Saturday, January 28
Seattle, WA
1:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Portland
Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics
Stephenson Has Huskies Hungry, Confident Into Home Opener
January 27, 2023 | Women's Tennis
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY WOMEN'S TENNIS
Seattle, Wash. | Nordstrom Tennis Center
Saturday, Jan. 28
Washington hosts Portland, 1 pm | Live Stats and Video
Sunday, Jan. 29
Washington hosts Portland State, 12 pm | Live Stats and Video
This Saturday and Sunday the Husky women's tennis team plays its first two home matches of the season coming off a successful 2-0 trip to Hawaii to start the 2023 dual season. Washington has a long-term goal of earning a second straight NCAA Championship appearance, but first things first, taking on the Portland Pilots and Portland State Vikings this weekend. And in just a couple short weeks, the Huskies will be the host for the 2023 ITA National Team Indoor Championships, which will bring in fifteen of the top teams in the nation to battle for the indoor national title. The Dawgs will look to be in top form for that big opportunity to compete and beat some highly-ranked opponents.
Head Coach Robin Stephenson discussed the team's first week of play, the upcoming ITA National Team Indoors, and the new-look lineup that featured four new Huskies in the opening week, but was still loaded with experience.
Coach Stephenson...
On what the takeaways were from the opening week and victories in Hawaii: This is really a unique group and we've known that from the first day in the fall. They get along really, really well. There's a good energy and connection between all of them. A lot of leadership from different people. A really supportive group. They've got a lot of belief and trust in each other. Hawaii was great because it was the start to our season on court but it's a really good team bonding trip and we took a lot away from it, and the experiences we had together bonded everyone even closer.
The first match I was impressed we came out with a little bit of nerves in the doubles and were able to pull through that. Erika (Matsuda) and Sarah-Maude (Fortin) were the last two on and Erika as a freshman her first time in that situation rose to the occasion which was cool to see. In singles you could tell the experience we have in our lineup, the girls came out focused, and the level of intensity was really cool to see. It was a good statement from them. Then Hawaii is always a tough team, and we handled the heat well and competed at a high level. So it was a great start to the season.
On having four new players in the starting lineup to begin the season, yet still having a very experienced lineup: In year's past we've had more of a core group in our lineup. This year going in with four new people in our lineup to start the year, I was curious to see what that would look like and our identity as a group. But we just have so much experience with Mel (Sakar) and Jenn (Kerr) playing at Columbia and being super seniors. Astrid (Olsen), same thing, even though she didn't play last year, the experience that she has. Erika's the only freshman out there but she has a high level of junior experience. So every spot we feel like we have mature and poised players who have seen it all and know what to expect. Our depth is even better than last year, I think. We feel that at every spot we have a shot against anybody. That's where the belief comes in; I think the girls know that and feel really confident with each other and with themselves. In some ways I feel like this group's been together a really long time.
On what the focus is on over the next two weeks leading up to National Team Indoors: Just playing more matches. Competing and solidifying our identity as a group and gaining confidence. We talked to the team last week that we feel like we're at our best when we're enjoying what we're doing and having fun together. This group works so hard, there's no doubt in our mind that they're out there every day looking to get better in practice. So it's just continuing to do what we're doing and be who we are. The way we've been preparing since we got together is at a high level, so continuing to do that and playing matches and getting experience. Getting the home matches this weekend will be good just to get used to the environment. Once we get to Indoors, it will just be fun, we've been looking forward to this for a long time.
On how much qualifying for ITA National Team Indoors a year ago will help in this season's installment: A lot. We were really excited to get there, and then playing those matches, for some of the girls was just a new experience. Now having that under their belt and knowing what to expect and knowing what the matches are going to be like and how competitive it's going to be—and playing at home will make us more comfortable—but I think just having the experience from last year, and walking away not feeling like we did what we could have done, I think we were just a little nervous last year. That will be behind us and we'll be able to relax and settle into the tournament better. Having our fans behind us will be huge, but I'm glad that we had that last year because it's a unique event.
On what Hikaru Sato has shown over the past year to earn the No. 1 singles spot, and how the Huskies have an interchangeable lineup: Hikaru came in and started out playing four. When she was at Washington State she played number two for them for a few years, so she has experience at that level. But her game and her ability, she's just started to realize how good she is. We've always known it and believed in it, but the work she's put in and the confidence she has in herself just continues to grow. And I think she's just scratching the surface of her ability. I think she can compete with anybody in the country.
With that being said, I think one of the most difficult decisions Georgia and I had to make is where to put everybody in our lineup. Because we feel we have so many people that are interchangeable, we could have put anybody anywhere to be honest. They're all beating each other in practice and competing at a high level against each other. I think we've got a lot of people that can play at different spots and have success. So I'm excited to see how things continue to evolve. We think that Hikaru's ready and has had a ton of experience, and showed last year she was able to continue to grow as the season went on.
On the team leadership dynamic: I think everybody's got a different role on the team and the leadership is coming from a lot of different places. People are speaking up and stepping up in different ways, and there's mutual trust and respect that everyone is on the same page. We do have a lot of experience and so I think everybody feels that they can bring their leadership in different areas, and it's been really cool to see. There's not just one person, I think it's a collective effort from all of them.
Seattle, Wash. | Nordstrom Tennis Center
Saturday, Jan. 28
Washington hosts Portland, 1 pm | Live Stats and Video
Sunday, Jan. 29
Washington hosts Portland State, 12 pm | Live Stats and Video
This Saturday and Sunday the Husky women's tennis team plays its first two home matches of the season coming off a successful 2-0 trip to Hawaii to start the 2023 dual season. Washington has a long-term goal of earning a second straight NCAA Championship appearance, but first things first, taking on the Portland Pilots and Portland State Vikings this weekend. And in just a couple short weeks, the Huskies will be the host for the 2023 ITA National Team Indoor Championships, which will bring in fifteen of the top teams in the nation to battle for the indoor national title. The Dawgs will look to be in top form for that big opportunity to compete and beat some highly-ranked opponents.
Head Coach Robin Stephenson discussed the team's first week of play, the upcoming ITA National Team Indoors, and the new-look lineup that featured four new Huskies in the opening week, but was still loaded with experience.
Coach Stephenson...
On what the takeaways were from the opening week and victories in Hawaii: This is really a unique group and we've known that from the first day in the fall. They get along really, really well. There's a good energy and connection between all of them. A lot of leadership from different people. A really supportive group. They've got a lot of belief and trust in each other. Hawaii was great because it was the start to our season on court but it's a really good team bonding trip and we took a lot away from it, and the experiences we had together bonded everyone even closer.
The first match I was impressed we came out with a little bit of nerves in the doubles and were able to pull through that. Erika (Matsuda) and Sarah-Maude (Fortin) were the last two on and Erika as a freshman her first time in that situation rose to the occasion which was cool to see. In singles you could tell the experience we have in our lineup, the girls came out focused, and the level of intensity was really cool to see. It was a good statement from them. Then Hawaii is always a tough team, and we handled the heat well and competed at a high level. So it was a great start to the season.
On having four new players in the starting lineup to begin the season, yet still having a very experienced lineup: In year's past we've had more of a core group in our lineup. This year going in with four new people in our lineup to start the year, I was curious to see what that would look like and our identity as a group. But we just have so much experience with Mel (Sakar) and Jenn (Kerr) playing at Columbia and being super seniors. Astrid (Olsen), same thing, even though she didn't play last year, the experience that she has. Erika's the only freshman out there but she has a high level of junior experience. So every spot we feel like we have mature and poised players who have seen it all and know what to expect. Our depth is even better than last year, I think. We feel that at every spot we have a shot against anybody. That's where the belief comes in; I think the girls know that and feel really confident with each other and with themselves. In some ways I feel like this group's been together a really long time.
On what the focus is on over the next two weeks leading up to National Team Indoors: Just playing more matches. Competing and solidifying our identity as a group and gaining confidence. We talked to the team last week that we feel like we're at our best when we're enjoying what we're doing and having fun together. This group works so hard, there's no doubt in our mind that they're out there every day looking to get better in practice. So it's just continuing to do what we're doing and be who we are. The way we've been preparing since we got together is at a high level, so continuing to do that and playing matches and getting experience. Getting the home matches this weekend will be good just to get used to the environment. Once we get to Indoors, it will just be fun, we've been looking forward to this for a long time.
On how much qualifying for ITA National Team Indoors a year ago will help in this season's installment: A lot. We were really excited to get there, and then playing those matches, for some of the girls was just a new experience. Now having that under their belt and knowing what to expect and knowing what the matches are going to be like and how competitive it's going to be—and playing at home will make us more comfortable—but I think just having the experience from last year, and walking away not feeling like we did what we could have done, I think we were just a little nervous last year. That will be behind us and we'll be able to relax and settle into the tournament better. Having our fans behind us will be huge, but I'm glad that we had that last year because it's a unique event.
On what Hikaru Sato has shown over the past year to earn the No. 1 singles spot, and how the Huskies have an interchangeable lineup: Hikaru came in and started out playing four. When she was at Washington State she played number two for them for a few years, so she has experience at that level. But her game and her ability, she's just started to realize how good she is. We've always known it and believed in it, but the work she's put in and the confidence she has in herself just continues to grow. And I think she's just scratching the surface of her ability. I think she can compete with anybody in the country.
With that being said, I think one of the most difficult decisions Georgia and I had to make is where to put everybody in our lineup. Because we feel we have so many people that are interchangeable, we could have put anybody anywhere to be honest. They're all beating each other in practice and competing at a high level against each other. I think we've got a lot of people that can play at different spots and have success. So I'm excited to see how things continue to evolve. We think that Hikaru's ready and has had a ton of experience, and showed last year she was able to continue to grow as the season went on.
On the team leadership dynamic: I think everybody's got a different role on the team and the leadership is coming from a lot of different places. People are speaking up and stepping up in different ways, and there's mutual trust and respect that everyone is on the same page. We do have a lot of experience and so I think everybody feels that they can bring their leadership in different areas, and it's been really cool to see. There's not just one person, I think it's a collective effort from all of them.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
Washington 4, Southern California 1 | Big Ten Tournament Highlights
Wednesday, April 30
2025 Go BIG! for Washington Day
Friday, February 28
UW Officially Joins the Big Ten
Thursday, August 01
Rapid Fire with UW Women's Tennis
Saturday, May 18
