[ColoradoTree]

I see what you were getting at, I'm just not as sharp as I (think I) used to be.

BTW, any thoughts on why we've been so mediocre in doubles for so long? I don't have any . . .

I don't have any special insight as to why it's been a relative weak spot for us. If I had to guess, it might have something to do with the incentives of match scoring. Each singles match is worth a point, and the winner of 2 of 3 doubles matches gets just one point. It's fun and exciting, and I like the tension of the doubles point, but if you're a coach deciding how to use practice time, emphasizing singles play over doubles is pretty logical. But given how we did at Northwest Regionals, perhaps we might turn a corner this year. 

In other news, blue chip Emma Sun of Newbury Park, CA (Westlake HS) has verbally committed to Stanford. She's been something of a late riser in the rankings, going from #139 as a freshman to #53 as a sophomore to #36 as a junior and now #14 as a senior. I suspect that's because, like Connie Ma, she's been primarily focused on being a high school student, and her international profile is pretty limited--her . But even Ma broke through as the top recruit based on the tournaments she did play--as we've seen, Ma is on another level. But Sun has five posts on her Instagram: three are of piano performances and awards she's received in classical piano competitions (she is quite good), one is at a Westlake football game, and the final one is the Stanford logo announcing her commitment. 

Here's an old LA Times article about her, but it seems pretty clear she fits the bill of what a Stanford student-athlete should be: https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschoo...nd-a-stage

In terms of on-court results, she's about .500 in her matches against other blue chips, and she lost 6-1, 7-5 to Blokhina back in March. She strikes me as a player who won't come in and play high in the lineup right away, but who is ripe for a lot of improvement and development. Our recruits are usually ranked a bit higher, but she's pretty comparable to where Sara Choy and Niluka Madurawe were ranked when they came in. 

Welcome, Emma!

---

So, next year's roster math gets more confusing, assuming Choy and Madurawe don't take a fifth year:

Seniors (2): Blake, Mossmer
Juniors (2): Houghton, Geller
Sophomores (3): Ma, Yepifanova, Xu
Freshmen (2): Blokhina, Sun

Either Sun is paying her own way for a year or someone is leaving early, whether that's to go pro or a medical retirement. Not aware of anyone with urgent designs on a pro career, and Mossmer remains affiliated with the tennis team (for now, at least).

[ColoradoTree]

I see what you were getting at, I'm just not as sharp as I (think I) used to be.

BTW, any thoughts on why we've been so mediocre in doubles for so long? I don't have any . . .

I don't have any special insight as to why it's been a relative weak spot for us. If I had to guess, it might have something to do with the incentives of match scoring. Each singles match is worth a point, and the winner of 2 of 3 doubles matches gets just one point. It's fun and exciting, and I like the tension of the doubles point, but if you're a coach deciding how to use practice time, emphasizing singles play over doubles is pretty logical. But given how we did at Northwest Regionals, perhaps we might turn a corner this year. 

In other news, blue chip Emma Sun of Newbury Park, CA (Westlake HS) has verbally committed to Stanford. She's been something of a late riser in the rankings, going from #139 as a freshman to #53 as a sophomore to #36 as a junior and now #14 as a senior. I suspect that's because, like Connie Ma, she's been primarily focused on being a high school student, and her international profile is pretty limited--her . But even Ma broke through as the top recruit based on the tournaments she did play--as we've seen, Ma is on another level. But Sun has five posts on her Instagram: three are of piano performances and awards she's received in classical piano competitions (she is quite good), one is at a Westlake football game, and the final one is the Stanford logo announcing her commitment. 

Here's an old LA Times article about her, but it seems pretty clear she fits the bill of what a Stanford student-athlete should be: https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschoo...nd-a-stage

In terms of on-court results, she's about .500 in her matches against other blue chips, and she lost 6-1, 7-5 to Blokhina back in March. She strikes me as a player who won't come in and play high in the lineup right away, but who is ripe for a lot of improvement and development. Our recruits are usually ranked a bit higher, but she's pretty comparable to where Sara Choy and Niluka Madurawe were ranked when they came in. 

Welcome, Emma!

---

So, next year's roster math gets more confusing, assuming Choy and Madurawe don't take a fifth year:

Seniors (2): Blake, Mossmer
Juniors (2): Houghton, Geller
Sophomores (3): Ma, Yepifanova, Xu
Freshmen (2): Blokhina, Sun

Either Sun is paying her own way for a year or someone is leaving early, whether that's to go pro or a medical retirement. Not aware of anyone with urgent designs on a pro career, and Mossmer remains affiliated with the tennis team (for now, at least).