No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12)
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Friday, Feb. 16 vs. TCU Horned Frogs (6-3, 0-0 Big 12) - 11 a.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 17 at No. 21 Texas Longhorns (5-4, 0-0 Big 12) - 10 a.m. PT
Texas Tennis Center • Austin, Texas
STANFORD, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford continues nonconference play this weekend in Austin, Texas, with the Cardinal squaring off against a pair of Big 12 opponents.
Stanford (2-1) will face TCU (6-3) on Friday, Feb. 16, in a neutral-site contest to be played at 11 a.m. PT. The Cardinal then matches up against No. 21 Texas (5-4) on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. PT.
The Cardinal is navigating through a stretch which features four of its first five matches on the road. That all changes next Friday, when Stanford hosts UNLV in the first of nine straight duals at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, keeping the Cardinal at home until its next road swing on March 30.
Despite blanking Saint Mary's 7-0 last week in its home opener, Stanford dropped five spots in the poll to No. 6. North Carolina, which defeated Pepperdine in last week's ITA National Team Indoor Championships, now holds down the top spot in the rankings while the Waves check in at No. 2. Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Georgia.
With only three matches played to date, Stanford is simply in need of more matches at this point. Opportunities against two of the Big 12's more talented programs will help, although inclement weather is in the forecast, potentially shifting this weekend's action indoors.
Playing short-handed with All-American junior Melissa Lord unavailable due to an injured right shoulder, Stanford has received solid starts despite the revamped lineup. Sophomore Emily Arbuthnott has compiled a team-high 12 wins while freshmen Michaela Gordon and Janice Shin sport identical 11-2 records. Gordon (26), Arbuthnott (32) and junior Caroline Lampl (109) are Stanford's ranked singles players.
In doubles, Stanford is led by the nation's No. 6 pairing of Arbuthnott and Gordon. The duo is 8-2 overall and won the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships back in November.