[ColoradoTree]

The ITA's annual national awards just came out, and Lele Forood is the Coach of the Year, while Michaela Gordon is the Rookie of the Year. 

And for Michaela:

At the time of awards nominations, Gordon had posted a 21-8 overall record, including a 12-7 mark in dual matches. She was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Stanford's first selection since 2011. She is ranked No. 15 nationally. Has played all of her dual matches at the top spot of the lineup, serving as a stabilizing force while junior All-American Melissa Lord was out due to injury. Selected to compete in the NCAA National Singles Championship. Ranks second on the team with four clinchers. Was 11-3 against Pac-12 players and 8-6 against nationally-ranked opponents. ITA Northwest Regional Championships singles champion in her collegiate debut.

Interesting that "clinchers" is kept as a stat.  It's a bit odd, because it basically rewards being the third (or fourth) best player on the team, adjusted for position, and thus unfairly punishes players that are so good as to sweep their opponent in straight sets (like Shin and Higuchi).  Obviously to be a "clincher" you have to be good enough to win, and can't still be on the court once the match is decided, but if you win too fast, that actually hurts.

BC

I've always felt that way, too. I mean, I suppose it's somewhat valuable, if we think of it is an imperfect way to measure "this player hung tough and found a way to grind out a win," and perhaps it indicates that a player doesn't tighten up when the match is on her shoulders.  But that only addresses a subset of clinchers.  A "clinch" when a match is 4-0 is useless and indicates nothing other than being the 3rd- or 4th-slowest player to beat an overmatched opponent--the ability to finish off a match against San Jose State or Sacramento State doesn't tell me anything about a Stanford player.  A clincher like Lord's yesterday, though?  That is worth measuring, and tells me everything about a player.  (I think Taylor Davidson had approximately 1,000 such clinchers in her time here.)

[ColoradoTree]

The ITA's annual national awards just came out, and Lele Forood is the Coach of the Year, while Michaela Gordon is the Rookie of the Year. 

And for Michaela:

At the time of awards nominations, Gordon had posted a 21-8 overall record, including a 12-7 mark in dual matches. She was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Stanford's first selection since 2011. She is ranked No. 15 nationally. Has played all of her dual matches at the top spot of the lineup, serving as a stabilizing force while junior All-American Melissa Lord was out due to injury. Selected to compete in the NCAA National Singles Championship. Ranks second on the team with four clinchers. Was 11-3 against Pac-12 players and 8-6 against nationally-ranked opponents. ITA Northwest Regional Championships singles champion in her collegiate debut.

Interesting that "clinchers" is kept as a stat.  It's a bit odd, because it basically rewards being the third (or fourth) best player on the team, adjusted for position, and thus unfairly punishes players that are so good as to sweep their opponent in straight sets (like Shin and Higuchi).  Obviously to be a "clincher" you have to be good enough to win, and can't still be on the court once the match is decided, but if you win too fast, that actually hurts.

BC

I've always felt that way, too. I mean, I suppose it's somewhat valuable, if we think of it is an imperfect way to measure "this player hung tough and found a way to grind out a win," and perhaps it indicates that a player doesn't tighten up when the match is on her shoulders.  But that only addresses a subset of clinchers.  A "clinch" when a match is 4-0 is useless and indicates nothing other than being the 3rd- or 4th-slowest player to beat an overmatched opponent--the ability to finish off a match against San Jose State or Sacramento State doesn't tell me anything about a Stanford player.  A clincher like Lord's yesterday, though?  That is worth measuring, and tells me everything about a player.  (I think Taylor Davidson had approximately 1,000 such clinchers in her time here.)