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NewsvineTwo weeks off just might have been what the Stanford men’s tennis team needed. The No. 34 Cardinal men returned to action over spring break after a hiatus for finals and rolled out three wins, including two over Pac-10 conference foes. The action started last Monday, when the Cardinal easily handled Brown University, 6-1, in its final tuneup match before Pac-10 play. The No. 75 Bears were no match for Stanford, even as the Cardinal mixed things up a bit in doubles.
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Juniors Matt Bruch and Blake Muller rejoined as partners at No. 1 doubles for just the second time this season. At No. 2 doubles, freshman Alex Clayton partnered with sophomore Paul Morrissey for the first time this season. Both teams easily won their matches and the Cardinal went up 1-0.
It was great to be back in the lineup again after being out for a while,” said Morrissey. “I think we came out and played a great match in the first dual match we played together.”
The only blemish from thereon out on the Cardinal scorecard was freshman Ted Kelly’s loss at No. 6 singles to Noah Gardner from Brown. Stanford was victorious at the No. 1 through 5 spots, including freshman Alex Clayton’s 20th singles victory of the season.
Matt and Blake started right back where they left off,” head coach John Whitlinger said, referring to the duo’s run to the NCAA Championships last season. “We know how good they can be. They are one of the best teams in the country.”
The second match of the week was the most anticipated for Stanford, as they got another shot at No. 15 Arizona State. Two weeks ago, Stanford ended a road swing through Arizona with a tough 4-3 loss to the Sun Devils. The players felt that match could have been won, and were looking forward to the rematch. Stanford took advantage of the opportunity, going up early and never looking back, blanking the Sun Devils, 7-0, for their first Pac-10 victory of the season.
In doubles play, the newly reunited duo of Bruch and Muller easily dispatched Matt Brooklyn and T.J. Bellama, the No. 53 team in the nation. The No. 2 team of freshman Alex Clayton and sophomore Paul Morrissey and the solid No. 3 team of freshman Greg Hirshman and sophomore Richard Wire also scored victories to secure the doubles point for Stanford.
In singles, Stanford swept through the entire Arizona State lineup, including four matches won in straight sets. It was a huge victory for the Cardinal, not only avenging the earlier loss but handing Arizona State (12-1) their first dual match loss of the season.
“I was really proud of the guys,” Whitlinger said. “They were motivated to play and really stepped up. Everyone contributed from top of the lineup to the bottom.”
In the final match of the week, Stanford won its third in a row, beating the University of Arizona, 5-2. Muller and Bruch continued their strong play, winning their third match in a row at No. 1 doubles, 9-8. Bruno Alcala and Ravid Hazi from Arizona pushed the duo to a tiebreaker, but Bruch and Muller held strong to clinch the doubles point. Stanford went on to win four singles matches to secure the victory, led by Bruch and Wire’s wins at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, respectively. Clayton suffered a rare blemish on the final day, though, as he fell at No. 1 singles to Claudio Christen of Arizona, 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.
Bruch was honored for his outstanding play as the Pac-10 Player of the Week. Including his three doubles wins with Muller, Bruch also won all three of his singles matches at No. 2 in straight sets. It is the first honor for Bruch, as well as the Cardinal this season.
Stanford is now 8-6 on the season and 2-0 in Pac-10 play, equaling their entire win totals from last season, both overall and in Pac-10 play.
“What I like is that the guys want to play,” Whitlinger said. “They want to get out there and compete and be challenged.
“They did a great job when we got back together [after the break for finals]. They knew how important these matches were and the rest of the season is.”
The road does not get any easier for Stanford. The team will travel to Los Angeles this weekend to play USC and UCLA on Friday and Saturday. Both teams beat Stanford earlier this season and both are regarded as two of the top teams in the nation.
“Both [USC and UCLA] are potential NCAA champions,” Whitlinger said. “We are going to battle to pull one or both out. We have a team that is going to be tough.”
Contact Danny Belch at dbelch1@stanford.edu.