After completing its regular season as the only undefeated Division I women’s tennis team in the nation, Stanford is set to host the USTA Junior National Team in an exhibition match this Friday. The No. 1 Cardinal knocked off No. 9 Cal by the score of 5-2 last Saturday to end the season with its third Pac-10 title in the last four years.
The Cardinal (23-0, 8-0 Pac-10) will be taking on some of the nation’s top junior players this coming weekend to bridge the gap between regular season dual matches and the Pac-10 Individual Championships later this month. Freshman Nicole Gibbs, who was crowned Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week of April 11-17, described the intensity that accompanies the exhibition match, which will most likely consist of four doubles matches and eight singles matches.
“Many of the girls on the [USTA Junior National Team] are very, very good,” she said. “Their No. 1 player beat me about two years ago in a pro tournament we were both playing in, and I trained with two of their mid-line girls at a USTA facility in LA for years.”
Individually ranked No. 12 in the country, Gibbs recorded the most total victories for the Cardinal, finishing the regular season with a final record of 34-4 and going 22-0 in duals. She joined senior Hilary Barte and sophomore Mallory Burdette in being the third Stanford women’s player to be honored with Pac-10 Player of the Week this season. Gibbs herself faced the difficult choice between attending college and entering the pro tour—she explains that the USTA’s stance toward collegiate tennis has changed recently.
“The USTA has been advocating more and more that girls go to college before they try out the pro circuit,” she said. “It’s good for their younger girls to see what a tennis college match is like, especially in deciding if they are playing collegiate tennis and where.”
This exhibition match will provide the Stanford community with an equally unique opportunity.
“It’s a cool occasion for spectators to see some of the nation’s most competitive players, many of whom might be interested in Stanford at least at a preliminary level,” said Gibbs, who also added that this match will be a grounds for players, coaches, fans and potential recruits to all connect.
The USTA Junior National Team has recently played exhibitions against other programs such as University of Miami, University of Florida and Cal.
Stanford will also use this exhibition match to remain competitively sharp and work on elements of the game that need tweaking before it enters the Pac-10 Individual Championships from April 28-May 1 in Ojai, Calif. The players are already looking to backup their regular season title with individual success.
“I want to emphasize my focus on the simple things in Pac-10s—footwork, acceleration on my forehand, staying low,” Gibbs said. “I hopefully will go deep and do damage, but the ultimate goal will be to get my competitive game exactly where I want it for NCAAs.”
She said that the Pac-10 tournament is yet another chance for many of the players to get a full tune-up before entering the grand finale—the NCAA tournament. Her ultimate goal, however, is to gain confidence as she enters her first collegiate post season.
The Cardinal seems to be in good position entering the NCAA tournament, which will be held in May on the Farm. Potentially the No. 1 seed, Stanford has captured straight 179 home victories, an NCAA record.
But before the Cardinal can completely focus all attention on the postseason, it faces the USTA Junior All-Star Team at Taube Tennis Stadium today at 1:30 p.m.