STANFORD, Calif. – The postseason for No. 15 Stanford (14-5, 9-1 Pac-12) begins this weekend in a familiar setting: Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Hosting NCAA first and second round competition, Stanford’s opponent in Friday’s 2 p.m. postseason lid-lifter is Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (24-0, 11-0 Southland), the nation’s only unbeaten program. That follows the regional’s other matchup between No. 48 Denver (21-2, 7-0 Summit League) and No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies (16-10, 7-6 SEC) at 11 a.m. PT. All seats are general admission. Single-day tickets are $8 (adult) and $5 (student/youth/senior).
One month ago, the possibility of hosting anything on The Farm appeared bleak. Ranked fifth in conference play and in danger of dropping completely outside the top-16, Stanford had considerable work to do in order to avoid the unthinkable – starting the opening week of NCAA Championships away from The Farm.
So, the Cardinal did what it seemingly does every spring. It caught fire. First came a 4-3 victory over No. 1 California, the only loss of the season for a Golden Bear squad riding its best start in school history and regarded by many as the NCAA favorite. Four days later, Stanford defeated No. 19 USC in a 4-2 neutral-site win in Ojai, Calif., securing its first conference title since 2012 and 25th overall. Having already knocked off No. 7 Florida back in February and suddenly carrying the Pac-12’s automatic NCAA bid in its back pocket, Stanford appeared poised to shoot up from its No. 17 national ranking.
But Stanford – making its 35th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance – received only a modest bump in the polls and now finds itself entering the postseason as the No. 15 overall seed. That might seem a little odd for the most storied program in college tennis, a 17-time NCAA champion that has reached the quarterfinals in six consecutive seasons.
Then again, Stanford’s uncharacteristically low ranking should not be cause for concern. Equally comfortable playing the role of “underdog”, the Cardinal has incredibly won 10 of its last 12 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent, a battle-tested stretch that now covers six years.
Two years ago in Urbana, Ill., the 12th-seeded Cardinal became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title, knocking off No. 5 USC, No. 4 Georgia and No. 1 Florida before upsetting No. 3 Texas A&M in the final. That championship also extended Stanford's record streak of 37 years in a row with at least one NCAA title and paved the way for a 19th consecutive Directors' Cup. Three years earlier in Athens, Ga., Stanford captured the 2010 NCAA championship as a No. 8 seed, with No. 1 Baylor, No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Notre Dame serving as victims.
Once again, the Cardinal possesses all the ingredients to make another deep postseason run. Carol Zhao (8-1 overall, 8-1 duals), the 2015 NCAA Singles runner-up and three-time All-American, is back for the stretch run and a key factor, considering Stanford is 8-1 with her in the lineup and 6-4 without. Fellow juniors Taylor Davidson (20-12 overall, 10-7 duals) and Caroline Doyle (21-10 overall, 12-6 duals) are solid, clutch players with experience at the next two spots. Senior Krista Hardebeck (23-6 overall, 17-1 duals), member of the 2013 NCAA title team and likely the most experienced No. 4 player in the country, is playing arguably the best tennis of her career. And freshmen Caroline Lampl (25-5 overall, 16-2 duals) and Melissa Lord (19-12 overall, 10-7 duals) have settled nicely into their roles on the back courts.
Stanford has excelled in doubles all season, with Davidson/Doyle ranked No. 5 and Lord/Zhao checking in at No. 31. Even if Stanford drops the doubles point, there is no panic, as the Cardinal overcame recent 1-0 deficits against both California and USC to close out the season.
Stanford owns a 136-18 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982.