STANFORD, Calif. - No. 8 Stanford opens a four-match homestand when No. 47 Saint Mary’s visits Taube Family Tennis Stadium on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Stanford enters February at 1-2 overall, representing the first time in school history that the Cardinal owns a losing record. That’s not likely to be the case for very long – and more a result of such a difficult opening slate – but also a rarity for a tradition-rich program that has played 1,032 total matches spanning 42 years.
But you won’t find any panic from the 17-time NCAA champion Cardinal, and the rest of the nation realizes as much. After all, it’s hard to discount a program that has won 10 of its last 12 NCAA matches when seeded lower than its opponent.
Playing with three freshmen in the lineup and without the services of 2015 NCAA singles runner-up and three-time All-American Carol Zhao, Stanford suffered losses to No. 25 Mississippi (4-3) and No. 1 Vanderbilt (4-1) last weekend in Nashville, Tenn. As the rookies settle into their roles and Zhao returns later in the spring, the Cardinal is expected to make some noise.
This month also offers something rare for most teams at this time of year: rest. Each of Stanford’s four scheduled February matches are separated by at least six days.
The Cardinal is well represented in the national singles rankings, with Taylor Davidson (10-5 overall, 1-1 duals) ranked No. 20 and Caroline Doyle (8-5 overall, 1-2 duals) at No. 39. Meanwhile, Davidson and Doyle (14-2 overall, 2-1 dual) are also ranked No. 10 as a doubles team.