PALO ALTO, Calif. — Saint Mary's Women's Tennis takes on Stanford down on The Farm this Friday and will play at Sacramento State on Sunday. Top player Mariia Kozyreva moved up in the ITA Collegiate Tennis Division I Women's National Rankings from No. 74 to No. 36. She is 12-2 overall and has started dual-match play 2-0.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's (0-3) at No.15 Stanford (3-1)
Friday, February 18 at 2:00 p.m.
Taube Family Tennis Center, Stanford, Calif.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Women's Tennis took two of three doubles matches to win the doubles competition against Fresno State at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center, but the Bulldogs held the Gaels to one singles win in six matches for a 5-2 win on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Three of those singles matches went to three sets as the Gaels (0-3) narrowly missed their first win of the season. Mariia Kozyreva didn't need three sets in her victory of Pang Jittakoat 6-2, 6-3. That gives Kozyreva a 2-0 start to dual-match play with one match at UCSB called early while she was ahead 5-4 in the third set.
 
Transfer from Montana Julia Ronney teamed up with the senior from Carson, Calif. Jordan Harris and defeated Nonnis Marzano and Carolina Piferi 6-3 in the doubles competition. And the combo of freshman Olivia Rook and Stefanie Silva beat A.C. Hummel and Matilde Magrini 6-4 for each tandem's first win of the spring season.
 
ABOUT STANFORD 
Nationally ranked No.15, the Cardinals remain undefeated on their home court so far this season. Early on, Stanford held down their own against UC Davis, claiming a 7-0 clean sweep against UC Davis, as well as, more recently, against the San Francisco Dons.
 
Stanford has faced Saint Mary's each of the last 14 seasons, winning 13 of those matches, including eight straight. Stanford has won 80 of its last 85 matches at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
 
The most decorated program in college history and winningest sport on The Farm, Stanford is 1,063-112 all-time over 47 seasons. The Cardinal have won 20 of the possible 39 NCAA championships. Stanford has won 21 national championships overall (20 NCAA, 1 AIAW).
 
During Lele Forood's coaching tenure, the Cardinal has compiled a 494-52 overall record and captured 10 NCAA team titles, including a three-year undefeated stretch from 2004-06. In addition to directing Stanford to 15 conference crowns (outright or shared), Forood has coached 25 All-Americans, five NCAA singles champions and five NCAA doubles champions.
 
Stanford is 3-1 on the year, narrowly missing an opportunity to advance to ITA Indoor Nationals after a 4-3 loss at No. 9 Virginia. Freshman Valencia Xu is on an 11-match win streak and is undefeated in her three dual match appearances so far.
 
The Cardinal has won three of the four doubles points this season.

ABOUT SAC STATE
The Hornets are in the midst of a six-match home stand and are 1-7 so far this season. They are coming of a pair of home matches last Saturday afternoon, defeating Grand Canyon, 4-3, before falling later in the afternoon to Pacific, 4-0, at the campus tennis courts.

Sacramento State has played three matches over two days. In the win over the Antelopes, the Hornets completed a big comeback that saw the team down, 3-0. To win, Sacramento State would need to win four straight singles matches, and that's exactly what happened. Three of those wins came in three sets.

The comeback began when Alexis Johnson won in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) at No. 5, followed by Grace McSkimming winning her match at No. 6 by a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 score. Megan Tagaloa then won at No. 4 to tie things at 3-3, as she just got past Autum Prudhomme, 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (5). The clincher came down to Tsveti Yotova at No. 1, who defeated Natasha Puehse, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Grand Canyon started the match by winning the doubles point.

In the loss to the Tigers, Sacramento State dropped the doubles point before falling at Nos. 1, 3 and 4 singles.
 
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