05-13-2022, 11:43 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-13-2022, 11:52 AM by ColoradoTree.)
OK, folks! We've got a banger on tap this afternoon, so let's dig into it a little bit.
What: Your #15 Stanford women's tennis team plays in the Super Regional in Norman, OK against the #2 Oklahoma Sooners, who are in the midst of a dream season.
When: Today at 4pm Pacific
How to watch: https://www.tennis.one/tournament/bb0ed9...682c?tab=0
Probable lineups:
Doubles:
1. #19 Blake/Ma vs. #10 Corley/Corley
2. Choy/Yepifanova vs. Sleeth/Pisareva
3. Gordon/Xu vs. Guzman/Staker
Singles:
1. #26 Ma vs. #10 Layne Sleeth
2. #23 Yepifanova vs. #53 Carmen Corley
3. Blake vs. #97 Ivana Corley
4. Houghton vs. Dana Guzman
5. #113 Xu vs. Alexandra Pisareva
6. Choy vs. Emma Staker
Key singles omissions:
* If Gordon plays singles, I think we see Houghton drop entirely, and we keep Xu and Choy at 5 and 6. And having Gordon/Xu/Choy as our back courts is pretty devastatingly strong, even though Staker has been outstanding at 6 for Oklahoma.
* #69 Anchisa Chanta has been playing a lot of 3 and 4 for Oklahoma but was submitted as the #2 player in the lineup, and she's been terrific for the Sooners, but she's missing the match in order to play the Southeast Asian Games.
Prediction: If we win the doubles point and Gordon plays singles, we win the match. If we drop doubles and Houghton plays at 4, I don't think we win the match. But what happens if we take doubles but Houghton plays?
I think we drop #1 doubles but take the doubles point behind the #2 and #3 lines, and that sets the tone. I think we get wins from Blake and Xu while Houghton and Choy lose, and we end up winning 4-2 behind a Yepifanova clincher while Ma's match is locked in a third set. Chanta's absence looms large for Oklahoma. Conversely, if we drop doubles, getting four wins in singles in Norman is an incredibly tall mountain to climb.
This will be a hostile environment unlike any Stanford has faced this year, and how our freshmen respond is going to decide the match. But I think ultimately that Yepifanova is tough enough at 2 to get us that fourth point. But Oklahoma is #2 in the country for a reason, and they're playing at home before what will be a loud, intense crowd. That's meaningful, and you have to think Oklahoma is the favorite, even without Chanta.
I'll be out of pocket for the match itself, unfortunately, so I can't follow along with all of you here, but there's no reason this season has to end today. Stanford has the talent.
I think we're probably favored at 2 and 3, OU has the edge at 4 and 6, I'd give a slight lean to us at 5, and Court 1 could be one for the ages. But again, home court advantage could loom large today and move the needle on those matches. Doubles is always important, but it feels extra crucial today.
What: Your #15 Stanford women's tennis team plays in the Super Regional in Norman, OK against the #2 Oklahoma Sooners, who are in the midst of a dream season.
When: Today at 4pm Pacific
How to watch: https://www.tennis.one/tournament/bb0ed9...682c?tab=0
Probable lineups:
Doubles:
1. #19 Blake/Ma vs. #10 Corley/Corley
2. Choy/Yepifanova vs. Sleeth/Pisareva
3. Gordon/Xu vs. Guzman/Staker
Singles:
1. #26 Ma vs. #10 Layne Sleeth
2. #23 Yepifanova vs. #53 Carmen Corley
3. Blake vs. #97 Ivana Corley
4. Houghton vs. Dana Guzman
5. #113 Xu vs. Alexandra Pisareva
6. Choy vs. Emma Staker
Key singles omissions:
* If Gordon plays singles, I think we see Houghton drop entirely, and we keep Xu and Choy at 5 and 6. And having Gordon/Xu/Choy as our back courts is pretty devastatingly strong, even though Staker has been outstanding at 6 for Oklahoma.
* #69 Anchisa Chanta has been playing a lot of 3 and 4 for Oklahoma but was submitted as the #2 player in the lineup, and she's been terrific for the Sooners, but she's missing the match in order to play the Southeast Asian Games.
Prediction: If we win the doubles point and Gordon plays singles, we win the match. If we drop doubles and Houghton plays at 4, I don't think we win the match. But what happens if we take doubles but Houghton plays?
I think we drop #1 doubles but take the doubles point behind the #2 and #3 lines, and that sets the tone. I think we get wins from Blake and Xu while Houghton and Choy lose, and we end up winning 4-2 behind a Yepifanova clincher while Ma's match is locked in a third set. Chanta's absence looms large for Oklahoma. Conversely, if we drop doubles, getting four wins in singles in Norman is an incredibly tall mountain to climb.
This will be a hostile environment unlike any Stanford has faced this year, and how our freshmen respond is going to decide the match. But I think ultimately that Yepifanova is tough enough at 2 to get us that fourth point. But Oklahoma is #2 in the country for a reason, and they're playing at home before what will be a loud, intense crowd. That's meaningful, and you have to think Oklahoma is the favorite, even without Chanta.
I'll be out of pocket for the match itself, unfortunately, so I can't follow along with all of you here, but there's no reason this season has to end today. Stanford has the talent.
I think we're probably favored at 2 and 3, OU has the edge at 4 and 6, I'd give a slight lean to us at 5, and Court 1 could be one for the ages. But again, home court advantage could loom large today and move the needle on those matches. Doubles is always important, but it feels extra crucial today.