STANFORD, Calif. - After an undefeated season in conference play, Stanford picked up to major awards from the league, as Alexandra Yepifanova was named Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year, while Lele Forood earned the nod as Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
Additionally, Yepifanova was named first-team All-Pac-12, joined by Connie Ma and Angelica Blake. Sara Choy and Valencia Xu were both named second-team All-Pac-12. Stanford now boasts 129 all-conference honors all-time. Stanford's five all-conference players are its most since 2017 and the most in the Pac-12, as are its three first-team selections. The Cardinal boast three first-team selections for the first time since 2019.
Now a seven-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Forood has led the Cardinal back into familiar territory as one of the nation's elite, as Stanford boasts the nation's longest win streak at 18 matches in a row. With a 21-2 overall record, the Cardinal's only losses this season came back in February at ITA Indoor Nationals. Stanford has defeated five top-25 ranked opponents this season and earned its first perfect Pac-12 record since 2019.
Yepifanova is Stanford's 17th Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year and first since Michaela Gordon in 2019. The sophomore has produced a dominating season with a 32-5 overall record in singles play, including a 19-1 mark in dual matches. She's gone undefeated at the top spot at 9-0, checking in at 5-1 at No. 2 and 6-0 at No. 3. She leads the team with an 11-2 record against ranked opponents and enters postseason play on a 16-match win streak. She went undefeated against every Pac-12 opponent she faced in both fall tournaments and spring dual matches, winning the ITA Northwest Regionals singles championship in the fall. She is the first from Stanford to boast an unbeaten record mark at the No. 1 spot in singles since at least 2004. In her current 16 match win streak, 13 of those wins have been in straight sets.
Yepifanova has played the No. 2 doubles spot nearly the entire season, pairing primarily with Sara Choy. The duo has gone 7-6 this spring with one ranked win, and clinched the doubles point in Stanford's championship match against USC in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Named first-team All-Pac-12, the reigning ITA National Rookie of the Year Ma has competed at each of the team's top three spots, going 6-3 at No. 1, 9-1 at No. 2 and 1-0 at No. 3. Featuring an overall record of 30-6, she is second on the team with 10 ranked wins and advanced to the semifinals of the ITA National Fall Championships. She dominated Pac-12 competition, going 9-1 on the year, and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation in singles, entering the NCAA Tournament at No. 18. In doubles, Ma has found magic with Xu on court three, as the duo has gone 14-2 this spring, winners of nine straight matches. They went 11-1 against Pac-12 competition.
After being named honorable mention each of the last two seasons, Blake picks up first-team All-Pac-12 accolades for the first time in her career. Featuring a breakout season in singles, her ranking has risen as high as 20th nationally as she played primarily at the No. 3 spot for the Cardinal this spring. Also at 30-6 overall in singles, Blake went 13-0 on court three, along with a 3-0 mark on court two, 1-0 on court four and 1-2 on court one. Her only losses in conference play came in three sets at the No. 1 position at USC and UCLA, and she enters the NCAA Tournament on a nine-match win streak. She leads the team with five clinchers this spring. In doubles, Blake has paired primarily with freshman Alexis Blokhina, as the duo is currently ranked 18th nationally with a 16-4 overall record, including 15-3 in dual matches, with a perfect 4-0 mark against ranked teams.
Earning the first all-conference honors of her career in her fifth year on the team, Choy has been a stalwart at the backend of the lineup for the Cardinal, boasting an 18-3 overall record, including 16-3 in dual matches. She's gone 12-3 on court six and 3-0 on court five. She went 9-1 against Pac-12 opponents, picking up one ranked win and going 2-0 in three-set matches. She's Stanford's active leader in singles wins with 86 in her career.
Xu also picks up her first All-Pac-12 accolades this season, featuring a 23-8 overall record in singles play, going 12-6 in dual matches. She posted a 10-6 record on court five and a 3-0 mark on court four. She's clinched four matches for the Cardinal, including the Pac-12 Tournament championship bout, and went 2-1 against ranked opponents. She went 9-3 against Pac-12 foes this year and features a 49-11 overall record in her career at Stanford.
No. 7 Stanford begins the NCAA Tournament at home on May 5, hosting Weber State at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
