10-01-2018, 08:38 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-02-2018, 08:50 AM by ColoradoTree.)
(09-28-2018, 05:11 PM)oldalum Wrote: any (admittedly unreliable) off-the-cuff predictions of whether and where any frosh will crack the spring singles or doubles lineup?
Man, that's tough. In terms of a permanent spot in the lineup, I just don't think it's going to happen absent injury. It's not that Choy and Madurawe wouldn't carry on the Stanford tradition of outstanding freshman play on the lower courts, but who do you sit? I mean, three of our players are in the top 25 to start the season, including two in the top 15. (Quick pause to note just how bonkers that is.) So, let's assume Gordon, Lord, and Arbuthnott are safe, with only whether Gordon or Lord plays #1 to be decided, and whether Arbuthnott vaults Lampl to play #3 this year. (I pity the poor players at the #2 slot against us this year.) Looking at the other three:
* Emma Higuchi, who's been automatic at #6 the last two years, to the tune of a career 43-4 record in dual matches in her career, including 8-1 in NCAA competition? Three of her losses came last year when she was playing at #4 and #5, and the fourth was in the NCAA final two years ago. She's the most vulnerable by definition, playing in the last spot, and if one of the two freshmen is demonstrably better, then, well, tennis teams are merit-based, so perhaps there would be an argument. But you can't set a lineup strictly based on practice and challenge matches. Higuchi has been the first off the court more often than anyone else on the team. Every other singles player in the lineup knows that if we win the doubles point, we only really need two more points, because Emma is there at 6.
* Janice Shin, who went 16-3 in duals last year, including 4-0 in NCAA competition, with two of her losses coming when she played up a spot at #4 and the third in a third-set tiebreak at Vanderbilt in Nashville? Her four wins in NCAAs were routine, too. Michaela Gordon rightly got a lot of attention and praise last year, but the other half of last year's freshman class quickly proved how essential she was to team success.
* Caroline Lampl, a senior who is 11-2 in NCAA competition, who is the beating heart of the team and who has held down #3 singles? That final vs. Vanderbilt last year could have gone very differently if she hadn't taken what should have been a toss-up of a match and taken control of it from the beginning. After losing doubles, Higuchi did her thing and leveled, but Lampl closed out her match right after that to put Stanford in the lead.
I mean, heck, all three of those players made the NCAA All-Tournament Team in their respective singles positions last year. No, it's just too tough of a lineup to crack, barring injury. Now, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if various players get a little rest and we see Choy and Madurawe get a couple matches at 5 or 6 this spring just to get a few competitive team matches under their belts in case they're needed during the Pac-12s or NCAAs. (To answer your question as to when, I'm thinking matches like Hawaii out of conference, or Colorado, Utah, or Arizona in conference.) But not as a regular part of the lineup.
As for doubles, maybe. Arbuthnott/Gordon are entrenched at #1, and Lampl/Yee went on a tear at #2 last year. Once Lord came back, she and Shin held down #3 nicely, and whether there's a shift in the doubles lineup will depend on how much Lord and Shin each need doubles as part of getting ready for singles. If, like Higuchi, one or both is just as effective without it, then Lele might be open to a change. (And historically, IIRC, we often see a freshman paired with a junior or senior in doubles, so two seniors in Lampl and Yee might not be what Lele wants, so there might be an opportunity to break in there, but when you find good chemistry in a doubles pairing, you just leave well enough alone.) But again, why mess with what works?
The qualifying draw for ITA All-Americans is out, and available here: https://www.itatennis.com/ITA/Events/Eve...ca563e2691
The matches are at the Riviera in Pacific Palisades, with the first two rounds of qualifying tomorrow, and the final round on Wednesday. None of the Stanford players will need to play another in order to make the main draw.
* #56 Janice Shin plays #61 Chiara Lommer (Michigan) at 10:30am (all times Pacific), and if she wins, she'd take on the winner between Florida's Victoria Emma and #35 Sophie Whittle (Gonzaga) tomorrow afternoon. Lommer was Michigan's #3 when we played them in NCAAs, and Lampl had won a first set tiebreaker and was level at 2-2 in the second when the match was abandoned. Emma was Florida's #3 when we played them, and Arbuthnott beat her in three sets.
* #63 Emma Higuchi plays #72 Silvia Ambrosio (Purdue), also at 10:30am, and if she wins, she'd take on either #65 Ida Jarlskog of Florida (who transferred after a terrific freshman season at Georgia Tech) or #27 Sara Daavettila (UNC) tomorrow afternoon. Daavettila was UNC's #3 last year, and was a game away from beating Lampl (6-4, 5-2) when that match was abandoned.
* #47 Caroline Lampl gets to sleep in a little, with a 12:15pm start against #67 Erica Oosterhout (Harvard), and if she wins, she'd take on the winner of #109 Bianca Mok (Denver) and #26 Lauren Proctor (Winthrop).
Live streaming was apparently available for pre-qualifying through Pepperdine, as that's where those matches were held, but it remains to be seen if there will be live streaming for the matches held at the Riviera.
Looks like live scoring, at least, will be available here: http://www.r2sports.com/website/event-we...?TID=29455
If Shin or Higuchi exit the tournament early, it's possible that they'll join Choy or Madurawe at the St. Mary's tournament to get some extra matches in, but they might also just stick around and get some added matches in against better players outside the tournament structure.