03-15-2019, 08:43 AM
The conference season continues this weekend as #5 Stanford hosts Arizona State today at 1:30pm, and Arizona tomorrow at noon.
Season so far
Arizona's middling overall record (8-5) and 0-2 conference mark is unsurprising. But the fact that they lost just 4-3 to UCLA is absolutely shocking. (Arizona lost doubles but won the three back courts in singles against UCLA.) The 6-1 loss to USC is more what I'd expect, except for Arizona's Emma Wilson knocking off #45 Salma Ewing. Arizona plays at Cal the same time we're hosting ASU, so we'll get another data point as to whether the UCLA match was a fluke or a sign of an improving team.
ASU (5-6, 0-2), by contrast, is a team I expected to be in the top half of the conference this year. They still might, and losing to UCLA and USC is still consistent with that, but they haven't beaten anyone good yet. Close losses to the LA schools (and to Ohio State) could suggest a team ready to break through, however. Against UCLA, the Sun Devils won doubles and #2 singles, but lost three-set matches on #3 and #5 on the way to a 4-2 loss (the match at #6 was on serve late in the third set when the match was abandoned). Against USC, ASU again won doubles and #2 singles, and won a three-setter on #5 in the process of losing 4-3. USC needed tight wins on #1 (5-7, 6-3, 7-5) and #4 (5-7, 7-6, 6-4) to pull it out.
Last time we played
Stanford beat ASU 4-0 last year, behind the doubles point (wins from Lampl/Yee and Lord/Shin) and singles wins from Higuchi, Arbuthnott, and Gordon (Gordon was actually the first match off court, thrashing John-Baptiste 6-3, 6-0). Both Lord and Lampl were down a set and a break, however, and were both a game away from losing their matches. Shin had lost her first set but had pulled ahead in the second. A closer match than the score indicates.
Against Arizona last year, we won 5-0 because match point was in progress when the match was clinched, so that got played out. Doubles wasn't close, and we got straight set wins from Higuchi (double bagels), Lord (6-1, 6-3), Arbuthnott (6-1, 6-0), and Gordon (6-2, 6-1), with Lampl leading 6-4, 5-1. Shin was the only one with a match on her hands; she took the first set 6-4 but was down 0-3 in the second when the match was abandoned.
Lineups
Arizona State:
1. Ilze Hattingh
2. Lauryn John-Baptiste (she played #1 last year and was ranked for much of the year)
3. Tereza Kolarova
4. Savannah Slaysman
5. Sammi Hampton
6. Samantha Alicea
The only ranked singles player on ASU's team is freshman Cali Jankowski (#102) on the strength of her fall season, but she hasn't cracked the dual lineup yet, though I don't know whether that's due to injury or an entrenched singles ladder. ASU's #1 doubles team of John-Baptiste/Hattingh, however, is ranked #6 in the country, which should make for a great match with #11 Lampl/Yee
Arizona:
1. Emma Wilson
2. Camila Wesbrooks
3. Marie Van Aelst
4. Talya Zandberg
5. Gitte Heynemans
6. Csenge Furak
In an effort to be more competitive, Arizona has long been one of the Pac-12 schools that emphasizes recruiting internationally, and the result is Wesbrooks being the Wildcats' only American starter. (By contrast, ASU's top 3 are international students, but the #4-#6 players are Americans.)
Preview
We should win both matches, though ASU should be closer and there's a more realistic chance of an upset there, particularly if ASU pulls off the doubles point. But ultimately, I think our depth will be too much. Gordon (if she's healthy) and Lord will be tested, but it's hard to envision losses on Courts 3 through 6 against either Arizona team. ASU's doubles strength appears to be at Courts 1 and 3, which is also where we get most of our wins, so it'll be strength on strength there. If Gordon's absence from the singles lineup against Oregon was injury-related and not just rest, then things obviously get a little tighter, but I still think our depth is too much.
Even with 7-0 wins against both teams, expect our ranking to keep dropping next week, as neither one of these teams is ranked. Next weekend won't help either (home dates vs. Hawaii and UC Davis). It'll be the last weekend in March before we have the potential to turn our ranking around (with road matches against UCLA and USC).
How to watch
Same as always: http://streamingtennis.com/Cardinal/?DB_OEM_ID=30600
Season so far
Arizona's middling overall record (8-5) and 0-2 conference mark is unsurprising. But the fact that they lost just 4-3 to UCLA is absolutely shocking. (Arizona lost doubles but won the three back courts in singles against UCLA.) The 6-1 loss to USC is more what I'd expect, except for Arizona's Emma Wilson knocking off #45 Salma Ewing. Arizona plays at Cal the same time we're hosting ASU, so we'll get another data point as to whether the UCLA match was a fluke or a sign of an improving team.
ASU (5-6, 0-2), by contrast, is a team I expected to be in the top half of the conference this year. They still might, and losing to UCLA and USC is still consistent with that, but they haven't beaten anyone good yet. Close losses to the LA schools (and to Ohio State) could suggest a team ready to break through, however. Against UCLA, the Sun Devils won doubles and #2 singles, but lost three-set matches on #3 and #5 on the way to a 4-2 loss (the match at #6 was on serve late in the third set when the match was abandoned). Against USC, ASU again won doubles and #2 singles, and won a three-setter on #5 in the process of losing 4-3. USC needed tight wins on #1 (5-7, 6-3, 7-5) and #4 (5-7, 7-6, 6-4) to pull it out.
Last time we played
Stanford beat ASU 4-0 last year, behind the doubles point (wins from Lampl/Yee and Lord/Shin) and singles wins from Higuchi, Arbuthnott, and Gordon (Gordon was actually the first match off court, thrashing John-Baptiste 6-3, 6-0). Both Lord and Lampl were down a set and a break, however, and were both a game away from losing their matches. Shin had lost her first set but had pulled ahead in the second. A closer match than the score indicates.
Against Arizona last year, we won 5-0 because match point was in progress when the match was clinched, so that got played out. Doubles wasn't close, and we got straight set wins from Higuchi (double bagels), Lord (6-1, 6-3), Arbuthnott (6-1, 6-0), and Gordon (6-2, 6-1), with Lampl leading 6-4, 5-1. Shin was the only one with a match on her hands; she took the first set 6-4 but was down 0-3 in the second when the match was abandoned.
Lineups
Arizona State:
1. Ilze Hattingh
2. Lauryn John-Baptiste (she played #1 last year and was ranked for much of the year)
3. Tereza Kolarova
4. Savannah Slaysman
5. Sammi Hampton
6. Samantha Alicea
The only ranked singles player on ASU's team is freshman Cali Jankowski (#102) on the strength of her fall season, but she hasn't cracked the dual lineup yet, though I don't know whether that's due to injury or an entrenched singles ladder. ASU's #1 doubles team of John-Baptiste/Hattingh, however, is ranked #6 in the country, which should make for a great match with #11 Lampl/Yee
Arizona:
1. Emma Wilson
2. Camila Wesbrooks
3. Marie Van Aelst
4. Talya Zandberg
5. Gitte Heynemans
6. Csenge Furak
In an effort to be more competitive, Arizona has long been one of the Pac-12 schools that emphasizes recruiting internationally, and the result is Wesbrooks being the Wildcats' only American starter. (By contrast, ASU's top 3 are international students, but the #4-#6 players are Americans.)
Preview
We should win both matches, though ASU should be closer and there's a more realistic chance of an upset there, particularly if ASU pulls off the doubles point. But ultimately, I think our depth will be too much. Gordon (if she's healthy) and Lord will be tested, but it's hard to envision losses on Courts 3 through 6 against either Arizona team. ASU's doubles strength appears to be at Courts 1 and 3, which is also where we get most of our wins, so it'll be strength on strength there. If Gordon's absence from the singles lineup against Oregon was injury-related and not just rest, then things obviously get a little tighter, but I still think our depth is too much.
Even with 7-0 wins against both teams, expect our ranking to keep dropping next week, as neither one of these teams is ranked. Next weekend won't help either (home dates vs. Hawaii and UC Davis). It'll be the last weekend in March before we have the potential to turn our ranking around (with road matches against UCLA and USC).
How to watch
Same as always: http://streamingtennis.com/Cardinal/?DB_OEM_ID=30600