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The quest for an NCAA title begins anew for the Stanford men's tennis team on Tuesday when the Cardinal opens its dual-match season against visiting Sacramento State at 1:30 p.m.

Stanford comes in ranked No. 10 in the latest edition of the ITA national poll.

The Cardinal advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships for the second straight season in 2012, finishing 20-9 overall.

Stanford, which placed third in the Pac-12 at 5-2, reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive year, finished the year with a No. 9 national ranking and an upset No. 6 Kentucky in the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships.

Gone from last season's squad is Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher. Thus, the question facing head coach John Whitlinger is how those two will be replaced.

After being named ITA National Rookie of the Year, Klahn went on to earn All-America honors in both singles and doubles each of the next three seasons while capturing the 2010 NCAA singles title.

A three-time All-American in doubles, Thacher won at least 20 matches every year and last season became the third player in school history to win the prestigious ITA National Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.

Klahn and Thacher formed one of the most prolific doubles teams in school history, pocketing seven titles and compiling a 113-23 career record.

"When you have two guys who have been at the top of the lineup for basically the last four years, a doubles team that's been among the best in the nation, you're talking about very big shoes to fill," Whitlinger said. "Now, I know there are guys on the roster who can step up for us. I just have to see it once we get out there."

What Stanford lacks in nationally-ranked household names, it more than makes up for with increased depth. There are plenty of experienced returning players, and Whitlinger will have no shortage of options for the singles and doubles lineups.

Six different returning players won between 16-23 matches last year, and all but one of them (Ryan Thacher) played at least one match at three different positions in the singles lineup.

John Morrissey, Stanford's only nationally-ranked singles player at No. 39, led the club in overall (23) and dual (19) victories last season. He's a likely candidate at No. 1, while Matt Kandath is the most experienced player with 61 career dual matches under his belt.

"It's probably going to be a work in progress all year long," Whitlinger said. "We have a lot of guys who can play this year. We did well in the fall tournaments collectively and came away with some definite positives. Setting a lineup this year will be as tough as it's ever been, and that's a credit to the depth of this team and getting guys playing time."

The uncertainty of the lineup should result in early season opportunities for freshmen Nolan Paige, Maciek Romanowicz, Trey Strobel and Anthony Tsodikov. All four are capable of filling spots in the lower half of the lineup, and possibly even moving into the upper third.

Paige showed some promise in October, defeating Romanowicz to claim the Aggie Fall Invitational title and reaching the semifinals of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. Paige also teamed with Tsodikov for a runner-up finish at the Battle in the Bay Classic. All four rookies performed well at the Aggie Fall Invitational, as Strobel teamed with Menlo School grad Jamin Ball to capture a doubles title while Paige and Romanowicz teamed up for a doubles crown.

"I wouldn't be surprised if two, or even three, of the freshmen cracked the singles lineup," Whitlinger said. "Their IQ for the game and work ethic are very good. Nolan played well at ITA Regionals and two of his wins were top-conference guys in Kyle McMorrow and Riki McLachlan. Maciek has a great attitude on the court, Trey is ranked in doubles with Jamin Ball at No. 57 and Anthony is a crafty player who I can also see stepping up and winning a match."

This year's regular-season schedule features 16 home matches to be played at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, an appearance in the National Team Indoor Championships and an April 20 Senior Day match against California. This year's NCAA Championships will be held May 16-27 in Urbana, Ill., hosted by the University of Illinois.

Among the big home matches will be Texas A&M on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m., which will the ITA Kick-Off Weekend; a date with four-time defending NCAA champ USC on March 29 at 1:30 p.m., followed by a showdown with UCLA the following day at noon; and an April 10 match with 2006 NCAA champ Pepperdine (1:30 p.m.), which likely will have some postseason implications.

— Brian Risso/Stanford Media Relations

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