By Shan Reddy on January 31, 2019

No. 1 Stanford (2-0) will host a pair of dual matches this week before heading to Seattle for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship next Friday.

The Cardinal first face the unranked Princeton Tigers (2-1) today. The Tigers will be visiting for their second of three consecutive road matches and are led by head coach Laura Granville, a former Stanford player and two-time NCAA Division 1 singles champion who won 58 consecutive singles matches over her two years at Stanford. One of the most dominant players in the history of Stanford athletics, Granville won the women’s singles championship in her first two years on the Farm before turning professional after her sophomore year.

On Saturday, Stanford plays UC Davis (0-3), a team that took its most recent dual-match victory back in April of 2018 against Sacramento State.

With two 4-0 victories already under their belt, the Cardinal should only solidify their No. 1 ranking this week. The team started the season off strong during ITA Kick-Off Weekend after qualifying for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, a four-day tournament hosted by the University of Washington featuring 16 of the top Division 1 women’s tennis teams. Stanford took down Florida to win the championship back in 2011 but has not participated since.

Sophomore Emily Arbuthnott, Stanford’s highest-ranked player at No. 16 in the ITA Division I Women’s Singles rankings, leads the Cardinal with victories in her last nine straight matches. Junior Emma Higuchi and sophomore Janice Shin have also won their last six and seven consecutive matches, respectively.

The duo of seniors Kimberly Yee and Caroline Lampl currently sits at No. 7 in the doubles rankings and looks to move up against weaker opponents against the Tigers and Aggies this week.

After returning its entire singles and doubles lineup from last year’s national championship squad, the team has been running on all cylinder this season and looks poised to make another run for the title.

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.