They have made their presence felt. They have done so at all
levels. And they have done it consistently over the past two-plus
decades. Whether it’s a Pac-10 match, a nonconference match
or an NCAA Tournament match, Stanford has dominated collegiate
tennis for the past several years like few programs have dominated
in any sport. Since 1975, the Cardinal have finished no lower than
No. 9 at the end of the season, and since that same year, the team
has advanced to 24 national title matches, winning 15 of them.
Their wins have been dominant, their losses few and far between.
And this year, things only seem to have fallen in Stanford’s
favor to a greater ““ yet unnecessary ““ extent, as the
Cardinal will play host to the NCAA Women’s Tennis
Championships starting with today’s Sweet 16 matches. And if
all goes as predicted, Stanford will claim its third consecutive
title, dating back to 2004 when the Cardinal defeated the Bruins
4-1 in Athens, Ga. Stanford has sustained its dominance with
staggering recruiting success. “They’re known for being
the top program, which enables them to get the top recruits,”
UCLA senior Laura Gordon said. “It’s easy to recruit
when you continue to win national championships.” UCLA coach
Stella Sampras Webster is impressed by how Cardinal coach Lele
Forood has been able to bring in prep athletes who are willing to
play a supporting role on a winning team. “Any player on that
team can play at a high spot on other teams in the country, so she
has to remind them that they are in it for the team and not for
themselves,” said Sampras Webster, who has faced off against
the fellow conference school several times in her reign as the
Bruins’ coach. In fact, the top six members of the Stanford
lineup are ranked in the top 75 in the nation, and four of these
six are ranked in the top 11. The last team to defeat Stanford was
Florida in the 2003 national championship match with a score of
4-3. And even then, the Gators were fortunate enough to be taking
on Stanford at home in Gainesville, Fla. The Cardinal are hosting
this year’s NCAA Championships, making the task of defeating
the nation’s top-ranked team that much more difficult.
“They’re a good team, and in order for them to be
beaten, whoever plays them has to really get it together as a team
on that day,” UCLA sophomore women’s tennis player
Tracy Lin said. “Against them, you can’t just have half
your team playing well.” All that means is that if anyone is
going to beat the top team in the nation on their own court,
they’ll have to be almost flawless. “It’s going
to be a team that has to work extremely hard because Stanford
doesn’t just give it to you,” Sampras Webster said.
“They’re an extremely tough team to beat.”
STANFORD REGIONAL: This year marks the first
time the men’s and women’s NCAA Tennis Championships
are scheduled to be held at the same location. Stanford’s
Taube Tennis Center, complete with a $17-million renovation, is one
of the few facilities that can handle such an event. All 17 Taube
Tennis Center courts have championship lighting, and they have a
wireless system allowing umpires to relay the score of any of the
17 courts directly to the scoreboard. “The NCAA Tennis
Championships are one of the greatest and most exciting amateur
events in the world,” said Dick Gould, Stanford tennis
director. “This new format will only accentuate that
fact.” With all its permanent and temporary seating, the
Taube Tennis Center can seat a total of 3,500 people.