The Stanford women’s tennis team defeated an elite field at the Jeopardy-style trivia competition at the United States Tennis Association’s February banquet in Madison, Wisc.
But Northwestern left the banquet seething with resentment, as it entered the proceedings late and missed out on valuable trivia points which prevented the team from a fair shot at Stanford.
What goes around comes around as the No. 14 Wildcats (24-4) enter the national spotlight today to play the No. 1 Cardinal (27-0) in the NCAA’s round of 16, which is held at Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.
And this time, NU will stay away from the academics and attempt to break Stanford’s 45-match winning streak.
“We’re not going to have a calculus competition out there,” junior Colleen Cheng said. “We’re hoping to prove a lot of people wrong and we won’t just be happy to be there.”
It will not be easy for the Cats to overcome the undefeated defending champs. Stanford has a deep and talented squad that will send four players and all three doubles teams to the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments.
Three Cardinal players are currently ranked in the top 10 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, including No. 1 Marissa Irvin and No. 3 Laura Granville.
Irvin also boasts a top-100 ranking on the professional circuit and Granville has competed in the last two U.S. Open tournaments.
“They’re clearly the best team — I don’t think there’s any coach in the country who would disagree,” NU coach Claire Pollard said. “If we give (Stanford) the trophy now, it would be so boring.”
Added junior Shannon Duffy: “They are a lot of great individual players and get the best player in the nation every year.”
The Cats are coming into Malibu fresh off a 10-match winning streak and convincing routs of Oral Roberts and Tulsa in the NCAA regionals. More so, NU’s confidence comes from its performance against Stanford last year.
After the singles matchups, NU trailed 4-2 and had the upset within reach. In the end, Stanford prevailed in doubles and won 7-2.
“We had chances at every spot. We didn’t get wiped off the court,” NU assistant coach Susanne Land said.
The Cats site two possible advantages in their favor today.
Top teams have fallen — including No. 7 Pepperdine — this year at the regionals and NU predicts there will be many more upsets until the finals on Sunday.
Stanford, in particular, has championship expectations and are not accustomed and do not want to be in a battle with the Cats.
“We have to get on top of them from the start and maybe if we keep it close, then they’ll crack,” Cheng said. “They have a lot to live up to.”
Added Land: “Obviously the top players will have a hard match. We have a good chance at the bottom. Get a 3-3 tie (in singles) and get it into doubles.”
The Cats have reached their preseason goal of reaching the Sweet 16 and few people outside the team expect the Cats to continue their run.
NU will play its pressure match without fear or the anxiety of losing to a top-ranked team.
“On any given day, anyone can beat anyone,” Land said. “I feel like we have nothing to lose at any position.”
Since leaving Evanston, the Cats have concentrated on the final days of a long season. The players excitedly await a matchup against the best because an upset win would bring national attention, solidify the program’s rise and — most importantly — keep the season alive.
“Right now it is all maintenance and just checking up on everything,” Duffy said. “And everything is in check.”
Added Pollard: “We’ve come to do our best and — I don’t care who we’re playing — we’re not going to just roll over. There’ll be a huge upset (today).”
