No. 31 Texas (5-4) took on No. 16 Stanford (7-1) just off the shores of the San Francisco Bay in Palo Alto, California on Saturday.
The contest between the Longhorns and the Cardinal started off with a slight change to the normal dual-match proceedings. Due to the possibility of inclement weather, the teams played the six singles matches to start, instead of the usual three-match doubles competition.
The bright spots of the match for Texas were two huge singles wins from freshman Petra Granic and 39th-ranked freshman Bianca Turati, both over ranked opponents to even the score at 2-2.
Turati came out hot to defeat Stanford’s 65th-ranked senior Taylor Davidson in the third match of the day. The victory came in decisive straight sets of 6-3, 6-4.
Just after Turati’s victory, Granic took down Melissa Lord, Stanford’s eighth-ranked sophomore, in straight sets of 7-5, 6-3. Granic’s win over such a highly ranked opponent is undoubtedly the highlight of her young Texas career.
But the two victories weren’t enough as the ensuing matches ended in favor of the Cardinal. Stanford claimed a 4-2 victory as the teams decided not to play the doubles competition after the singles outcome.
“Naturally, losing the match is not the desired outcome,” head coach Howard Joffe said. “But, playing Stanford at home is definitely a good barometer for where the program is currently.”
Texas continued play Sunday against Fresno State, showing no signs of a hangover from its loss to Stanford.
The Longhorns came out in dominant fashion, never dropping a single match to the Bulldogs en route to a 7-0 victory.
The Longhorns found their groove in the doubles matches as they dominantly swept all three rounds. Granic and sophomore Daniella Roldan claimed a 7-5 victory in first doubles.
“The Longhorns did an outstanding job of bouncing back from yesterday’s ferocious match, Joffe said. “Not only were our ladies focused and determined, but they played very good tennis.”
Texas will try and replicate its success in its next home outing against Rice at Whitaker Tennis Courts on March 13.
