Stephenson Named Pac-12 Coach of the Year; Four Huskies Earn All-Pac-12
May 07, 2019 | Women's Tennis
SEATTLE --- Washington women's tennis head coach Robin Stephenson was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year and four Huskies were named to the All-Pac-12 team headlined by senior Stacey Fung and sophomore Vanessa Wong earning second-team honors as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Joining Fung and Wong on the All-Pac-12 team were senior Kenadi Hance and freshman Sedona Gallagher, who each picked up honorable mention honors. The four players on the Pac-12 team was the most since the conference combined the north and south divisions in 1998—doubling the previous high of two done nine times. It also matches the total number of Huskies to earn all-conference honors over the seven seasons combined.
Stephenson is the second Washington coach to earn Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors under the current conference alignment after Patty McCain did so twice in 2001 and again in 2003. Stephenson, who is in her fifth season as head coach at Washington, has helped return the program to a regional power again, amassing a 78-46 record during her tenure.
Stephenson has led the Huskies to one of their best seasons in team history in 2019, guiding the team to a 21-4 record and a program-best 8-2 mark in Pac-12 play. The 21 wins matches the second-most in program history and is the most since the team won 21 in 2004.
Washington reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time since 2011 and won a second-round match for the first time since 2009 by beating Princeton on Saturday. Washington's four losses this season all came to teams ranked in the ITA Top 10, though the Huskies posted an 8-4 record against nationally-ranked teams including upsets over No. 7 Kansas, No. 13 USC and No. 14 North Carolina State during the year.
Fung, a senior from Vancouver, B.C., is 17-9 in singles play as the Huskies' No. 1 player this season and recently earned a trip to her third-straight NCAA Individual Championships, becoming just the fifth Husky to reach the NCAA Singles tournament three times. She also has a 21-10 mark in doubles play including a 12-7 record in dual matches.
Fung, who is ranked No. 57 in the latest ITA rankings, seemed to have saved her best tennis for last, winning her last three decisions including the clincher in Washington's 4-0 win over No. 34 Princeton in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Saturday. The 2018 All-American also held a unique distinction this year, beating the No. 1 rated ITA players in singles and doubles this season.
Wong, a sophomore from Toronto, has gone 27-7 so far this year including a 20-4 record in dual matches and a 6-4 mark in Pac-12 play. She closed out the season with five-straight dual wins including victories over the No. 103 and No. 29 ranked players at the Pac-12 Tournament. Against No. 29 Elysia Bolton of UCLA in the Pac-12 Semifinals, Wong trailed 5-1 in the second set after losing the first set 7-5. However, she rallied back to win in a tiebreaker before pulling out a 6-2 victory to take the match. Overall, Wong went 5-3 against nationally-ranked opponents.
Hance, a senior from Torrance, Calif., has looked solid in her final season at UW, going 17-8 in singles matches and 26-11 in doubles play. Those 26 doubles wins are tied for the second-most by an individual in program history and just one shy of the record held by Joyce Ardies (2010). She and Natsuho Arakawa teamed up to pull out a thrilling 7-6 (5) victory over Princeton in the NCAA Second Round match on Saturday, clinching the doubles point for the Huskies.
Gallagher, a freshman from Henderson, Nevada, made an immediate impact with the Huskies this season, posting a 23-5 singles record including going a perfect 9-0 in Pac-12 play and held an 18-2 mark in doubles matches. Her .900 winning percentage in doubles matches in the best in a single season in program history while her .831 winning percentage in singles matches is the fifth-best. Gallagher played at No. 5 singles much of the year but earned her first win over a nationally-ranked opponent when she beat No. 122 Abi Altick 7-6 (5), 6-2 while playing at No. 4 in the regular-season finale against UCLA.
Washington continues its strong season on Friday, traveling to UCLA for the NCAA Super Regionals at 3:00 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Huskies—the No. 10 seed in the tournament field—look to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in program history with a win over the No. 7 seed Bruins.
Joining Fung and Wong on the All-Pac-12 team were senior Kenadi Hance and freshman Sedona Gallagher, who each picked up honorable mention honors. The four players on the Pac-12 team was the most since the conference combined the north and south divisions in 1998—doubling the previous high of two done nine times. It also matches the total number of Huskies to earn all-conference honors over the seven seasons combined.
Stephenson is the second Washington coach to earn Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors under the current conference alignment after Patty McCain did so twice in 2001 and again in 2003. Stephenson, who is in her fifth season as head coach at Washington, has helped return the program to a regional power again, amassing a 78-46 record during her tenure.
Stephenson has led the Huskies to one of their best seasons in team history in 2019, guiding the team to a 21-4 record and a program-best 8-2 mark in Pac-12 play. The 21 wins matches the second-most in program history and is the most since the team won 21 in 2004.
Washington reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time since 2011 and won a second-round match for the first time since 2009 by beating Princeton on Saturday. Washington's four losses this season all came to teams ranked in the ITA Top 10, though the Huskies posted an 8-4 record against nationally-ranked teams including upsets over No. 7 Kansas, No. 13 USC and No. 14 North Carolina State during the year.
Fung, a senior from Vancouver, B.C., is 17-9 in singles play as the Huskies' No. 1 player this season and recently earned a trip to her third-straight NCAA Individual Championships, becoming just the fifth Husky to reach the NCAA Singles tournament three times. She also has a 21-10 mark in doubles play including a 12-7 record in dual matches.
Fung, who is ranked No. 57 in the latest ITA rankings, seemed to have saved her best tennis for last, winning her last three decisions including the clincher in Washington's 4-0 win over No. 34 Princeton in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Saturday. The 2018 All-American also held a unique distinction this year, beating the No. 1 rated ITA players in singles and doubles this season.
Wong, a sophomore from Toronto, has gone 27-7 so far this year including a 20-4 record in dual matches and a 6-4 mark in Pac-12 play. She closed out the season with five-straight dual wins including victories over the No. 103 and No. 29 ranked players at the Pac-12 Tournament. Against No. 29 Elysia Bolton of UCLA in the Pac-12 Semifinals, Wong trailed 5-1 in the second set after losing the first set 7-5. However, she rallied back to win in a tiebreaker before pulling out a 6-2 victory to take the match. Overall, Wong went 5-3 against nationally-ranked opponents.
Hance, a senior from Torrance, Calif., has looked solid in her final season at UW, going 17-8 in singles matches and 26-11 in doubles play. Those 26 doubles wins are tied for the second-most by an individual in program history and just one shy of the record held by Joyce Ardies (2010). She and Natsuho Arakawa teamed up to pull out a thrilling 7-6 (5) victory over Princeton in the NCAA Second Round match on Saturday, clinching the doubles point for the Huskies.
Gallagher, a freshman from Henderson, Nevada, made an immediate impact with the Huskies this season, posting a 23-5 singles record including going a perfect 9-0 in Pac-12 play and held an 18-2 mark in doubles matches. Her .900 winning percentage in doubles matches in the best in a single season in program history while her .831 winning percentage in singles matches is the fifth-best. Gallagher played at No. 5 singles much of the year but earned her first win over a nationally-ranked opponent when she beat No. 122 Abi Altick 7-6 (5), 6-2 while playing at No. 4 in the regular-season finale against UCLA.
Washington continues its strong season on Friday, traveling to UCLA for the NCAA Super Regionals at 3:00 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Huskies—the No. 10 seed in the tournament field—look to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in program history with a win over the No. 7 seed Bruins.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Thursday, April 23
Wednesday, April 30
Friday, February 28
Thursday, August 01
