No. 25 Stanford women’s tennis (13-6, 6-4 ACC) fell to No. 7 North Carolina and No. 4 Duke in back-to-back home matches at Taube Pavilion over the weekend. The losses came just days after a strong road sweep against Miami and Florida State.
Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Duke was especially emotional, marking Senior Night and the final regular-season home match for seniors Valencia Xu, Sasha Yepifanova, and Connie Ma. Xu and Ma each earned singles wins in their final home appearance, while Yepifanova continued her return from injury.
“This is Stanford women’s tennis,” said head coach Frankie Brennan during the senior ceremony. He praised the trio’s work ethic and ability to balance academics, athletics, and future careers. Brennan, holding back tears, read through their long list of achievements, noting that if Ma weren’t heading to medical school and Yepifanova weren’t starting a job at Apple, both would be ready for the pro circuit.
Yepifanova reflected on her bond with her teammates: “I was unbelievably lucky to have them on my side,” she said. “I’ll miss it so much. It was seriously so, so special.”
Ma echoed that sentiment. “The last four years have certainly been a roller coaster with a lot of emotion, but there’s no one I’d rather have had to go through it with than Sasha and Valencia.”
Xu added, “I’m so glad I got to spend my four years with them.”
Ma’s favorite memories include winning three straight Pac-12 tournaments with Xu and Yepifanova. “I feel like everyone in college kind of thinks of this day and dreams of this day,” she said. “I can’t really believe that it’s happening. It’s over.”
On Friday, Stanford fell 4-0 to North Carolina. The Tar Heels secured the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. The second doubles match was tied 6-6 when it was called. In singles play, Emma Sun retired early due to injury, and Chidimma Okpara and Caroline Driscoll lost in hard-fought matches. The remaining singles matches were unfinished once the team result was decided.
Stanford put up a strong fight the next day against Duke. Driscoll and Xu earned a 6-2 doubles win at the No. 2 spot, but Duke clinched the point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. In singles, Duke extended its lead with a quick win at No. 6 before Ma responded with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory over No. 14 Irina Balus. After Shaffer fell at No. 5, Glozman and Driscoll won at No. 2 and No. 3 to tie the match 3-3.
The deciding match came down to Court 4, where Okpara nearly forced a third set but fell to former Stanford teammate Eleana Yu, who now plays for Duke.
Stanford will conclude the regular season on the road, facing Wake Forest on Friday and No. 12 NC State on Sunday. The Cardinal will remain in North Carolina for the ACC Championship, which begins Tuesday, April 15.
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