STANFORD, Calif. – No. 16 Stanford flexed its muscle in singles play, defeating No. 31 Texas 4-2 in a closer-than-it-looked contest on Saturday afternoon at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Unbeaten in six home matches, Stanford (7-1) put the finishing touches on a three-match homestand sweep.
With rain in the forecast, the teams elected to play singles first while agreeing that the doubles point would be contested only if it was necessary.
The deciding point was provided by Caroline Doyle, who outlasted Neda Koprcina 5-7, 7-6 (0), 6-4 at the No. 2 spot.
Stanford built an early 2-0 lead, thanks to straight-set wins from Emma Higuchi (6-1, 6-0) on court six and Caroline Lampl (7-5, 6-3) at the No. 4 spot.
However, it was a temporary cushion, as Texas (4-4) had already locked up the first set on all four remaining courts.
The Longhorns quickly converted two of those matches, with Bianca Turati defeating Taylor Davidson 6-3, 6-4 in a battle of ranked players at the top line before Petra Granic handed Melissa Lord only her second loss of the season and first since Oct. 23 in a 7-5, 6-3 decision at No. 3.
The final two matches entered their third sets without much separation.
Emily Arbuthnott then surged ahead for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win at the No. 5 spot, giving Stanford a 3-2 lead.
That result left it all up to Doyle, one of Stanford's most experienced players with everything on the line. Improving to 15-10 in three-setters for her career, Doyle capitalized on the momentum she gained against Koprcina midway through the second set.
Stanford next hits the road for its Pac-12 opener, squaring off against UCLA on Friday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m.
No. 16 Stanford 4, No. 31 Texas 2
SINGLES
1) No. 39 Bianca Turati (TEXAS) d. No. 65 Taylor Davidson (STAN) 6-3, 6-4
2) No. 37 Caroline Doyle (STAN) d. No. 69 Neda Koprcina (TEXAS) 5-7, 7-6 (0), 6-4
3) Petra Granic (TEXAS) d. No. 8 Melissa Lord (STAN) 7-5, 6-3
4) No. 83 Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. Anna Turati (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-2
5) No. 49 Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Katie Poluta (TEXAS) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
6) No. 43 Emma Higuchi (STAN) d. Daniella Roldan (TEXAS) 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 1, 3, 5, 2