[ColoradoTree]

I wouldn't say an easy go of it--Oklahoma has been terrific this year, including on the back courts. But I sure like our odds better with an in-form Gordon at 5 and Xu at 6.

So my thoughts on Gordon - it could be the case where Forood is saving her for this very moment. Knowing that we'd have a fairly easy time to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, why give the opponents an opportunity to scout Gordon, and to figure out where she falls in the line-up (anywhere from 4-6, correct)? Since the team has been pretty inconsistent this year, this could just be another strategic ploy on Stanford's part to get as much of an advantage as possible.

Or if Gordon really was match ready, she would have been inserted into the line-up already?

I have no earthly idea why she's back at all, let alone now. We certainly could've used her earlier in the season, and if she'd been playing from the beginning, she'd be in our top three. She's been routinely ranked in the teens and twenties throughout her time here, so she's demonstrated her quality. 

It's such a shocking development that I have a hard time figuring out the intent behind the why and the when. I tend to think that if Gordon were in a place where she could've devoted the time to tennis, she would have been playing. That she didn't appear until NCAAs tells me that other stuff was going on, and whether that's grad school or personal stuff, I have no idea. But Gordon missed both the fall and spring seasons with the exception of one match in Hawaii on the fall break trip. No tournaments, no dual matches, nothing. 

I think Lele wants her best lineup every time out there, so if Gordon were available for selection, she would have selected her.

[ColoradoTree]

I wouldn't say an easy go of it--Oklahoma has been terrific this year, including on the back courts. But I sure like our odds better with an in-form Gordon at 5 and Xu at 6.

So my thoughts on Gordon - it could be the case where Forood is saving her for this very moment. Knowing that we'd have a fairly easy time to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, why give the opponents an opportunity to scout Gordon, and to figure out where she falls in the line-up (anywhere from 4-6, correct)? Since the team has been pretty inconsistent this year, this could just be another strategic ploy on Stanford's part to get as much of an advantage as possible.

Or if Gordon really was match ready, she would have been inserted into the line-up already?

I have no earthly idea why she's back at all, let alone now. We certainly could've used her earlier in the season, and if she'd been playing from the beginning, she'd be in our top three. She's been routinely ranked in the teens and twenties throughout her time here, so she's demonstrated her quality. 

It's such a shocking development that I have a hard time figuring out the intent behind the why and the when. I tend to think that if Gordon were in a place where she could've devoted the time to tennis, she would have been playing. That she didn't appear until NCAAs tells me that other stuff was going on, and whether that's grad school or personal stuff, I have no idea. But Gordon missed both the fall and spring seasons with the exception of one match in Hawaii on the fall break trip. No tournaments, no dual matches, nothing. 

I think Lele wants her best lineup every time out there, so if Gordon were available for selection, she would have selected her.