Huskies Return Home For Top-20 Match-Ups
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY WOMEN'S TENNIS
Friday, Apr. 8, Bill Quillian Stadium or Nordstrom Tennis Center (Weather dependent)
No. 28 Washington hosts No. 17 Stanford, 1:30 p.m. | Live Video and Scores
Saturday, Apr. 9, Bill Quillian Stadium or Nordstrom Tennis Center (Weather dependent)
No. 28 Washington hosts No. 9 California, 12 p.m. | Live Video and Scores
SEATTLE -- Just two weeks remain in the regular season for the Husky women's tennis team, and this week presents two major opportunities for the Dawgs to make a statement at home. No. 17 Stanford visits this Friday for a 1:30 p.m. dual, and then 9th-ranked California comes in on Saturday for a 12 noon match. Whether the matches are played outside at Bill Quillian Stadium or inside the friendly confines of Nordstrom Tennis Center will be weather dependent.
The Dawgs are looking for a big win to propel them towards the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments. Washington is 13-7 and 4-3 in Pac-12 play, having dropped two competitive 4-1 matches on the road last week at No. 15 UCLA and No. 21 USC. Washington dropped just out of the top-25 in this week's ITA rankings, to No. 28. However, Sarah-Maude Fortin moved into the national singles rankings for the first time this spring at No. 116.
Stanford is 12-4 overall and 5-1 in Pac-12 play, having just suffered its first loss in an upset on the road at Arizona State. The Cardinal have a pair of top-20 singles players in No. 14 Connie Ma and No. 20 Alexandra Yepifanova, plus Valencia Xu ranked at No. 117. In doubles, Ma and Angelica Blake are ranked 10th.
Cal is also 5-1 in Pac-12 play and also dropped its one match at Arizona State last week before bouncing back with a 7-0 sweep of Arizona. Jessica Alsola has racked up 28 singles wins this year and is ranked 50th. Haley Giavara is No. 92 for the Bears and Katja Wiersholm is ranked 103rd. Cal has multiple ranked doubles duos with Giavara and Valentina Ivanov at No. 31 and Alsola and Wiersholm at No. 33, and Alsola and Erin Richardson ranked 49th.