-2
 
How to follow:  Live scoring should be available at this website (http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships-2018/scores)
 
Prediction: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0, behind the doubles point and singles wins on the back three courts.  Lampl gives a much better accounting of herself in the rematch, and is leading narrowly when the match is clinched, with Lord leading a close one and Gordon locked in a battle when their matches are abandoned. 

[ColoradoTree]

Live scoring should be available here: http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships-2018/scores

Doesn't seem to be working at the moment, though.

---

Now that Washington has beaten Colorado (4-1), Stanford's quarterfinal opponent is locked in, so let's take another look at the Huskies.  The match is tomorrow at 2:00pm.  

Washington preview:
 
UW disappointed somewhat over the course of the year, though a strong finish got them close to where I figured they'd be. I thought they'd be around 5th in the conference, and late-season upsets over Cal and Wazzu meant they tied for 5th but ended up with the 8 seed, because while they beat two teams seeded higher than they are (#4 Cal and #5 Wazzu), they played poorly against two of the other tied teams (Oregon and USC).  
 
But make no mistake--this is a team capable of more than they've shown all year.  We just saw them a couple of weeks ago, so we found out firsthand how well UW is playing to finish the season (beating Cal and pushing us to the limit). 
 
What are they good at?  
 
Start at the top.  Stacey Fung is 15th in the country, and just in the last two weeks, she rolled over Cal's #1, Julia Rosenqvist, in straight sets, and beat Wazzu's Bayerlova in three sets (her match vs. Michaela Gordon was tied at 3-3 in the third set when it was abandoned).  Both she and Gordon look like they'll be All-Americans this year. Vanessa Wong is a dangerous #2, as she showed by outlasting Melissa Lord in three sets in Seattle, but she has been wildly inconsistent.  At #3, Miki Kobayashi cruised past Lampl, 6-1, 6-1, in something of a shock result for both players.  
 
They're not as strong in doubles (Stanford won 6-2 at #2, 6-4 at #3, and was up 5-2 at #1), so a Washington upset would almost certainly need 4 singles wins, with the top 3 courts among that number.
 
Matchups:
 
1. #16 Gordon vs. #15 Fung
2. #68 Lord vs. #50 Wong
3. #94 Lampl vs. Kobayashi
4. #51 Arbuthnott vs. Prokopuik
5. #95 Shin vs. Hance
6. #109 Higuchi vs. Kopcalic
 
At #1, you can pick the past results you want to focus on to predict this one.  Of the 5 ranked conference opponents they've both played, both beat Cal's Rosenqvist and basically both beat ASU's John-Baptiste (Gordon won 6-3, 6-0; Fung's match was abandoned with her leading 6-1, 5-1).  Of the other three, Gordon beat USC's Smith handily while Fung lost in three, but Gordon lost in three sets to both Oregon's Tobita and WSU's Bayerlova, while Fung beat both players in three sets. Predict this one at your peril (and let's hope Stanford doesn't need this point to win the match). 
 
Team comparisons: 

* UCLA: Stanford won 4-3; UW lost 4-0 (but without Fung)
* USC: Stanford won 4-0; UW lost 4-3
* ASU: Stanford won 4-0; UW lost 4-0 
* Oregon: Stanford won 6-1; UW lost 5-2
* WSU: Stanford won 4-2; UW won 5-2
* Cal: Stanford won 4-0; UW won 5-2
 
How to follow:  Live scoring should be available at this website (http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships-2018/scores)
 
Prediction: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0, behind the doubles point and singles wins on the back three courts.  Lampl gives a much better accounting of herself in the rematch, and is leading narrowly when the match is clinched, with Lord leading a close one and Gordon locked in a battle when their matches are abandoned. 

[ColoradoTree]

A quick note on Washington: their lineup against Colorado was slightly different than it was against us: #5 singles player Kenadi Hance was out of the lineup, so #6 Katarina Kopcalic was bumped up to #5, and walk-on senior Angela Li (who joined the team this year after being on the track team beforehand) entered the lineup at #6.  This also affected the doubles lineups, moving previous #3 pair Fung/Kopcalic to #2, with Li pairing with Prokopuik at the #3 spot.  

In short, this means:

(1) Winning the doubles point should be considerably easier today
(2) Shin will have a different matchup at #5.  She didn't have much trouble with Hance a few weeks ago in Seattle, but Kopcalic really tested Higuchi at Court 6, so while Hance is theoretically "better" than Kopcalic, it's not clear whether the matchup might prove a bit tougher for Shin, too.  
(3) Higuchi should steamroll Li.

It doesn't change my prediction much--we should win the doubles point more easily, and I still expect straightforward singles wins at #4 and #6--but I wouldn't be surprised if Shin struggles a bit, meaning the 4th point might come from Lampl or Lord.  But their lineup is weakened, so that makes a Stanford win somewhat more likely.  

In other action yesterday, USC took care of Arizona 4-1 (I'm honestly shocked USC lost a match to a team this bad), and Oregon blanked Utah 4-0.  So, here are the quarterfinal matchups:

(1) Stanford vs. (8) Washington (2:00pm)
(4) Cal vs. (5) Washington State (10:30am)
(3) Arizona State vs. (6) USC (10:30am)
(2) UCLA vs. (7) Oregon (2:00pm)

[ColoradoTree]

A quick note on Washington: their lineup against Colorado was slightly different than it was against us: #5 singles player Kenadi Hance was out of the lineup, so #6 Katarina Kopcalic was bumped up to #5, and walk-on senior Angela Li (who joined the team this year after being on the track team beforehand) entered the lineup at #6.  This also affected the doubles lineups, moving previous #3 pair Fung/Kopcalic to #2, with Li pairing with Prokopuik at the #3 spot.  

In short, this means:

(1) Winning the doubles point should be considerably easier today
(2) Shin will have a different matchup at #5.  She didn't have much trouble with Hance a few weeks ago in Seattle, but Kopcalic really tested Higuchi at Court 6, so while Hance is theoretically "better" than Kopcalic, it's not clear whether the matchup might prove a bit tougher for Shin, too.  
(3) Higuchi should steamroll Li.

It doesn't change my prediction much--we should win the doubles point more easily, and I still expect straightforward singles wins at #4 and #6--but I wouldn't be surprised if Shin struggles a bit, meaning the 4th point might come from Lampl or Lord.  But their lineup is weakened, so that makes a Stanford win somewhat more likely.  

In other action yesterday, USC took care of Arizona 4-1 (I'm honestly shocked USC lost a match to a team this bad), and Oregon blanked Utah 4-0.  So, here are the quarterfinal matchups:

(1) Stanford vs. (8) Washington (2:00pm)
(4) Cal vs. (5) Washington State (10:30am)
(3) Arizona State vs. (6) USC (10:30am)
(2) UCLA vs. (7) Oregon (2:00pm)

[ColoradoTree]

Should Stanford get past Washington this afternoon, they'll play the winner of the Cal-WSU match going on now. But the stakes of this match are even greater. Given the number of automatic qualifying conferences that send teams to the NCAA tournament, you need to be ranked in the top 40 or so to get an at-large bid. Right now, Cal is #45, and Wazzu is #48. Just winning today might not be enough of a rankings boost to guarantee selection, but a loss for either team would be fatal to their NCAA hopes. (I mean, we're used to Cal being a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament; the idea that they might not even make the *cut* this year is mind-boggling.) Washington, at #43, is also very much on the bubble, so if Stanford lives up to its seed in this tournament, it will likely crush two fellow conference members' NCAA hopes (though Cal has a shot if it beats WSU and loses to Stanford, depending on how other matches go).

In the Cal-WSU match a couple of weeks ago, WSU won the doubles point, but got rolled at the top 4 spots in singles to lose the match, before winning at 5 and 6 to get it to 4-3. This morning, WSU again won the doubles point, though it was much closer than it was in Pullman. In that match, Rosenqvist crushed WSU's Bayerlova, but I can't see Bayerlova taking another loss like that. I think Cal's 2 through 4 are too tough for their WSU counterparts, but Cal isn't as deep as in recent years, so if WSU again wins at 5 and 6, that marquee matchup at Court 1 will decide the match.

I don't have much of a rooting interest, as we should be moderate favorites over either team, their rankings are close enough that they'd affect Stanford's ranking equally, and I don't think we necessarily match up better against one team over the other, though there are individual matchups that would be more or less favorable for Stanford depending on the matchup. It *probably* evens out, though Cal has better *talent* and is thus more dangerous if they play up to that level. (That said, if Lord is going to qualify for the NCAA singles tournament, she needs wins over ranked players. Cal provides that, while Wazzu doesn't.)

---

Well, the match at Court 1 is indeed much closer than last time around, with Bayerlova falling in a first-set tiebreaker. The problem for Wazzu, however, is that they've fallen apart everywhere else, losing every other first set. Oof. Of course, maybe that just means a bunch of grueling three-setters, which I will happily take. But I'm not sure Wazzu has it in them.

---

Maybe grueling three-setters is exactly how this thing will go! Cal has taken a 2-1 lead behind straight-set wins at Courts 2 and 3, and Bayerlova looks spent, trailing badly in the second, but Wazzu has forced a third set at Courts 5 and 6, and is up 3-2 on serve in the second set on Court 4, so the Cougs' hopes aren't dead yet.

---

Of course, I say that, and then Bayerlova goes from 5-1 down in the second to win 6 straight games to win the set 7-5 (breaking Rosenqvist at love to take the set, too). Cal looked like they were in total control of this one, and they got tight. Cal is up 3-1, as their #5 turned it on in the 3rd to win that match and make the match score 3-1, and while they're still likely to pull it out, it's not as certain. On Court 1, Bayerlova is up 1-0 in the third; on Court 4, Cal is up 6-5 in the second and will serve for that match and the overall match; on Court 6, WSU is up 5-4 in the third set. Three left on court, and Wazzu needs all three.

---

WSU held on at Court 6 to make it 3-2 Cal. On Court 4, WSU forced a tiebreaker on Court 4 and won a long one to force a third set. There was a glimmer of hope for Cal on Court 1 as Rosenqvist breaks Bayerlova to go up 3-2, but Bayerlova broke her right back to level again at 3-3. But seriously, folks. At one point, Cal was up 3-1 in the match, and a fourth point looked likely to come from Court 1 (once up 7-6, 5-1) or Court 4 (once up 6-3, 5-3). Now there are two matches left on court, and both are coin flips. No excuses if they end up on the wrong side of a 4-3 score.

Stanford's match should have started by now, but it'll have to wait for this one to finish. Fine by me. They can play as long as they like.

---

Goodness, what a match this has turned out to be. Bayerlova got a timely break to go up 5-3 and serve for the match, but Rosenqvist broke right back to get on serve. On her next service game, she had a game point to tie it back up at 5-5, but Bayerlova forced and then won a deciding point to win the match. It's now 3-3, and it all comes down to Court 4, where they're knotted up at 2-2.

---

Well, whoever wins this thing, they will have earned it, as it'll be a third-set tiebreaker at Court 4 to decide who goes to the semis.

[ColoradoTree]

Should Stanford get past Washington this afternoon, they'll play the winner of the Cal-WSU match going on now. But the stakes of this match are even greater. Given the number of automatic qualifying conferences that send teams to the NCAA tournament, you need to be ranked in the top 40 or so to get an at-large bid. Right now, Cal is #45, and Wazzu is #48. Just winning today might not be enough of a rankings boost to guarantee selection, but a loss for either team would be fatal to their NCAA hopes. (I mean, we're used to Cal being a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament; the idea that they might not even make the *cut* this year is mind-boggling.) Washington, at #43, is also very much on the bubble, so if Stanford lives up to its seed in this tournament, it will likely crush two fellow conference members' NCAA hopes (though Cal has a shot if it beats WSU and loses to Stanford, depending on how other matches go).

In the Cal-WSU match a couple of weeks ago, WSU won the doubles point, but got rolled at the top 4 spots in singles to lose the match, before winning at 5 and 6 to get it to 4-3. This morning, WSU again won the doubles point, though it was much closer than it was in Pullman. In that match, Rosenqvist crushed WSU's Bayerlova, but I can't see Bayerlova taking another loss like that. I think Cal's 2 through 4 are too tough for their WSU counterparts, but Cal isn't as deep as in recent years, so if WSU again wins at 5 and 6, that marquee matchup at Court 1 will decide the match.

I don't have much of a rooting interest, as we should be moderate favorites over either team, their rankings are close enough that they'd affect Stanford's ranking equally, and I don't think we necessarily match up better against one team over the other, though there are individual matchups that would be more or less favorable for Stanford depending on the matchup. It *probably* evens out, though Cal has better *talent* and is thus more dangerous if they play up to that level. (That said, if Lord is going to qualify for the NCAA singles tournament, she needs wins over ranked players. Cal provides that, while Wazzu doesn't.)

---

Well, the match at Court 1 is indeed much closer than last time around, with Bayerlova falling in a first-set tiebreaker. The problem for Wazzu, however, is that they've fallen apart everywhere else, losing every other first set. Oof. Of course, maybe that just means a bunch of grueling three-setters, which I will happily take. But I'm not sure Wazzu has it in them.

---

Maybe grueling three-setters is exactly how this thing will go! Cal has taken a 2-1 lead behind straight-set wins at Courts 2 and 3, and Bayerlova looks spent, trailing badly in the second, but Wazzu has forced a third set at Courts 5 and 6, and is up 3-2 on serve in the second set on Court 4, so the Cougs' hopes aren't dead yet.

---

Of course, I say that, and then Bayerlova goes from 5-1 down in the second to win 6 straight games to win the set 7-5 (breaking Rosenqvist at love to take the set, too). Cal looked like they were in total control of this one, and they got tight. Cal is up 3-1, as their #5 turned it on in the 3rd to win that match and make the match score 3-1, and while they're still likely to pull it out, it's not as certain. On Court 1, Bayerlova is up 1-0 in the third; on Court 4, Cal is up 6-5 in the second and will serve for that match and the overall match; on Court 6, WSU is up 5-4 in the third set. Three left on court, and Wazzu needs all three.

---

WSU held on at Court 6 to make it 3-2 Cal. On Court 4, WSU forced a tiebreaker on Court 4 and won a long one to force a third set. There was a glimmer of hope for Cal on Court 1 as Rosenqvist breaks Bayerlova to go up 3-2, but Bayerlova broke her right back to level again at 3-3. But seriously, folks. At one point, Cal was up 3-1 in the match, and a fourth point looked likely to come from Court 1 (once up 7-6, 5-1) or Court 4 (once up 6-3, 5-3). Now there are two matches left on court, and both are coin flips. No excuses if they end up on the wrong side of a 4-3 score.

Stanford's match should have started by now, but it'll have to wait for this one to finish. Fine by me. They can play as long as they like.

---

Goodness, what a match this has turned out to be. Bayerlova got a timely break to go up 5-3 and serve for the match, but Rosenqvist broke right back to get on serve. On her next service game, she had a game point to tie it back up at 5-5, but Bayerlova forced and then won a deciding point to win the match. It's now 3-3, and it all comes down to Court 4, where they're knotted up at 2-2.

---

Well, whoever wins this thing, they will have earned it, as it'll be a third-set tiebreaker at Court 4 to decide who goes to the semis.

[oldalum]

now it's all down to the third-set tiebreaker on court 4. Has delayed our match quite a bit; I don't understand why they don't just start it on open courts. At least 4 of our opponents tomorrow will be tired.

[oldalum]

now it's all down to the third-set tiebreaker on court 4. Has delayed our match quite a bit; I don't understand why they don't just start it on open courts. At least 4 of our opponents tomorrow will be tired.

[Spiny_Norman]

WSU-C.al match going to a 3rd set tiebreaker at #4. You can follow live scoring (but not live action) here - http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships

[Spiny_Norman]

WSU-C.al match going to a 3rd set tiebreaker at #4. You can follow live scoring (but not live action) here - http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships

[ColoradoTree]

And Cal goes down! If Stanford advances, Emily Arbuthnott has to be pleased with how exhausted her counterpart will be tomorrow.

Cal will now almost certainly miss out on the NCAA tournament.

[ColoradoTree]

And Cal goes down! If Stanford advances, Emily Arbuthnott has to be pleased with how exhausted her counterpart will be tomorrow.

Cal will now almost certainly miss out on the NCAA tournament.

[BostonCard]

I know this is a thread about the women's tennis team, but it is worth noting that the men also played (and beat) Washington today. On to the semifinals.

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/989666805768736769

BC

[BostonCard]

I know this is a thread about the women's tennis team, but it is worth noting that the men also played (and beat) Washington today. On to the semifinals.

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/989666805768736769

BC

[BostonCard]

Prediction: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0, behind the doubles point and singles wins on the back three courts.  Lampl gives a much better accounting of herself in the rematch, and is leading narrowly when the match is clinched, with Lord leading a close one and Gordon locked in a battle when their matches are abandoned. 

Give this man a prize for his fearless prediction!

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/989687480160047104

We win the doubles point (6-1 in #2, 6-1 in #3; #1 abandoned with Stanford down 4-3)
Higuchi first off the court 6-2, 6-1
Lord was next, 6-1, 6-1
Lampl clinched at 6-4, 6-3

Gordon had lost the first set 7-5, but was up 2-1 in the second
Arbuthnott had split the first two sets 1-6, 6-2 and up 1-0 in the third
Shin was a game away from winning her match, having won the first set 6-2 and up 5-4 in the second when it was called


BC

[BostonCard]

Prediction: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0, behind the doubles point and singles wins on the back three courts.  Lampl gives a much better accounting of herself in the rematch, and is leading narrowly when the match is clinched, with Lord leading a close one and Gordon locked in a battle when their matches are abandoned. 

Give this man a prize for his fearless prediction!

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/989687480160047104

We win the doubles point (6-1 in #2, 6-1 in #3; #1 abandoned with Stanford down 4-3)
Higuchi first off the court 6-2, 6-1
Lord was next, 6-1, 6-1
Lampl clinched at 6-4, 6-3

Gordon had lost the first set 7-5, but was up 2-1 in the second
Arbuthnott had split the first two sets 1-6, 6-2 and up 1-0 in the third
Shin was a game away from winning her match, having won the first set 6-2 and up 5-4 in the second when it was called


BC

[2006alum]

The WSU's women's tennis roster looks more like a delegation of the Central Powers sent to negotiate the end of WWI at the Paris Peace Conference than an American sports team: two from Turkey, two from Germany, and one each from Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Uzbekistan. Not a native English speaker in sight!

[2006alum]

The WSU's women's tennis roster looks more like a delegation of the Central Powers sent to negotiate the end of WWI at the Paris Peace Conference than an American sports team: two from Turkey, two from Germany, and one each from Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Uzbekistan. Not a native English speaker in sight!

[ColoradoTree]

Prediction: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0, behind the doubles point and singles wins on the back three courts.  Lampl gives a much better accounting of herself in the rematch, and is leading narrowly when the match is clinched, with Lord leading a close one and Gordon locked in a battle when their matches are abandoned. 

Give this man a prize for his fearless prediction!

I wasn't quite there on how each match would go, but I felt strongly we'd come out swinging playing outside in California (as opposed to indoors in Seattle), and I had a good feeling that Lord and Lampl would be much-improved and have an edge in their matches. Given how well Wong has been playing, however, I didn't think Lord would turn a close three-setter into 6-1, 6-1!  Man, if Lord is right?  Look out, folks.  

And I'm really pumped about Lampl, turning 1-6, 1-6 into 6-4, 6-3.  She plays with so much passion, and when everything else in her game is clicking, that passion is a heck of a wild card.

Arbuthnott struggling is hopefully just a one-off and she'll get right back to it.  I was hoping she'd have an easy match to take full advantage of how exhausted the WSU #4 (Mylonas) will be today after that third-set tiebreaker--if indeed it's Mylonas that plays #4 today. When they played a couple weeks ago, Arbuthnott played (and lost to) Michalkova, while Lampl rolled over Mylonas 6-4, 6-1 at #3. Yesterday, it was Michalkova at #3, where she got crushed by Cal's Olivia Hauger. Here's hoping it's a depleted Mylonas at #4, and Arbuthnott can take advantage.

The WSU's women's tennis roster looks more like a delegation of the Central Powers sent to negotiate the end of WWI at the Paris Peace Conference than an American sports team: two from Turkey, two from Germany, and one each from Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Uzbekistan. Not a native English speaker in sight!

This is really common these days if you want to have a competitive team, as there just isn't enough U.S.-born, college-bound talent to fill out all the Division I rosters.  While you see the occasional international player on Stanford's roster (Arbuthnott is from the UK, Zhao was from Canada), it's relatively rare.  But other teams lower on the food chain for prospects can either take a lesser American player or bring in a better foreign player. You see it a lot on Big 12 rosters, which is why schools like Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State have strong programs now but lack a strong history. Similarly, some of the lesser SEC programs have done it to keep up with Florida and Georgia, and some of the lesser Pac-12 programs have done it to try and keep pace with Stanford, UCLA, and Cal. (Cal usually has a few international players, but mostly domestic.)  

Frankly, USC would be wise to consider it--their stature as a destination program for U.S. players seems to have dropped off a bit, so they're signing 4-star and 5-star domestic players and fewer blue chips, and their competitiveness is suffering accordingly. (Though this year's roster still has 5 blue chips, so that's not the whole story.) It should be hard to beat USC; that it hasn't been hard the last couple of years is disappointing, and the kind of thing that hurts our ranking.  We've been able to get by with a relatively light schedule in the past because it was a given that Cal, UCLA, and USC would be highly ranked, so those would be three marquee matches. While beating UCLA this year is our signature win, beating Cal and USC just didn't move the needle like it would have in past years.

---

That was a big win for Wazzu.  Really impressive for the program, especially since they lost every single first set and still found a way to get three singles wins.  Let's take a look at our semifinal opponent.   

Washington State preview:

This is a breakout year for the Cougars, powered by freshman Michaela Bayerlova.  She's been a force at the top of their lineup, and her ranking has finally caught up with her quality, due to finishing the year by playing (and beating) a number of strong players to counteract WSU's profoundly weak non-conference schedule. (It is bad.)  Wazzu has long been a Pac-12 also-ran, so to see them beat USC in Los Angeles, to beat Oregon in Eugene, and now to beat Cal in the Pac-12 tournament?  Very impressive.  

We just saw them two weeks ago, so they should be relatively fresh in our minds.  There, we won the doubles point handily (a close match at 1, but strong wins at 2 and 3), before we ran into some trouble in singles. Lampl took care of business over Mylonas, 6-4, 6-1 to make it 2-0, but Arbuthnott was dispatched with relative ease at Court 4 to make it 2-1 Stanford. Lord toughed out a close win, 7-5, 6-4, to make it 3-1, but Bayerlova beat Gordon at #1 (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) to make it 3-2.  Shin, who started later due to there being just 4 indoor courts in Pullman, rolled in her match, 6-2, 6-0 to clinch. Higuchi came out uncharacteristically flat (perhaps unsurprising, though, since she didn't play doubles and had to wait for other singles matches to finish, which she wasn't used to while her opponent was), but she turned it around and looked like she was in control, 1-6, 6-1, 2-1. Had this match been played outside, it likely would've ended 4-1, with Shin off court first, Lampl soon after, Arbuthnott's loss, and then Lord clinching with Gordon and Higuchi still on court.

What are they good at?  

Like UW, start at the top.  While there is better talent throughout the lineup than expected, having Bayerlova as the anchor allows everyone else to play at a more appropriate level for them.  Bayerlova beat Cal's Rosenqvist yesterday in a very tough match, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, avenging her loss from two weeks ago. She also beat USC's Gabby Smith, not to mention Gordon two weeks ago.  

Matchups:

1. #16 Gordon vs. #26 Bayerlova
2. #68 Lord vs. Yusupova 
3. #94 Lampl vs. Michalkova
4. #51 Arbuthnott vs. Mylonas
5. #95 Shin vs. Miksovska
6. #109 Higuchi vs. Ates

Team comparisons: 

* UCLA: Stanford won 4-3; WSU lost 4-0
* USC: Stanford won 4-0; WSU won 4-1
* ASU: Stanford won 4-0; WSU lost 4-2 
* Oregon: Stanford won 6-1; WSU won 4-3
* UW: Stanford won 4-2 and 4-0; WSU lost 5-2
* Cal: Stanford won 4-0; WSU lost 4-3 and won 4-3

How to follow:  http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships-2018/scores

Prediction: Let's keep it rolling: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0. After the doubles point, Lord comes out firing, and so does Lampl, Shin has a slightly tougher time of it than last time (heck, she only lost two games last time around), and Higuchi doesn't come out flat. Gordon wins the first set, but it's a relatively slow-moving match, and she's only in the middle of the second when the match is abandoned. Arbuthnott looks better, but that one's also a slow-mover.  I think Shin and Higuchi both notch wins over tired opponents, while Lord and Lampl race to provide the clincher. 

---

I tried to make that a new post in the thread, but apparently you can't reply as a new post when you made the last one? Reasonable, but these two are really separate thoughts (one wrapping up yesterday and one previewing today). Oh, well.

[ColoradoTree]

Prediction: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0, behind the doubles point and singles wins on the back three courts.  Lampl gives a much better accounting of herself in the rematch, and is leading narrowly when the match is clinched, with Lord leading a close one and Gordon locked in a battle when their matches are abandoned. 

Give this man a prize for his fearless prediction!

I wasn't quite there on how each match would go, but I felt strongly we'd come out swinging playing outside in California (as opposed to indoors in Seattle), and I had a good feeling that Lord and Lampl would be much-improved and have an edge in their matches. Given how well Wong has been playing, however, I didn't think Lord would turn a close three-setter into 6-1, 6-1!  Man, if Lord is right?  Look out, folks.  

And I'm really pumped about Lampl, turning 1-6, 1-6 into 6-4, 6-3.  She plays with so much passion, and when everything else in her game is clicking, that passion is a heck of a wild card.

Arbuthnott struggling is hopefully just a one-off and she'll get right back to it.  I was hoping she'd have an easy match to take full advantage of how exhausted the WSU #4 (Mylonas) will be today after that third-set tiebreaker--if indeed it's Mylonas that plays #4 today. When they played a couple weeks ago, Arbuthnott played (and lost to) Michalkova, while Lampl rolled over Mylonas 6-4, 6-1 at #3. Yesterday, it was Michalkova at #3, where she got crushed by Cal's Olivia Hauger. Here's hoping it's a depleted Mylonas at #4, and Arbuthnott can take advantage.

The WSU's women's tennis roster looks more like a delegation of the Central Powers sent to negotiate the end of WWI at the Paris Peace Conference than an American sports team: two from Turkey, two from Germany, and one each from Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Uzbekistan. Not a native English speaker in sight!

This is really common these days if you want to have a competitive team, as there just isn't enough U.S.-born, college-bound talent to fill out all the Division I rosters.  While you see the occasional international player on Stanford's roster (Arbuthnott is from the UK, Zhao was from Canada), it's relatively rare.  But other teams lower on the food chain for prospects can either take a lesser American player or bring in a better foreign player. You see it a lot on Big 12 rosters, which is why schools like Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State have strong programs now but lack a strong history. Similarly, some of the lesser SEC programs have done it to keep up with Florida and Georgia, and some of the lesser Pac-12 programs have done it to try and keep pace with Stanford, UCLA, and Cal. (Cal usually has a few international players, but mostly domestic.)  

Frankly, USC would be wise to consider it--their stature as a destination program for U.S. players seems to have dropped off a bit, so they're signing 4-star and 5-star domestic players and fewer blue chips, and their competitiveness is suffering accordingly. (Though this year's roster still has 5 blue chips, so that's not the whole story.) It should be hard to beat USC; that it hasn't been hard the last couple of years is disappointing, and the kind of thing that hurts our ranking.  We've been able to get by with a relatively light schedule in the past because it was a given that Cal, UCLA, and USC would be highly ranked, so those would be three marquee matches. While beating UCLA this year is our signature win, beating Cal and USC just didn't move the needle like it would have in past years.

---

That was a big win for Wazzu.  Really impressive for the program, especially since they lost every single first set and still found a way to get three singles wins.  Let's take a look at our semifinal opponent.   

Washington State preview:

This is a breakout year for the Cougars, powered by freshman Michaela Bayerlova.  She's been a force at the top of their lineup, and her ranking has finally caught up with her quality, due to finishing the year by playing (and beating) a number of strong players to counteract WSU's profoundly weak non-conference schedule. (It is bad.)  Wazzu has long been a Pac-12 also-ran, so to see them beat USC in Los Angeles, to beat Oregon in Eugene, and now to beat Cal in the Pac-12 tournament?  Very impressive.  

We just saw them two weeks ago, so they should be relatively fresh in our minds.  There, we won the doubles point handily (a close match at 1, but strong wins at 2 and 3), before we ran into some trouble in singles. Lampl took care of business over Mylonas, 6-4, 6-1 to make it 2-0, but Arbuthnott was dispatched with relative ease at Court 4 to make it 2-1 Stanford. Lord toughed out a close win, 7-5, 6-4, to make it 3-1, but Bayerlova beat Gordon at #1 (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) to make it 3-2.  Shin, who started later due to there being just 4 indoor courts in Pullman, rolled in her match, 6-2, 6-0 to clinch. Higuchi came out uncharacteristically flat (perhaps unsurprising, though, since she didn't play doubles and had to wait for other singles matches to finish, which she wasn't used to while her opponent was), but she turned it around and looked like she was in control, 1-6, 6-1, 2-1. Had this match been played outside, it likely would've ended 4-1, with Shin off court first, Lampl soon after, Arbuthnott's loss, and then Lord clinching with Gordon and Higuchi still on court.

What are they good at?  

Like UW, start at the top.  While there is better talent throughout the lineup than expected, having Bayerlova as the anchor allows everyone else to play at a more appropriate level for them.  Bayerlova beat Cal's Rosenqvist yesterday in a very tough match, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, avenging her loss from two weeks ago. She also beat USC's Gabby Smith, not to mention Gordon two weeks ago.  

Matchups:

1. #16 Gordon vs. #26 Bayerlova
2. #68 Lord vs. Yusupova 
3. #94 Lampl vs. Michalkova
4. #51 Arbuthnott vs. Mylonas
5. #95 Shin vs. Miksovska
6. #109 Higuchi vs. Ates

Team comparisons: 

* UCLA: Stanford won 4-3; WSU lost 4-0
* USC: Stanford won 4-0; WSU won 4-1
* ASU: Stanford won 4-0; WSU lost 4-2 
* Oregon: Stanford won 6-1; WSU won 4-3
* UW: Stanford won 4-2 and 4-0; WSU lost 5-2
* Cal: Stanford won 4-0; WSU lost 4-3 and won 4-3

How to follow:  http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships-2018/scores

Prediction: Let's keep it rolling: Stanford wins the rematch 4-0. After the doubles point, Lord comes out firing, and so does Lampl, Shin has a slightly tougher time of it than last time (heck, she only lost two games last time around), and Higuchi doesn't come out flat. Gordon wins the first set, but it's a relatively slow-moving match, and she's only in the middle of the second when the match is abandoned. Arbuthnott looks better, but that one's also a slow-mover.  I think Shin and Higuchi both notch wins over tired opponents, while Lord and Lampl race to provide the clincher. 

---

I tried to make that a new post in the thread, but apparently you can't reply as a new post when you made the last one? Reasonable, but these two are really separate thoughts (one wrapping up yesterday and one previewing today). Oh, well.

[ColoradoTree]

FYI, the other conference tournaments are pretty well so far.  Remember, we wanted Miami and Florida State to play poorly in the ACC tournament (and UVA, too, since they had an outside shot at passing us), Kansas to get upset in the Big 12 (and Texas Tech, too, since it's possible we could pass them), and Illinois to do badly in the Big Ten tournament.  

Well, 5th-seeded Florida State lost to 13th seed Virginia Tech, though Virginia Tech lost to Miami this morning.  As long as Miami loses in the semis to Duke tomorrow, however, their ranking shouldn't get much of a bump, since beating Va Tech doesn't give you nearly the points beating Florida State would have. 

In the Big 12, Baylor did us a solid and upset Kansas, removing them as a threat. Texas Tech doesn't play until later, but a loss to Kansas State wouldn't be shocking, so hopefully the Wildcats can pull it off.  

Stanford still has to take care of business, of course, but other results are falling into line.

---

After doubles, Stanford leads 1-0, behind a 6-1 victory by Arbuthnott/Gordon at #1, and a 6-3 win from Lord/Shin at #3.  (Lampl/Yee was on serve, down 4-5, when the match was abandoned.)

In the other semi, something of a shock as UCLA (who is terrific at doubles) drops the doubles point to ASU. Could an upset be brewing there? FYI, when UCLA hosted ASU two weeks ago, UCLA cruised to the doubles point and got three singles wins to win 4-0, but the three remaining singles matches (at Courts 1, 3, and 6) were all very close in the 3rd set. UCLA losing is still highly unlikely, but I was shocked to see Oregon's 2, 3, and 4 players notch singles wins yesterday, too, so one never knows.

[ColoradoTree]

FYI, the other conference tournaments are pretty well so far.  Remember, we wanted Miami and Florida State to play poorly in the ACC tournament (and UVA, too, since they had an outside shot at passing us), Kansas to get upset in the Big 12 (and Texas Tech, too, since it's possible we could pass them), and Illinois to do badly in the Big Ten tournament.  

Well, 5th-seeded Florida State lost to 13th seed Virginia Tech, though Virginia Tech lost to Miami this morning.  As long as Miami loses in the semis to Duke tomorrow, however, their ranking shouldn't get much of a bump, since beating Va Tech doesn't give you nearly the points beating Florida State would have. 

In the Big 12, Baylor did us a solid and upset Kansas, removing them as a threat. Texas Tech doesn't play until later, but a loss to Kansas State wouldn't be shocking, so hopefully the Wildcats can pull it off.  

Stanford still has to take care of business, of course, but other results are falling into line.

---

After doubles, Stanford leads 1-0, behind a 6-1 victory by Arbuthnott/Gordon at #1, and a 6-3 win from Lord/Shin at #3.  (Lampl/Yee was on serve, down 4-5, when the match was abandoned.)

In the other semi, something of a shock as UCLA (who is terrific at doubles) drops the doubles point to ASU. Could an upset be brewing there? FYI, when UCLA hosted ASU two weeks ago, UCLA cruised to the doubles point and got three singles wins to win 4-0, but the three remaining singles matches (at Courts 1, 3, and 6) were all very close in the 3rd set. UCLA losing is still highly unlikely, but I was shocked to see Oregon's 2, 3, and 4 players notch singles wins yesterday, too, so one never knows.

[Spiny_Norman]

Stanford wins the doubles point vs. WSU. 6-1 at #1, 6-3 at #3. #2 was on serve at 4-5 when the doubles point was clinched.

Perhaps surprisingly, ASU took the doubles point from UCLA in the other semi.

Singles starting now. You can follow the scores here.

http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships

Btw, Stanford men vs. U.SC semifinal match will start around 3 or as soon as courts are available.

[Spiny_Norman]

Stanford wins the doubles point vs. WSU. 6-1 at #1, 6-3 at #3. #2 was on serve at 4-5 when the doubles point was clinched.

Perhaps surprisingly, ASU took the doubles point from UCLA in the other semi.

Singles starting now. You can follow the scores here.

http://pac-12.com/tennis/championships

Btw, Stanford men vs. U.SC semifinal match will start around 3 or as soon as courts are available.

[ColoradoTree]

My Higuchi prediction looks pretty good so far, as she's already booked her first set. She certainly didn't come out flat today!

1. Gordon leads 4-3 (up a break) 
2. Lord leads 5-2 
3. Lampl tied 4-4 
4. Arbuthnott leads 4-3 
5. Shin leads 4-1
6. Higuchi leads 6-0, 1-1

Meanwhile, UCLA isn't letting losing the doubles point get to them in the other semi, charging back to win 4 first sets by lopsided margins, with the other two tied.

---

2-0 Stanford, as Higuchi assumes her traditional position as the first player off court.  Shin was the last to finish her first set, and she did it just a minute or so before Higuchi finished her match. 

We got every first set, but Wazzu isn't done yet, taking early second-set leads on Courts 2 and 3. 

1. Gordon leads 6-3, 3-3
2. Lord leads 6-3, 2-4 
3. Lampl leads 7-5, 1-3  
4. Arbuthnott leads 6-3, 4-0 
5. Shin leads 6-2, 1-1
6. Higuchi won 6-0, 6-2 (both school's Twitter feeds say the first set was 6-1, but live scoring says 6-0)

Over in the other semi, UCLA has taken a 2-1 lead following dominant wins from Altick on Court 4 (6-0, 6-1, quite a turnaround from two weeks ago when Altick needed three sets to beat Slaysman) and Miller on Court 6. ASU only took one first set, but they forced third sets at Court 1 (John-Baptiste now leads Shibahara 1-6, 6-0, 1-0) and Court 3 (where Fossa Huergo now leads 1-6, 6-2, 3-0).

---

Stanford 3, Wazzu 0 as Arbuthnott books a win

1. Gordon leads 6-3, 5-3
2. Lord leads 6-3, 4-4 (Lord has won 4 straight after going down 4-0) 
3. Lampl leads 7-5, 2-4  
4. Arbuthnott won 6-3, 6-0 (this second set *flew* by--perhaps yesterday's match finally caught up with Mylonas)
5. Shin leads 6-2, 1-2 (down a break)
6. Higuchi won 6-0, 6-2

Really rooting for Gordon to get a win here and avenge her previous loss to Bayerlova. She'll serve for her match and to clinch right now.

---

Gordon had a couple of game points at 5-3 to end it, but couldn't close it out; Lord had a deciding point up 5-4 that would have ended it, but it went the other way, and then Lord dropped a service game. Stanford 3, Wazzu 0 with the following matches on court:

1. Gordon leads 6-3, 6-5
2. Lord leads 6-3, 5-6
3. Lampl leads 7-5, 4-5  
5. Shin leads 6-2, 2-3

Over at the other semi, UCLA leads 3-1 with the following 3 matches still going:

1. UCLA leads 4-2 in the 3rd
3. ASU leads 5-3 in the 3rd
5. ASU leads 7-5, 5-3

ASU needs all three to pull it off.

[ColoradoTree]

My Higuchi prediction looks pretty good so far, as she's already booked her first set. She certainly didn't come out flat today!

1. Gordon leads 4-3 (up a break) 
2. Lord leads 5-2 
3. Lampl tied 4-4 
4. Arbuthnott leads 4-3 
5. Shin leads 4-1
6. Higuchi leads 6-0, 1-1

Meanwhile, UCLA isn't letting losing the doubles point get to them in the other semi, charging back to win 4 first sets by lopsided margins, with the other two tied.

---

2-0 Stanford, as Higuchi assumes her traditional position as the first player off court.  Shin was the last to finish her first set, and she did it just a minute or so before Higuchi finished her match. 

We got every first set, but Wazzu isn't done yet, taking early second-set leads on Courts 2 and 3. 

1. Gordon leads 6-3, 3-3
2. Lord leads 6-3, 2-4 
3. Lampl leads 7-5, 1-3  
4. Arbuthnott leads 6-3, 4-0 
5. Shin leads 6-2, 1-1
6. Higuchi won 6-0, 6-2 (both school's Twitter feeds say the first set was 6-1, but live scoring says 6-0)

Over in the other semi, UCLA has taken a 2-1 lead following dominant wins from Altick on Court 4 (6-0, 6-1, quite a turnaround from two weeks ago when Altick needed three sets to beat Slaysman) and Miller on Court 6. ASU only took one first set, but they forced third sets at Court 1 (John-Baptiste now leads Shibahara 1-6, 6-0, 1-0) and Court 3 (where Fossa Huergo now leads 1-6, 6-2, 3-0).

---

Stanford 3, Wazzu 0 as Arbuthnott books a win

1. Gordon leads 6-3, 5-3
2. Lord leads 6-3, 4-4 (Lord has won 4 straight after going down 4-0) 
3. Lampl leads 7-5, 2-4  
4. Arbuthnott won 6-3, 6-0 (this second set *flew* by--perhaps yesterday's match finally caught up with Mylonas)
5. Shin leads 6-2, 1-2 (down a break)
6. Higuchi won 6-0, 6-2

Really rooting for Gordon to get a win here and avenge her previous loss to Bayerlova. She'll serve for her match and to clinch right now.

---

Gordon had a couple of game points at 5-3 to end it, but couldn't close it out; Lord had a deciding point up 5-4 that would have ended it, but it went the other way, and then Lord dropped a service game. Stanford 3, Wazzu 0 with the following matches on court:

1. Gordon leads 6-3, 6-5
2. Lord leads 6-3, 5-6
3. Lampl leads 7-5, 4-5  
5. Shin leads 6-2, 2-3

Over at the other semi, UCLA leads 3-1 with the following 3 matches still going:

1. UCLA leads 4-2 in the 3rd
3. ASU leads 5-3 in the 3rd
5. ASU leads 7-5, 5-3

ASU needs all three to pull it off.

[BostonCard]

On to the title match...

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/989995846082101248

BC

[BostonCard]

On to the title match...

https://twitter.com/pac12/status/989995846082101248

BC

[StanfordMatt]

Meanwhile, incredibly disappointing performance from the men who lost 4-0 to USC after dominating the Trojans twice during the regular season (6-1 & 4-2). Hopefully they can rebound in time for NCAAs.

[StanfordMatt]

Meanwhile, incredibly disappointing performance from the men who lost 4-0 to USC after dominating the Trojans twice during the regular season (6-1 & 4-2). Hopefully they can rebound in time for NCAAs.