The 2023 ITA Women’s National Team Indoor Championship is finally here, and with 16 of the countries top programs headed to Seattle, a lot is at stake for those involved. So today we’ll take a look at some of the major storyline to follow over the weekend, and make predictions as to who will advance and ultimately be crowned champions in Seattle .

Storylines to Follow

The Rise and Resurgence of SEC Teams

Once a staple within the collegiate tennis landscape, teams within the SEC have seemingly fallen to the wayside. Since 2019, powerhouse programs such as Vanderbilt and Florida have struggled to find the form that once brought them almost unparalleled success in the 1990s and early to mid 2000s. And though Georgia has continuously been ranked within the top ten nationally, they have, in recent years, failed to put up a solid performance at the Indoors. However, it seems as though things are finally starting to look up for many of the teams within the SEC. With Georgia, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Auburn all qualifying for Indoors, the SEC is conference with the most teams appearing at at this years tournament. Now, in the case of Georgia and Vanderbilt, this ITA is an opportunity for them to finally rejuvenate their programs and once again become contenders, not only for a National Indoor title, but for an NCAA Championship as well. While, for teams like Texas A&M and Auburn, their appearance at the tournament will only further raise their teams stock, as they have the opportunity to rack up multiple ranked wins over the course of the weekend . All in all, the SEC as whole has much to gain, as even programs not participating, will greatly appreciate the opportunity to play numerous highly ranked team throughout their conference season.

UNC Chases History

The University of Chapel Hill Women’s Tennis Team has been an unstoppable force at the Indoors. Having won the last three championships, they now enter the tournament with an opportunity to not only secure their fourth consecutive win, but earn there place in collegiate tennis history, as they can become the first women’s program to win the event four times in a row. A team that has managed to get better and better with each passing year, this is by far the deepest lineup for the Tarheels, and though their road to the championship will not be an easy one, the possibility of capturing title number four is definitely within their reach. 

Iowa State and San Diego are the New Kids on the Block

For teams like Iowa State and the University of San Diego, one word can be used to describe their season so far, at that’s upset. Both teams enter the tournament having knocked off notable ranked contenders in their individual kickoff events. In the case of Iowa State, there dominant performance over UCLA and Miami is what ultimately sent them to Seattle. While for San Diego their fiery 4-1 victory over Cal Berkley is what booked their trip as well. Now to some, these recent victories may come across as surprising, but to the Cyclones and Toreros, these runs have been years in the making. In the case of of Iowa State their program has been quietly building itself up in the shadows of their Big -12 compatriots Texas and Pklahoma. Now some may even argue that they have finally caught up to the pack and are more than ready to compete for their conference’s top spot. While for San Diego, the Toreros have spent years dealing with the out right dominance of Pepperdine within the WCC, but by securing there spot at Indoors, they now have the opportunity to elevate themselves in the minds of tennis fans and join their conference rival at the top of the mountain.

The Return of Stanford Women’s Tennis

Appearing for the first time since 2020, Stanford is set to make their long awaited return to the National Indoors. For a team so use to high levels of success and titles wins, the last few years have been somewhat of a dry spell for the Cardinals. Now much of their recent misfortune can been blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic, as a lack of match play and difficulty securing transfer and freshman recruits have seen the Cards struggle to compete in the the current tennis landscape. But all is not completely lost because with the addition of freshman Alexis Blokhina , it seems like the Cards have finally built a line up deep enough to compete with even the toughest of competition.

The Draw

These first round matches are already shaping up to be ones to watch. Especially the match up between No. 2 seed UNC and Pepperdine. The last two times these team played they split a pair of 4-3 victories, so it would not be surprising to see the score line follow this same pattern, but with UNC overall depth, the Tarheels should end the night victorious. Other notable matches include Iowa State and Vanderbilt, as both teams enter the tournament undefeated and with significant wins over ranked opponents, this looks like another match that will come down to a 4-3 decision. Finally the match between Stanford and Georgia is another one to keep an eye out for, as these two teams, who were once dominant programs at Indoors, are now looking to shake past poor performances and regain their hold over the championship

Predictions

It is hard to bet against the Tarheels at Indoors and given the fact that the biggest challenge of the tournament will come in round one. As long they get past this roadblock, the Heels should be able to tackle any team in their way.

Where to Watch

You can follow all the action happening over the weekend on Cracked Racquets’ YouTube channel. Coverage will begin Friday February 10 at 12 PM ET.