SAN DIEGO, Calif. – No. 4 Stanford cemented their status as one of the nation's best teams on Sunday afternoon, defeating No. 2 Texas A&M, 4-3, in a back-and-forth affair at Hogan Tennis Center.
Katherine Hui and Valencia Xu nabbed a 6-2 victory on court three, while Connie Ma and Alexandra Yepifanova battled for a 7-5 win on court two to give the Cardinal a pivotal doubles point and the early lead.
Alexis Blokhina (6-4, 6-1) and Katherine Hu (6-1, 7-5) each tallied singles wins in straight sets, and Valencia Xu won a come from behind, three set clincher by a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Stanford returns to competition on Saturday, Jan. 20 as they play host to UC-Davis for the 2024 home opener.
No. 4 Stanford 4, No. 2 Texas A&M 3
DOUBLES
1. #3 Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres (A&M) def. #27 Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) - 6-2
2. #28 Connie Ma/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) def. Nicole Khirin/Lucciana Perez (A&M) - 7-5
3. Katherine Hui/Valencia Xu def. Gianna Pielet/Sydney Fitch (A&M) - 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
SINGLES
1. #1 Mary Stoiana (A&M) def. #48 Angelica Blake (STAN) - 6-0, 6-3
2. #31 Nicole Khirin (A&M) def. #11 Connie Ma (STAN) - 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
3. #26 Mia Kupres (A&M) def. #49 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) - 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
4. #64 Alexis Blokhina (STAN) def. Lucciana Perez (A&M) - 6-4, 6-1
5. Katherine Hui (STAN) def. Daria Smetannikov, (A&M) - 6-1. 7-5
6. #50 Valencia Xu (STAN) def. Jeanette Mireles (A&M) - 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5, 2, 3, 6