Stanford Women’s Tennis Battles Injuries And Tough Losses

It was a weekend of high drama and tough lessons for the No. 11 Stanford women’s tennis team, as they squared off against two Southern California powerhouses—No. 20 USC and No. 17 UCLA. The Cardinal, already facing adversity with injuries to their top players, left Los Angeles with a pair of stinging defeats: a razor-thin 4-3 loss to USC on Friday, February 1, and a sweeping 7-0 defeat at the hands of UCLA on Saturday, February 2. Their season record now stands at 2-3, and the team is searching for answers—but also signs of hope.

Friday’s clash with the Trojans was one for the books. The 4-3 scoreline wasn’t just a matter of playing out matches after the clinch; this one truly went down to the wire, with the outcome hinging on the final singles battle. USC snatched the doubles point to take the early lead, but Stanford showed grit in the singles, splitting the six matches evenly. The tension was palpable as Immi Haddad (USC) and Caroline Driscoll (Stanford) battled late into the afternoon. Ultimately, Haddad edged out Driscoll 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 7-5, sealing victory for the Trojans.

Despite the heartbreak, there were bright spots for the Cardinal. Monika Ekstrand delivered a decisive win over Jana Hossam (USC), 7-5, 6-1. Alyssa Ahn showed resilience, coming from behind to defeat Emma Charney (USC) 6-7 (7-5), 6-4, 6-1. And newcomer Sein Myoung, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton, notched her first singles victory against a ranked opponent, dispatching Krisha Mahendran (USC) 6-2, 6-2. These performances gave Stanford hope and a glimpse of the team’s potential, even as the overall result slipped away.

Head coach Frankie Brennan was quick to acknowledge both the effort and the challenges his squad faces. “I’m really proud of the team and how they fought. I mean, when you’re missing your top two players on a team with injuries, everybody’s a little bit out of position, you know? And so everybody’s got to elevate their game at the right time. So, I thought, I was really proud with the fight yesterday. We came that close to having a Titanic win for this program early in the season. And maybe that took a little bit out of us today. I’m not really sure. I think we’re all searching for answers right now. This is a very good UCLA team, you know? Hats off to them that they played a really good match. But, you know, we’re gonna let our heads hang for a few minutes and then we’ll get back to work,” Brennan reflected after the weekend’s matches.

Indeed, the emotional toll of Friday’s near-upset seemed to linger into Saturday’s contest against UCLA. The Bruins, still stinging from their own narrow defeat to Cal the previous day, came out firing. They claimed the doubles point and never looked back, sweeping all six singles matches. Stanford, perhaps drained from the previous day’s marathon, simply couldn’t muster the same energy and fell 0-7.

The lack of depth due to injuries has been a persistent theme for the Cardinal. With Alexis Blokhina sidelined for the season and Valerie Glozman out indefinitely, the team’s lineup has been shuffled, thrusting younger, less experienced players into key roles. It’s a trial by fire, and one that Brennan doesn’t shy away from addressing. “You know, honestly, I’m a coach who takes responsibility for things. If we’re not winning matches, if we’re not performing, I think the blame starts with me a little bit, you know, and I’ve got to maybe figure things out a little bit and get this team trained better. I mean, we all talk about horses in the stable and tennis different because, it’s a mono a mono sport. There isn’t like a game plan to come up with or a strategy like we’re gonna run the ball more in football and then do play action and pass. It’s a little different than that, so I think just individually, we got to get back to work on certain things and I think all of us, we will get better. We always do. Just, I think it’s growing pains right now. You know, I think maybe, as I’ve said before, it’s like, we are an extremely young team. Lots of new players on this team who are still figuring themselves out. So, I’m still optimistic that we’re gonna end up having a great season. We just might take a different path getting there.”

Even in the face of defeat, Brennan emphasized the importance of motivation and self-responsibility for his players. Particularly when a team match is already decided, the focus shifts to individual pride and improvement. “Yeah, I mean, it’s self-motivation number one, right?” Brennan said. “So this is about you now. The match is over. And then the other part of it is, we want to show a number to the rest of the country. You don’t want to show a 7-0, which unfortunately we did today. You want to show a 4-3. Even though the match may have been decided, you want to show you’re still in every competition eventually at some point. Yesterday was a legit 4-3. There’s legit 4-3s and then there’s 4-3s like it became a 4-3 because the match was decided. That was a legit 4-3.”

One positive development for the Cardinal is the return of former Stanford standout Connie Ma, now serving as an assistant coach. Ma, who is set to begin medical school later this year, has been working with the team during warmups and brings a wealth of experience and strategic insight. “It’s great. Connie’s been hired as our third coach for this year,” Brennan said. “She’s obviously had an unbelievable career. She’s going to go to medical school. This is sort of just a four or five month stint for her and we’re just so lucky to have someone with her knowledge and understanding of the game helping us out. You know, this is a player who is a great player, but she was extremely cerebral. And so that makes her a really good coach as well. To put game plans together, see trends, and kind of really be able to tell you what to do. You can see the trust I have in her, you know, letting her have those matches. I’m popping on every court, but I have huge trust in her. Of course, when you’ve been coaching someone as I did with her for four years, I know she knows what to do, you know?”

Stanford’s next opportunity to regroup comes at home, as they prepare to host Sacramento State on Monday, February 9, at 12:00 PM PT. With the season still young and plenty of tennis left to play, the Cardinal are determined to learn from their setbacks and continue their pursuit of excellence—however winding the road may be.