March 5, 2013

STANFORD, Calif.- There will be no shortage of matches later this week at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium, as both teams combine to play five matches over a four-day stretch.

Following the busy weekend, both Cardinal teams will be idle over the next two weeks for final exams.

WOMEN'S TEAM

No. 20 Stanford (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12) will prepare for an upcoming stretch that includes matches over three consecutive days. Home matches are nothing new for the Cardinal, which is in the middle of a six-match homestand.

Stanford is coming off a 6-1 victory over No. 9 California in its most recent action, picking up its seventh straight win against the Golden Bears dating back to April 18, 2009. The Cardinal looked sharp in all areas in the rivalry match, capturing the doubles point and locking up singles wins at spots No. 1-5.

This week's matches against No. 31 Washington and No. 73 Washington State will count toward the Pac-12 standings. Sunday's contest against No. 38 Texas represents the first half of a doubleheader with the men.

Stanford boasts five nationally-ranked players in singles, led by 14th-ranked Krista Hardebeck, who has compiled a team-best 17-7 overall record. The freshman is off to a slow start in duals at 3-4, but she provided the clincher in last week's win over Cal. Ellen Tsay, who enters the week ranked No. 31, is 15-4 overall and has won three in a row to increase her dual record to 6-1.

Meanwhile, Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn continue to anchor the top two spots of the lineup while finding their groove as the Cardinal's top doubles team.

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MEN'S TEAM

No. 49 Stanford shifts its focus back to dual match competition following an appearance in last weekend's 124th Pacific Coast Doubles tournament in La Jolla, Calif.

The Cardinal will also open a stretch of six straight home matches, starting with Furman on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Three days later, Stanford welcomes Boise State to The Farm for a 1 p.m. contest that represents the back-half of a doubleheader with the women.

Stanford was well represented in the Pacific Coast Doubles event, with two teams reaching the semifinals following impressive tourney runs. Denis Lin and John Morrissey were edged 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 by UCLA's Marcos Giron and Dennis Novikov following a dominant stretch in which the duo dropped a combined 15 games over its first five matches. Meanwhile, Maciek Romanowicz and Robert Stineman also were stopped short of the final, falling to USC's Max De Vroome and Eric Johnson after upending the tournament's No. 2 team along the way.

The tournament included players from 19 schools, in addition to teaching professionals, juniors, college coaches, former tour players and independent entrants competing in the 128-team draw.

Stanford is looking to snap a four-match losing streak, with its last victory coming in a 7-0 rout of BYU back on Feb. 1. The Cardinal is slated to play four straight non-conference matches before opening Pac-12 play against USC on March 29.

Morrissey (No. 45, 14-8 overall, 4-3 dual) and Nolan Paige (No. 91, 15-9 overall, 4-4 dual) own national rankings for Stanford. Stineman has contributed a 12-9 overall record and is 3-5 in duals while Romanowicz has also totaled double digits in victories (11).