STANFORD, Calif. - Two-time defending NCAA champion Stanford opened the 2021 season ranked No. 4 in the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) preseason poll, as announced by the organization on Thursday.
North Carolina, the reigning National Team Indoors champions, is projected No. 1, followed by No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 Texas, with No. 5 Pepperdine rounding out the top five spots.
The Cardinal returns its entire roster from 2019-20. Michaela Gordon starts the year as the country's No. 10-ranked singles player, with Angelica Blake (No. 58), Emily Arbuthnott (No. 63) and Janice Shin (No. 114) also earning preseason national rankings.
Arbuthnott and Blake comprise the nation's No. 9-ranked doubles team, with Sara Choy and Emma Higuchi checking in at No. 32.
Stanford finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 6 in the nation at 10-2 overall, completing fall competition and less than two months of dual match play before the season was shortened by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Cardinal, which was denied the opportunity to chase its first three-peat since 2004-06, split its opening weekend of Pac-12 play prior to concluding its season.
The most decorated program in college history and winningest sport on The Farm, Stanford has won 28 of the possible 38 NCAA championships. The Cardinal has won 21 national championships overall (20 NCAA, 1 AIAW). Head coach Lele Forood is 476-46 in her tenure, guiding the Cardinal to 10 NCAA titles in 20 seasons.
Stanford is scheduled to report back to campus on Feb. 13-14 to begin the onboarding process for its upcoming varsity season.
In accordance with Santa Clara County's restrictions for collegiate sports, athletics activities that involve contact, that do not allow for social distancing, or that take place indoors, remain prohibited. Additionally, individuals are required to quarantine for 10 days upon returning from travel of over 150 miles from Santa Clara's borders. As a result, the women's tennis program initially plans to conduct modified outdoor training activities that comply with the current restrictions.
While Stanford Athletics will continue striving to create an opportunity for student-athletes to compete in their upcoming season, all decisions regarding training and competition will be based on the conditions and the guidance provided to us by public health officials and our university administration. Accordingly, all competition dates are subject to change.
For news and other potential schedule updates, please be sure to follow @StanfordWTennis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.