Deacs to Open ACC Play with West Coast Matches at No. 21 Stanford and No. 7 California

Friday, February 27

Stanford, Calif.

4:30 P.M.

Wake Forest University

Stanford

Photo by: Seth Seebaugh / Wake Forest Athletics

Deacs to Open ACC Play with West Coast Matches at No. 21 Stanford and No. 7 California

2/26/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

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This weekend will feature the first-ever true road matches for the Deacs versus the Cardinal and Golden Bears.

By: Keion Robinson

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest women's tennis (7-4) officially steps into conference play this weekend, traveling west for road matches at No. 21 Stanford (Feb. 27) and No. 7 California (Feb. 28).

Friday's contest versus Stanford is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. On Saturday, first serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.

This weekend will feature the first time within program history that Wake Forest will face the Cardinal and Golden Bears in true road matches at their respective venues.

Additionally, the two matchups will serve as the Deacs' second and third against nationally-ranked opponents this spring.

Wake Forest is coming off wins in its last two outings, having most recently played three matches in three days at its tennis center.

The Matches
Friday, Feb. 27
Wake Forest at No. 21 Stanford – 4:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 28
Wake Forest at No. 7 California – 3 p.m. ET

Last Time Out
Sunday, Feb. 22
Wake Forest 4, App State 2

This past Sunday, Wake Forest completed a 4-2 comeback win over App State, improving its home record to 7-1.

After App State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, the Deacs quickly responded in singles. Krystal Blanch got the ball rolling with a straight-set victory to give Wake Forest its first point. Evie Oxford and Sankavi Gownder each picked up an eighth singles win of the season – their eight victories are tied for the most on the team.

It was Heidi Bulger who clinched the match for the Old Gold & Black, defeating App State's Ruby Broadbent in front of a lively crowd to wrap things up.

Saturday, Feb. 21
Wake Forest 6, William & Mary 1

Wake Forest cruised to a 6-1 victory over William & Mary last Saturday. The Deacs won an intense doubles point, then proceeded to roll the Tribe on five of the six courts in singles play.

Wake Forest increased its winning streak against William & Mary to five, now leading the all-time series 25-17.

The Deacs got off to a great start in doubles thanks to Nevena Carton/Krystal Blanch, who were paired together for the first time all year. They took down William & Mary's top pairing of Tilda Larsson/Francesca Davis, 6-3. William & Mary responded, taking the match on court two, 6-2. It was Heidi Bulger/Aubrey Nisbet who produced the heroics, winning their match on a 6-3 finish, to secure the opening point for the Deacs.

In singles, it was all Wake Forest. Carton, Gownder, Oxford and Bulger all won in straight sets. Blanch then earned a hard-fought, three-set victory (6-3, 3-6, 6-3), while Nisbet fell just short against Ale Gonzalez-Galino in a third-set tiebreaker for William & Mary's lone point of the match.

Friday, Feb. 20
Charlotte 4, Wake Forest 0

Outdoors for the second time this season, Wake Forest fell to Charlotte by a score of 4-0 last Friday night. After sweeping the doubles session, the 49ers took the first three singles matches of the night to clinch the victory.

The Deacs' top duo of Nevena Carton/Kady Tannenbaum fell in first doubles to Charlotte's nationally ranked pairing of No. 20 Ni Xi/Sara Suchankova. Krystal Blanch/Aubrey Nisbet fell in third doubles, and the first point of the evening went the way of the 49ers. In singles, Carton, Evie Oxford and Sankavi Gownder were all able to win a set, but none got the chance to play out their deciding third sets. Charlotte picked up the first singles point of the match by way of a Tannenbaum retirement. Blanch and Heidi Bulger dropped straight sets, and the 49ers sealed the 4-0 victory.

Wake Forest now leads the all-time series, 10-1.

Protecting the Home Courts
Up to date, over the past six years, Wake Forest has posted a 47-22 record at home. The team's 5-0 start this year was its best since the 2019 campaign, when the Deacs got off to an exceptional 12-0 start. Currently resting at a 7-1 mark this season, Wake Forest ranks fifth in the league at home.

Wake Forest Women's Tennis Home Record By Season

Spring Season	Record
2026	7-1 (through Feb. 26)
2025	8-5
2024	4-5
2023	12-4
2022	8-4
2021	8-3
Total	47-22 (.681)

Series History
Versus Stanford

Series: Stanford leads, 5-0
Last Time: April 11, 2025
Result: L, 0-4

Versus California

Series: California leads, 5-1
Last Time: April 13, 2025
Result: L, 1-4

Scouting the Opposition
As a team, Stanford is No. 21 in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Cardinal holds a 5-4 overall record and began conference play last week, sweeping Georgia Tech (Feb. 20) before falling in a 4-2 defeat to then-No. 21 Clemson a day later. Among the roster, three individuals are ranked in singles:

No. 10 Valerie Glozman
No. 29 Alyssa Ahn
No. 62 Monika Ekstrand

California enters the weekend undefeated at 4-0 overall and will face NC State at home during Friday afternoon (Feb. 27). The Golden Bears are off to a 2-0 start against league competition, with wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech. California's roster features four singles players with national rankings:

No. 13 Berta Passola Folch
No. 55 Mao Mushika
No. 74 Johanne Svendsen
No. 93 Naomi Xu

Up Next
Wake Forest will return to its home courts next weekend for a second weekend of conference action, beginning with a Friday ACC home opener versus Miami at 5 p.m. (March 6). On Sunday, the Deacs will host Florida State in an 11 a.m. start time.