Chrissy Jones – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Tue, 28 May 2013 03:25:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Chrissy Jones – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Gibbs captures NCAA singles title, will forego senior year to play professionally https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/27/gibbs-captures-ncaa-singles-title-will-forego-senior-year-to-play-professionally/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/27/gibbs-captures-ncaa-singles-title-will-forego-senior-year-to-play-professionally/#respond Tue, 28 May 2013 03:25:47 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1077439 Junior Nicole Gibbs captured the NCAA singles title over Nebraska’s Mary Weatherholt 6-2, 6-4 on Monday, successfully defending her title to become the first repeat NCAA singles champion since Stanford’s Amber Liu ’06 in 2004. After the match, Gibbs announced she would be foregoing her senior season to begin her professional career. Gibbs, who led […]

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Junior Nicole Gibbs captured the NCAA singles title over Nebraska’s Mary Weatherholt 6-2, 6-4 on Monday, successfully defending her title to become the first repeat NCAA singles champion since Stanford’s Amber Liu ’06 in 2004. After the match, Gibbs announced she would be foregoing her senior season to begin her professional career.

Gibbs, who led the Cardinal to a team NCAA title last week before cruising through the individual tournament without dropping a set this week, is the second Stanford player in history to boast an NCAA team, singles and doubles title.

Junior Nicole Gibbs (above) (SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)
Junior Nicole Gibbs (above) won her second-consecutive NCAA singles title Monday. (SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)

Gibbs defeated former teammate Mallory Burdette ’13 in the finals last year to win her first individual title. But it wouldn’t be her last. The All-American won six straight matches to hold onto the crown.

“The biggest sensation I felt was relief and then happiness for everything I accomplished,” Gibbs said. “There was a lot of pressure late in the week with lots of interviews about repeating and of course my own expectations to defend the title. I played a really nervous match [against Weatherholt] and was pretty tight throughout.”

All the focus was on singles as both of Stanford’s doubles teams were eliminated in the first round. The duo of Gibbs and junior Kristie Ahn fell to Tulsa’s Isaura Enrique and Samantha Vickers 6-2, 6-4. Senior Stacey Tan and sophomore Ellen Tsay didn’t have much luck either, losing to Lauren Embree and Sofie Oyen of Florida 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

In the first round of singles, No. 13 Gibbs defeated No. 47 Yang Pang of Arkansas 7-5, 6-4 in the tightest match of her run. Ahn, who clinched the team title for Stanford last week in a spectacular match, fell to Kansas State’s Petra Niedermayerova 6-2, 6-1. Freshman Krista Hardebeck won her first NCAA singles match over Pleun Burgmans of Auburn 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to move into the second round.

“I had a little bit of a let down after the team championship,” Gibbs said. “Getting through first round was really tough for me. My first round match was probably the toughest match I had all week. [Pang] came out to play and was pretty fearless.”

Stanford’s representatives had continued success in the second round as Gibbs breezed past Michigan’s Ronit Yurovsky 6-4, 6-4, and Hardebeck beat Virginia Commonwealth’s Cindy Chala 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. That was the third time in her last four matches where Hardebeck lost the first set only to win the match.

“Tennis is just a long sport,” Hardebeck said. “Your opponent has a long ways to go before she wins, so in most cases it gives you something to fight for and makes you jumpstart your game to play better.”

Freshman Krista Hardebeck (above) earned All-American honors for reaching the Round of 16 of the NCAA singles tournament.
Freshman Krista Hardebeck (above) earned All-American honors for reaching the Round of 16 of the NCAA singles tournament. (DON FERIA/isiphotos.com)

The Round of 16 marked the end for the freshman All-American. Hardebeck couldn’t get past No. 6 Laura Herring of Georgia, who won the match 6-0, 6-2.

“That was my seventh match of the week, and I’d been having two-hour plus matches every day,” Hardebeck said. “I was pretty physically fatigued, and [Herring] played very well and is a great player, so I had to be on the top of my game if I wanted to beat her and unfortunately I wasn’t able to be there.”

Gibbs really started to gain momentum in the Sweet Sixteen. In a repeat matchup from the team championship days before, she played Texas A&M’s Christina Sanchez-Quintanar. In their first meeting, Gibbs was shut out for the first time in her collegiate career in the first set but rallied back to win twelve straight games and take the match 0-6, 6-2, 6-0. This time around was easier for the NCAA champ, who beat Sanchez-Quintanar 6-4, 6-4.

Play seemed to get only easier for Gibbs, who defeated No. 16 Yana Koroleva of Clemson 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinal, No. 31 Breaunna Addison of Texas 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinal and Weatherholt in the final, losing only a combined 10 games over her final three matches.

“I picked up a lot of momentum throughout the tournament,” Gibbs said. “As I worked into the draw I started to feel my shots and my body was feeling great. The trainers were taking great care of me, but by the time I got to Sanchez I was a little nervous because of our match in the team tournament. From that point on though, I played really well and was able to take it to a new level.”

Gibbs’ victory in Monday’s final marked her last match as a Stanford student-athlete. Gibbs will skip here senior season on the Farm to enter the pro circuit, just as her teammate Burdette did last year.

“It’s been a really scary decision for me,” Gibbs said. “I love Stanford and I’ve had such a great time through my three years here. I’ve had great experiences with the team, my coaches, and the overall Stanford college experience. It’s a decision I’ve had in the back of my mind since winning last year, but I wanted to develop my skills and try for a team title. I’m very sad to forgo my senior year but I’m excited to play professionally.”

Gibbs will leave Stanford as a two-time NCAA singles champion, a Pac-12 champion and holder of a 111-15 overall record in match play.

“[Gibbs] showed not just me but a whole bunch of people that you can get way better in college,” Hardebeck said. “It doesn’t always seem possible, but she’s done a great job of balancing school and tennis, and that is sometimes really difficult.”

Like Gibbs, Hardebeck entered Stanford as a No. 1 recruit and considered turning straight to the pro circuit after high school. Hardebeck will return for the Cardinal next year.

Gibbs’ victory marked the official end of Stanford’s season, but the Cardinal will be back without Gibbs, Tan and senior Natalie Dillon next year as it tries to repeat the success of its championship season.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Ahn, Gibbs lead Stanford to NCAA title over Texas A&M https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/21/ahn-gibbs-lead-stanford-to-ncaa-title-over-texas-am/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/21/ahn-gibbs-lead-stanford-to-ncaa-title-over-texas-am/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 06:59:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1077356 With the entire stadium watching, junior co-captain Kristie Ahn clinched No. 12 Stanford women’s tennis’ 17th NCAA Championship with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 victory on Court No. 2 to propel the Cardinal past No. 3 Texas A&M on Tuesday night. “It was so surreal,” Ahn said. “I was having so much fun out there and […]

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With the entire stadium watching, junior co-captain Kristie Ahn clinched No. 12 Stanford women’s tennis’ 17th NCAA Championship with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 victory on Court No. 2 to propel the Cardinal past No. 3 Texas A&M on Tuesday night.

“It was so surreal,” Ahn said. “I was having so much fun out there and just loving the moment. I had the biggest grin on my face, and when I went up to hit that final serve, I said, ‘This one, this one is it.’ We all watched [the shot] sail long, and I started jumping around like a little kid.”

Junior Kristie Ahn (above)
Junior Kristie Ahn (above) clinched the NCAA title with a dramatic win on Court No. 2 Tuesday. (Courtesy of Bill Kallenberg)

Ahn’s match would not have mattered without the miraculous comeback of her fellow junior co-captain Nicole Gibbs.

Gibbs fought back from 0-6, 0-2 down against A&M’s Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, losing a set 6-0 for the first time in her 120-match collegiate career to win the next 12 games and take the match 0-6, 6-2, 6-0. The comeback win gave Stanford (22-4, 8-2 Pac-12) a 3-0 lead over the Aggies (26-4, 12-1 SEC), setting up Ahn’s clincher.

“I have all the confidence in the world in my team,” Gibbs said, “but it’s hard to see your No. 1 player go down quickly in a dual match because it hurts team momentum. I felt a little drained at the beginning and I wasn’t staying in points long enough to outlast her the way I needed to.”

That’s when Gibbs had a self-proclaimed wake-up call.

“I sat down with [Coach Lele Forood],” Gibbs said, “and I said, ‘My team needs me here. I need to win this match.’”

The victory gave Stanford its first NCAA team title in the 2012-13 athletics year. Stanford had won at least one NCAA team title in each of the last 36 years, and the women’s tennis NCAA Tournament was one of the Cardinal’s last opportunities to extend the streak.

Entering the tournament seeded outside of the top 10 for the first time since 2009, Stanford became the lowest-seeded team to capture the women’s tennis NCAA team title. The Cardinal first defeated the Pac-12 champions No. 5 USC in the Round of 16.

“We were suppose to lose in the first non-regional round,” Gibbs said. “USC was our biggest hurdle mentally coming into the tournament. We knew we worked harder than any other team in the country, and if we could win that match, we could ultimately win the championship.”

Stanford went on to creep past No. 4 Georgia in the quarterfinals, No. 1 Florida in the semifinals and finally the No. 3 Aggies in the finals.

Stanford captured these wins without Mallory Burdette ’13, who played No. 2 singles and teamed up with Gibbs in No. 1 doubles for the Cardinal last year and left school to play on the pro circuit in September. Only two Cardinal players, Gibbs and senior Stacey Tan, had appeared in more than two NCAA Tournament matches.

It was a night of ups and downs. Stanford’s first completed match was an 8-3 loss on Court No. 1 by the No. 8 nationally ranked duo of Gibbs and Ahn.

“We got outplayed [at doubles],” Gibbs admitted. “I don’t say that very often, but they executed everything they needed to and made us play worse than we have been playing. They just came out a little bit tougher than us, and we were weren’t quite prepared.”

An 8-4 win from Tan and sophomore Ellen Tsay and a huge 8-5 victory from the oldest and youngest members of the squad, senior co-captain Natalie Dillon and freshman Krista Hardebeck, over twin Aggies Ines and Paula Deheza, set Stanford up 1-0 entering singles.

Tan was the first to finish in singles, topping Ines Deheza in a 7-5, 6-3 straight-set victory. Then, Gibbs, who won both the NCAA individual singles and doubles tournament last year, completed her comeback to put the Cardinal on the brink of the title.

The Cardinal was up 3-0 at this point in the match, but the score was deceiving. Hardebeck, Dillon, and Tsay all had lost the first sets of their matches and were neck-and-neck in their respective second sets.

The Stanford women's tennis team (above) extended
The Stanford women’s tennis team (above) captured Stanford’s first NCAA team title of the 2012-2013 athletics year. (Courtesy of Bill Kallenberg)

Tsay, who clinched Stanford’s victory over USC last Friday, was the first to fall, losing to A&M’s Anna Mamalat 6-1, 7-5.

Stanford’s lead was down to 3-1.

Hardebeck’s story follows a similar narrative. She sealed the Cardinal’s victory first in the quarterfinal match against Georgia before repeating the feat in a huge comeback win over No. 1 Florida’s Alexandra Cercone in the semifinals.

The highly touted rookie fell 6-3 in the first set to A&M’s Nazari Urbina. Like Tsay, she almost drove it to a third before losing 7-6 (3) in a second set tiebreaker.

All of a sudden, the Aggies were just one match behind.

Dillon managed to send her match to a third set after making an impressive second-set comeback, but couldn’t finish for the Cardinal as she tumbled 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to A&M’s Stefania Hristov.

With the match tied at 3-3, it was Ahn’s moment to shine.

“[Coach Frankie Brennan] said to me during the match,” Ahn said, “‘You deserve this, this is destiny, it’s going to happen.’ And I said, ‘You are right, it is going to happen.’ We put in the hard work, we definitely had the toughest draw and to pull it out? I don’t know how to describe it.”

Ahn was sidelined most of last season with injury, making only her fourth singles appearance of the season in then-No. 4 Stanford’s quarterfinals loss to USC. This year, Ahn clinched an NCAA title, capping an improbable run in the college tennis world’s most esteemed tournament.

Crowds watched in awe as Ahn led 5-2 in the third set after winning the first 7-5 but dropping the second 4-6. At the end of a back and forth game between the two players, Stancu missed long and the tight-knit Stanford squad bombarded Ahn in an even tighter circle.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a better team national-championship clincher,” Gibbs said. “[Ahn] is just such a team player, really sticking with the team through some of the hardest periods of her life. Everyone on the team deserves to win her match, but I’m so happy to see [Ahn] win it for us.”

Tonight will be a night of celebration for the players and coaches, but a short-lived one. The NCAA individual singles and doubles tournaments begin this week, with Gibbs looking to defend both titles.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Keeping the streaks alive https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/20/keeping-the-streaks-alive/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/20/keeping-the-streaks-alive/#respond Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:37 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1077302 The Stanford women’s tennis team entered this year’s NCAA Tournament without much fanfare. Seeded No. 12, expectations weren’t as high for the tight-knit squad of eight girls as they have been in recent years. But the Cardinal has proved everyone wrong with its performance thus far in the tournament.

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The Stanford women’s tennis team entered this year’s NCAA Tournament without much fanfare. Seeded No. 12, expectations weren’t as high for the tight-knit squad of eight girls as they have been in recent years.

But the Cardinal has proved everyone wrong with its performance thus far in the tournament. This weekend, Stanford knocked out two top five seeded teams in its quest for a national title. The first victim was No. 5 USC, whom the Cardinal (20-4, 8-2 Pac-12) outlasted 4-3 in a five-hour marathon Friday night. The second casualty was No. 4 Georgia, who Stanford dispatched 4-1 in the quarterfinal matchup on Sunday.

(ZETONG LI/THe Stanford Daily)
Sophomore Ellen Tsay (above) won the final singles point to clinch the Sweet Sixteen victory over USC and advance the Card into the semi finals. (ZETONG LI/THe Stanford Daily)

Going into the tournament, Stanford would rather have not had to face the Trojans (23-3, 9-0 Pac-12) in the Round of 16. Not only did they eliminate the Cardinal from last year’s postseason in the quarterfinals, but they also crushed Stanford 6-1 in this year’s regular season matchup.

The Cardinal came out strong though, capturing the doubles point with a huge victory from the team’s No. 1 pairing of co-captain juniors Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn. They came back from a 4-1 deficit to defeat Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria 9-8 (2), handing USC’s top duo its first doubles loss this season. Senior co-captain Natalie Dillon and freshman Krista Hardebeck then secured the doubles point with an 8-1 victory over Gabriella DeSimone and Danielle Lao.

Gibbs came out strong for the Cardinal in singles, registering a win over Santamaria 7-6 (3), 6-2 on court one. It was just under two months ago that Gibbs fell to Santamaria 6-1, 6-4, and her fate almost seemed to be taking the same form this time around. In the first set she went down 5-1, only to come back and win the tiebreaker. Gibbs went on to cruise through the second set.

The Cardinal also registered a singles victory from senior Stacey Tan, who defeated Giuliana Olmos 6-2, 6-2. The Cardinal’s three singles losses came from Ahn on court two, who fell to Lao 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, Hardebeck on court three, who lost to Zoe Scandalis 3-6, 6-7 (5) and Dillon on court six, who stumbled 3-6, 1-6 against Christian.

With the score tied at 3-3, it all came down to sophomore Ellen Tsay. Tsay lost the first set and trailed 3-0 in the second set, but she would claw her way back, outlasting DeSimone in a hard fought battle to capture a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win.

“I tried not to think about the overall score and tried to concentrate on my own court and my own game,” Tsay said. “I kept fighting and took it one point at a time. I knew it would be a really good boost to get my match to a third set.”

Despite the ringing of loud cheers from USC fans behind her, Tsay was able to remain focused on her shots, not the stakes at hand.

“I thought I did a good job of keeping it together and not thinking too much about the circumstances,” she said. “I only had one double fault, which went a long way in helping to calm my nerves, knowing I had a second serve to rely on. There were a lot of shots I thought I would have hit better in practice or could have done a better job of putting away, but I just focused on staying solid.”

The third set was tied at 3-3 before Tsay breezed through three straight games to capture the victory and send her team to the quarterfinal round.

“The last game was fun because I could tell that [DeSimone] was breaking down,” she said. “She missed a couple returns and hit one over the fence, and I was pretty excited that I could see the end drawing near. We were all smiling, and when I finally won, my teammates rushed onto the court to hug me. It was definitely my favorite moment so far in my time here.”

The Cardinal players were rewarded with only one day of rest before they faced SEC co-champion Georgia (24-4, 12-1 SEC). They spent that day fine tuning their individual games.

“We had a pretty targeted practice,” Tsay said. “[Gibbs] worked on groundstrokes and side to sides, and I worked on staying low to the ground. We all worked on the things we needed to execute the game plan.”

Practice paid off, as the Cardinal cruised past one of the nation’s toughest teams to capture a 4-1 victory. After losing the doubles point, the singles lineup stormed back to cash in four straight victories.

The first point came from Ahn, who crushed Maho Kowase 6-0, 6-1 on court two. It was Tsay again who delivered a win over her fellow northern Californian Ayaka Okuno, 6-1, 6-2 to put Stanford up 2-1. Tan beat Kate Fuller 6-4, 7-5 on court four and Hardebeck delivered the final blow to Silvia Garcia, coming back after losing her first set to seize a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory. Hardebeck’s victory over a fellow rookie marked her first postseason career win.

Her clincher also propels Stanford to the semifinals of the tournament, making the Cardinal the lowest-seeded team to make it that far since No. 12 UCLA did it in 2007. Stanford will face red-hot No. 1 Florida (26-2, 12-1 SEC) on Monday in a highly anticipated matchup. The Cardinal lost to the Gators in February 4-2 but hopes to use its recent momentum to pull off yet another upset.

The Card pulled off a 4-3 win over the Gators in the 2010 NCAA Championship game, but Florida returned the favor a year later, defeating Stanford 4-3 in the finals to clinch the 2011 national championship.

Stanford has extra incentive to beat Florida today as two Stanford Athletics streaks are on the line. Stanford has yet to win an NCAA title this year, after earning at least one for the past 36 years. Stanford has also won the Directors’ Cup for the past 18 consecutive years. If the Card fails to win this match, the Directors’ Cup—awarded to the best collegiate athletics program in the nation—could go to Florida.

The matchup between two of the nation’s most storied programs begins today at 3 p.m. PST, with the winner moving on to the national championship.

 

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj@stanford.edu.

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Rematch with USC looms as women’s tennis cruises into Round of 16 https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/13/rematch-with-usc-looms-as-womens-tennis-cruises-into-round-of-16/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/13/rematch-with-usc-looms-as-womens-tennis-cruises-into-round-of-16/#respond Tue, 14 May 2013 05:24:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1077156 The Stanford women’s tennis team breezed through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, sweeping Miami (OH) (13-13, 7-1 MAC) in the first round and registering another shutout the following day against No. 22 Rice (21-5, 2-1 Conference USA). The No. 12 Cardinal (18-4, 8-2 PAC-12) will get a chance at revenge […]

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The Stanford women’s tennis team breezed through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, sweeping Miami (OH) (13-13, 7-1 MAC) in the first round and registering another shutout the following day against No. 22 Rice (21-5, 2-1 Conference USA). The No. 12 Cardinal (18-4, 8-2 PAC-12) will get a chance at revenge this Friday against Pac-12 champion No. 5 Southern California in the Round of 16.

Stanford made quick work of the RedHawks in the first round. The duo of senior Stacey Tan and sophomore Ellen Tsay blew past Nimisha Mohan and Alix Thurman 8-0 on Court No. 2 in doubles. Junior co-captains Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn then captured an 8-2 victory over Christine Guerrazzi and Ana Rajkovic on Court No. 1 to secure the doubles point.

Junior Kristie Ahn (above) (SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)
Junior Kristie Ahn (above) combined to go 3-0 in singles and doubles as Stanford cruised into the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. (SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily)

Entering singles play with momentum, the women delivered three crushing defeats to clinch the match 4-0. Tan finished first with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over Guerrazzi. Gibbs’ 6-1, 6-0 victory over Mohan came next before Tsay clinched the match 6-0, 6-1 over Rajkovic.

“I think the quote ‘to fear no one, but respect everyone’ couldn’t have been more relevant this weekend,” Ahn said. “Just because Miami (OH) is a small name in tennis doesn’t mean they can’t have a big impact.”

The Cardinal didn’t even have a full day’s rest before its second-round match against Rice on Saturday. Rice, who barely slid past Pepperdine 4-3 the day before, fell quickly to the Cardinal.

Tan and Tsay cashed in another shut out over Katie Gater and Liat Zimmermann on Court No. 2 to kick off the match. Once again, the eighth-ranked nationally pairing of Gibbs and Ahn prevailed as well, capturing an 8-4 victory over Natalie Beazant and Dominique Harmath to clinch the doubles point.

In singles, it was the three co-captains who put up quick victories. Gibbs defeated Beazant 6-2, 6-2 while Ahn beat Harmath 6-4, 6-2 to put the Cardinal on the brink of advancing. Senior Natalie Dillon clinched the match—her last home match at Stanford—over Solo Zinko 6-3, 6-1 to send the Cardinal to the Round of 16.

“It’s been so much fun playing with [Gibbs] this whole season,” Ahn said of her doubles teammate. “I think we feel comfortable with each other and have fun, which is when we’re playing our best tennis. We’re trying to work on staying aggressive both at the baseline and at the net, and I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Gibbs and Ahn will be one of several on the Stanford squad to get a chance at redemption this Friday against USC (23-2, 9-0 Pac-12). The Trojans crushed the Cardinal earlier this season 6-1 in Los Angeles. Ahn and Gibbs themselves fell 8-1 to the No. 2-ranked doubles team of Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria.

“Our biggest challenge is the mental part, dealing with our history,” Ahn said. “But I think we’ve been waiting for our revenge as soon as we lost to them.”

USC is currently on a 15-match win streak and is one of two teams, along with top-seeded Florida, to have as few as two losses. Both of the Trojans’ losses came against top-eight opponents.

The Women of Troy are also looking for redemption in this year’s tournament after losing a close battle to UCLA 4-3 in last year’s semifinals.

The Stanford women leave for Urbana, Ill., on Tuesday. Receiving a day of rest on Sunday, the team has time for just one day of practice before flying east.

“The weather is going to be different, and there’s a time change, so we’re hoping to be all geared in by the time Friday rolls around,” Ahn said. “I think at this point, it’s about trying to make every player feel good about her game and getting ours minds right more than anything.”

The Cardinal and the Trojans meet this Friday at 10 a.m. at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex on the campus of University of Illinois. The winner will take on the winner of No. 4 Georgia and No. 13 Clemson Sunday at 10 a.m. for a berth in the semifinals.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Women’s tennis begins title chase after two-week wait https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/08/womens-tennis-begins-title-chase-after-two-week-wait/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/05/08/womens-tennis-begins-title-chase-after-two-week-wait/#respond Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1077044 After a brief hiatus following the end of the regular season and the conclusion of the Pac-12 Individual Tournament, the Stanford women’s tennis team will begin its quest for a national title this Friday against Miami (OH) in its 32nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

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After a brief hiatus following the end of the regular season and the conclusion of the Pac-12 Individual Tournament, the Stanford women’s tennis team will begin its quest for a national title this Friday against Miami (OH) in its 32nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Junior Nicole Gibbs (above) arrived on the Farm just one year after the Cardinal made a surprise run for the NCAA title in 2010. Now as the team's singles No. 1, she will lead the 12th-seed Cardinal in yet another championship bid as an underdog. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)
Junior Nicole Gibbs (above) arrived on the Farm just one year after the Cardinal made a surprise run for the NCAA title in 2010. Now as the team’s singles No. 1, she will lead the 12th-seed Cardinal in yet another championship bid as an underdog. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

The lull in match play has given the players even more impetus to prepare for the pinnacle of their season.  Junior co-captain Nicole Gibbs, who spearheads the top of Stanford’s lineup in both singles and doubles, attested to the discipline of all the players at this point in the season.

“We’ve been really insistent upon people having good attitudes,” said Gibbs.  “We’ve even implemented a policy that if anyone has an unproductive response to something that happens in practice, we do self-enforced running.  This gets our attitude where we want it to be going into tournament.”

As the 12th seed, the Cardinal (16-4, 8-2 Pac-12) won’t have an easy pass to the finals.  It hopes to deliver an upset just as it did when it last won the NCAA Championships in 2010 as the No. 8 seed.

The NCAA draw includes 64 teams and the first rounds are played at various campuses around the country. Stanford will host Miami (13-12, 7-1 Mountain Athletic Conference) in the first round. If it successfully disposes of the RedHawks on Friday, the Cardinal will take on the winner of Rice (20-4, 2-1 Conference USA) and Pepperdine (12-11) on Saturday.

Gibbs anticipates Miami to be a formidable opponent, considering that the RedHawks won the MAC Championship Tournament 4-3 over Bowling Green.  This will be Miami’s third NCAA appearance, the last being in 2010.  Of the three tennis programs, the Cardinal is really only familiar with Pepperdine, who it beat in a 5-2 match in February.

“They’re a really gritty team, and definitely not a walk-through,” Gibbs said of Pepperdine. “We know a little bit about Rice. They’re probably a bit deeper than Pepperdine is, but it’s kind of a shot in the dark.”

If the Cardinal makes it out of the regional this weekend, it would potentially come up against USC, who it lost to 6-1 in March, in the Sweet 16.

“USC is one of my personal top picks in terms of its level of play going into the postseason,” Gibbs said. “Florida is consistently tough, and Georgia is playing really well this year. Those are the teams we are most weary of but also most excited to potentially play in tournament.”

Gibbs, fellow junior co-captain Kristie Ahn, junior Amelia Herring, senior Stacey Tan, senior co-captain Natalie Dillon and sophomore Ellen Tsay have all experienced NCAA play before. Stanford’s two rookies, freshman Krista Hardebeck and freshman Lindsey Kostas, will witness their first collegiate postseason.

“My advice to them is to be aware that anything can happen when it comes to NCAAs,” Gibbs said. “A lot of players don’t find their best tennis at NCAAs. It’s about being grittier and tougher than the team you’re playing.  They’re so tough and have been doing so well, but their best tennis may not come. It’s about who fights harder.”

Gibbs recalled playing Florida’s Sofie Oyen at the No. 3 spot her freshman year.

“She had kind of a non-stellar regular season, but she was someone who I felt threatened by. We had a really competitive match and I was really nervous.  Learning to navigate nerves is critical to success,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs clearly drew on her freshman year experience in her sophomore year postseason run, winning both the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments with then-partner Mallory Burdette. She hopes to repeat that this year but isn’t the only Cardinal representative looking to snatch an individual title. Ahn and Hardebeck will also make appearances in the 64-player NCAA singles draw. The duo of Gibbs and Ahn and the pairing of Tsay and Tan are seeded in the 32-team doubles draw as well.

The Cardinal will play Miami this Friday at 2 p.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj “at” stanford.edu.

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Pac-12 Tournament play underway on Thursday https://stanforddaily.com/2013/04/24/pac-12-tournament-play-underway-on-thursday/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/04/24/pac-12-tournament-play-underway-on-thursday/#respond Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:19:48 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1076719 The postseason has finally arrived for the Stanford women’s tennis team. After dropping a hard-fought battle to No. 9 Cal last Saturday in its final regular season match, the No. 12 Cardinal (16-4, 8-2 Pac-12) traveled to Ojai on Wednesday to prepare for the Pac-12 singles and doubles tournament with new determination. “We actually are […]

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The postseason has finally arrived for the Stanford women’s tennis team. After dropping a hard-fought battle to No. 9 Cal last Saturday in its final regular season match, the No. 12 Cardinal (16-4, 8-2 Pac-12) traveled to Ojai on Wednesday to prepare for the Pac-12 singles and doubles tournament with new determination.

“We actually are getting more fired up than ever,” said freshman Krista Hardebeck. “We’ve had a lot of team meetings with just the players recently, and we are trying our best to make as many adjustments and improvements as we can in the next three weeks before NCAAs.”

Stanford lost to the Golden Bears (15-5, 9-1 Pac-12) for the first time since 2009, despite coming out with a 1-0 lead after capturing the doubles point. Even more disappointing for the team was that the women had cruised past Cal earlier this season, 6-1, in a match that did not count for conference standings. Cal finished the season second in the Pac-12 behind USC, while Stanford finished at the No. 3 spot.

Now that dual matches are over, the Cardinal players will focus on individual play this weekend at the Pac-12 Tournament. Last year, Stanford’s No. 1 player, Nicole Gibbs, captured her first singles title of her collegiate career at the Pac-12 Tournament. This year, Gibbs will instead be competing in a pro-circuit tournament in Virginia.

(ZETONG LI/The Stanford Daily)
With junior Nicole Gibbs unavailable to play in the Pac-12 Tournament due to playing in a pro-circuit tournament in Virginia, junior Kristi Ahn will take the top singles spot. (ZETONG LI/The Stanford Daily)

The Pac-12 Tournament consists of a 32-person main singles draw and a 16-team main doubles draw. Hardebeck, senior Stacey Tan and junior co-captain Kristie Ahn will all represent the Cardinal in the main draw.

Hardebeck has a team-high 28 overall wins and won the ITA Northwest Regional singles championship earlier this year. Hardebeck, who is coming off a 4-6, 2-6 singles loss to Cal’s nationally ranked No. 5 Zsofi Susanyi and a 4-8 doubles loss with her senior co-captain partner Natalie Dillon, is focused on how she can rebound for the upcoming tournament.

“The dual match losses happened and it’s over,” she said. “The main key is to move on and forget it. I need to focus instead on improving my good shots and playing my game more solidly.”

Ahn and Tan will both return to the main draw as well. Ahn, who did not compete in last year’s tournament due to injury, won the Pac-10 Tournament two years ago. Going 23-4 overall this season and currently on a team-best six-match winning streak, she has high hopes of repeating her success from two years ago. Tan made it all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament last year, where Gibbs ultimately ended her run.

“You just have to focus on your match and keep it as professional as possible,” Hardebeck said of playing teammates. “Once it’s over, you are back to being teammates and that’s the main priority.”

Sophomore Ellen Tsay and Tan will be competing as a doubles team together in the main draw. The duo is entering the tournament with momentum. They defeated Cal’s Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi in a close 9-7 nail-biter to clinch the doubles point for Stanford this past weekend.

Dillon, Tsay, junior Amelia Herring and freshman Lindsey Kostas will compete in the Pac-12 invitational draw this weekend. The Pac-12 doubles invitational draw will also feature two Stanford teams: the pairing of Herring and Kostas and the duo of Dillon and Hardebeck. With a three-week break until NCAAs, the tournament will provide the players with ongoing match play practice.

“The tournament fires up that drive to fight for yourself,” Hardebeck said.  “The individual mindset contributes to the team mindset in the end.”

The Pac-12 Tournament begins today and runs through Sunday.  The championship action will be broadcast from Ojai on the Pac-12 Networks.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Gibbs’ return sparks sweep through desert https://stanforddaily.com/2013/04/15/gibbs-return-sparks-sweep-through-desert/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/04/15/gibbs-return-sparks-sweep-through-desert/#respond Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:18:37 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1076470 The Stanford women’s tennis team lost just one individual match this weekend in its quest to take down its southwestern foes. In two crucial Pac-12 matchups, the No. 13 Cardinal (16-3, 8-1 Pac-12) first blanked No. 75 Arizona (9-12, 1-8 Pac-12) on Friday. The momentum continued through Saturday when No. 21 Arizona State (15-5, 5-4 […]

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The Stanford women’s tennis team lost just one individual match this weekend in its quest to take down its southwestern foes. In two crucial Pac-12 matchups, the No. 13 Cardinal (16-3, 8-1 Pac-12) first blanked No. 75 Arizona (9-12, 1-8 Pac-12) on Friday. The momentum continued through Saturday when No. 21 Arizona State (15-5, 5-4 Pac-12) fell to the Cardinal 6-1.

Both matches saw the return of junior co-captain Nicole Gibbs, who is ranked 27th nationally in singles. At the beginning of April, Gibbs fell to Santa Clara’s Katie Le in an uncharacteristic loss. She expressed slight frustration with how she was playing and sat out in the following two matches against Oregon and Hawaii due to a minor injury.

“I personally have just been having a little difficulty mentally and physically,” Gibbs said. “I haven’t physically been where I want to be in terms of what I need to put in on the track and in the weight room, as well as in terms of injuries. Mentally, I felt a little bit scared to lose. I had a rough going at the LA schools, so I thought I could use a win in terms of my confidence.”

Freshman Krista Hardebeck (above) won both her singles matches
Freshman Krista Hardebeck (above) won both her singles matches in straight sets as the Card cruised by Arizona and ASU. (ZETONG LI/The Stanford Daily)

Gibbs made her presence known this weekend. Her return meant that fellow junior co-captain Kristie Ahn finally had her doubles partner back on court No. 1. The nationally ranked No. 7 duo was the first to finish, registering an 8-4 victory over Arizona’s Lacey Smyth and Shayne Austin.

“It was great to have [Gibbs] back and healthy,” Ahn said. “She’s been working hard to get back to the 100 percent, and I think we can all see that it’s paying off.”

The women won the doubles point with an 8-6 victory from sophomore Ellen Tsay and senior Stacey Tan on court No. 2 over Akilah James and Kim Stubbe. Senior co-captain Natalie Dillon and freshman Krista Hardebeck fell on Court No. 3 to Arizona’s Susan Mc Rann and Laura Oldham 8-5.

Gibbs came out strong in singles, capturing the victory against Arizona’s Lacey Smyth 6-3, 6-1 on Friday. The rest of the lineup had similar success. Tan was the first to finish, delivering a 6-0, 6-2 blow to Arizona’s Shayne Austin. Tsay clinched the match for the Cardinal when she defeated Mc Rann. Ahn, Hardebeck and Dillon posted victories as well, propelling the Cardinal to its third consecutive shutout and its eighth this season.

The Cardinal continued to dominate with a swift defeat of Arizona State on Saturday, with doubles once again coming out strong. The Gibbs/Ahn pairing recorded an 8-3 win over the No. 34 team of Jacqueline Cako and Nicole Smith. After Tan and Tsay cruised past Joanna Smith and Ebony Panoho 8-3 on court No. 2 to clinch the doubles point, the third match was abandoned with Stanford ahead 7-4.

Gibbs had a slightly tougher singles match against the 16th-ranked Cako in her second singles match of the Cardinal’s trip to the desert. The match was tighter; Cako even tied the second set at 5-5. Gibbs pulled out a sweep regardless, capturing a straight set victory with a 6-4, 7-5 win.

Ahn crushed Desirae Krawczyk with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Hardebeck and Tsay also delivered straight-set wins.

Tan and Dillon both struggled in long three-setters. Tan was able to pull out a victory in the end, defeating ASU’s Hannah James 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Dillon had an extremely close match as well. She came back to win the second set after losing the first but ended up falling to Panoho in the end, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

The Cardinal will play its last match of the season against cross-town rival Cal Friday. Stanford won the first match against then-No. 9 Cal 6-1 at Taube Family Tennis Stadium back on March 2. But only Friday’s match will count in the Pac-12 standings.

Friday’s match is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. in Berkeley.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj “at” stanford.edu.

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Without Gibbs, women’s tennis still sweeps Oregon https://stanforddaily.com/2013/04/08/without-gibbs-womens-tennis-still-sweeps-oregon/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/04/08/without-gibbs-womens-tennis-still-sweeps-oregon/#respond Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:35:18 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1076270 Even in the absence of junior co-captain Nicole Gibbs, Stanford women’s tennis cruised past the Oregon Ducks (12-8, 1-7 Pac-12) Saturday, blanking them 7-0 in dominant fashion. Gibbs, who watched from the side due to a minor injury, is currently making her way back to the top level at which she’s used to performing. “I’m […]

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Even in the absence of junior co-captain Nicole Gibbs, Stanford women’s tennis cruised past the Oregon Ducks (12-8, 1-7 Pac-12) Saturday, blanking them 7-0 in dominant fashion.

Gibbs, who watched from the side due to a minor injury, is currently making her way back to the top level at which she’s used to performing.

“I’m addressing all of the shortcomings I’m aware of physically and mentally and working my way back to a confident state,” Gibbs said. “I’m trying to get back to the form I’m used to playing and the form the team is used to seeing me compete in.”

The No. 14 doubles pair of Gibbs and fellow junior co-captain Kristie Ahn usually represents the No. 12 Cardinal (13-3, 6-1 Pac-12) on the top doubles court together, but the lineup was shuffled for this match without Gibbs. The No. 80 duo of senior Stacey Tan and sophomore Ellen Tsay played Oregon’s Nicole Long and Patricia Skowronski on court No. 1.

Junior Kristie Ahn (above)
Junior Kristie Ahn (above) cruised at No. 1 singles in junior Nicole Gibbs’ absence. (DON FERIA/StanfordPhoto.com)

Though Tan and Tsay fell in a close 8-7 (3) battle, the Cardinal captured the doubles point nonetheless. Ahn and junior Amelia Herring were victorious over Lana Buttner and Pascale Neubert 8-5 on court No. 2. Senior co-captain Natalie Dillon and freshman Krista Hardebeck had similar success over Sofia Hager and Brooke Hughes on court No. 3 with an 8-4 win to clinch the point.

“Some girls aren’t as strong in singles, but are really strong in doubles,” Hardebeck said, referring the Ducks’ first doubles team. “Our focus was moving at the net, being aggressive with our volleys, and working together as a team.”

Hardebeck was dominant in singles play, where she ranks 14th in the country, easily defeating Skowronski 6-3, 6-1.

“[Skowronski] is a great player who hits really hard,” Hardebeck said. “I had to focus on making sure I stayed consistent while placing the ball well.”

The rest of the singles lineup also had little difficulty moving past their Oregon opponents. No. 93 Tan trounced Hager to seize a 6-1, 6-2 win on court No. 3, while the 30th-ranked Ahn clinched the match when she defeated No. 102 Long 6-2, 6-2 at first singles.

Ahn has made a comeback of her own this season. Missing the end of her freshman season and much of her sophomore season with an ankle injury, her inaugural victory on the top court this weekend signified another big milestone in her impressive return.

The back of the Cardinal lineup posted similar wins. The 51st-ranked Tsay crushed Buttner 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot, while freshman Lindsey Kostas captured a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Hughes on the last court. Dillon defeated Rabea Stueckemann on court No. 5, 6-4, 6-3 to finish off the sweep.

The Cardinal has now won nine of its last 10 matches and will face Hawaii Tuesday on its home courts. The contest will be Stanford’s last home match of the season.

The women travel to take on the Arizona schools this weekend and cross-town rival Cal the weekend after. The Stanford women will then prepare for postseason play in their quest for a national championship.

A victory over unranked Hawaii, a team that the Cardinal defeated 6-1 in its last meeting in an exhibition match at Hawaii in November 2011, is crucial in terms of maintaining team confidence and momentum.

“Usually the tougher the team, the more everyone has to focus,” Hardebeck said. “We really treat all opponents the same though. If you get too far ahead of yourself, you could potentially suffer a bad loss.”

The goal to emphatically close out the season in the next few weeks applies to Hardebeck just as it applies to the whole team.

“First we need to keep our energy up,” Hardebeck said, “and secondly we need to support each other.”

The Card’s showdown against Hawaii will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Taube Family Tennis Center.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj “at” stanford.edu.

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Three days, three opponents smashed by women’s tennis https://stanforddaily.com/2013/03/11/three-days-three-opponents-smashed-by-womens-tennis/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/03/11/three-days-three-opponents-smashed-by-womens-tennis/#respond Tue, 12 Mar 2013 06:30:35 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1075801 Washington, Washington State, Texas: Each team came and each team fell to Stanford women’s tennis in a rare triple-header weekend. The No. 20 Cardinal (8-2, 2-0 Pac-12) captured consecutive victories on its home courts, blanking each of those three visitors 7-0.

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Washington, Washington State, Texas: Each team came and each team fell to Stanford women’s tennis in a rare triple-header weekend. The No. 20 Cardinal (8-2, 2-0 Pac-12) captured consecutive victories on its home courts, blanking each of those three visitors 7-0.

Reigning NCAA singles and doubles champion Nicole Gibbs won all three of her matches this weekend, battling back on Sunday after losing her first set against No. 28 Aeriel Ellis of Texas. The Cardinal junior would win 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-1) on a weekend that saw Stanford win every single match it played. (DON FERIA/isiphotos.com)
Reigning NCAA singles and doubles champion Nicole Gibbs won all three of her matches this weekend, battling back on Sunday after losing her first set against No. 28 Aeriel Ellis of Texas. The Cardinal junior would win 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-1) on a weekend that saw Stanford win every single match it played. (DON FERIA/isiphotos.com)

No. 31 Washington was the Cardinal’s first victim. The Stanford players came out strong, sweeping the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Led by junior Nicole Gibbs on court one, each of the six girls captured straight-set wins in singles.

Freshman Krista Hardebeck, the No. 14 singles player in the country, was the first to finish her match, taking down Elianne Douglas-Miron with ease, 6-0, 6-2. Senior Stacey Tan later provided the clincher on court four, defeating Julija Lukac 6-3 6-1, before freshman Lindsay Kostas gutted out a 7-5, 7-5 victory on court six nearly an hour later.

“Our team tends to be known for taking the first opportunity to attack,” sophomore Ellen Tsay said. “We like to get on offense.”

That tendency was evident Saturday as well when the Cardinal faced No. 73 Washington State. Stanford came out swinging once again to take the doubles point.

Tan and Tsay were the first to finish their doubles match on court two, defeating Olga Musilovich and Lize Leenknecht 8-1.

“[Tan] and I have been playing with high energy and constantly communicating with each other on the court,” Tsay said. “I think it has made all the difference. We’re having a lot more fun out there, and it’s keeping us looser and more aggressive.”

Gibbs and junior Kristie Ahn also crushed Washington State’s No. 1 doubles team of Liudmila Vasilieva and Elizaveta Luzina by the same 8-1 score.

Stanford continued to dictate in singles. The Cardinal’s top three players breezed through, surrendering a total of just eight games across their three matches. Hardebeck provided the clincher on court three when she defeated Andjela Kankaras 6-1, 6-2. Junior Amelia Herring was the sole Stanford player to drop a set in her victory, battling back from a first-set loss to beat Leenknecht 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6). The victories over Washington and Washington State gave the Cardinal its first two wins of the season that counted towards the conference standings.

But Stanford’s weekend was not over yet — it still had an uncharacteristic, Sunday-morning match against a non-conference team. No. 38 Texas was no match for the Cardinal early on, as in step with its previous two matches, Stanford swept the doubles point.

In singles, Stanford also continued its perfection, taking all six matches. Gibbs, however, didn’t have it as easy as she had on Friday and Saturday. She had lost just six games amongst four sets against the Huskies and Cougars, but on Sunday, Gibbs lost the first set 2-6 to nationally ranked No. 28 Aeriel Ellis.

Through focus and sheer determination, Gibbs fought back to capture a 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-1) win, dominating the tiebreaker. No. 48 Ahn also had a tough match against her Texas opponent, but beat No. 35 Breaunna Addison 6-4, 7-5.

Stanford has now won four in a row since its last loss to No. 5 Florida in February, dropping only one match — No. 6 singles against Cal — during the run. Why the change?

“After the Florida match, we all talked, coaches included, and addressed what we needed to work on specifically,” Hardebeck said. “We have a completely different mindset now. We’ve been much more focused, our practices are more efficient, and we’re working on staying aggressive.”

The team has also put a greater emphasis on being physical, devoting more time to fitness. That hard work materialized on the court this past weekend when the girls had the difficult task of pushing through three matches in a three-day span.

The Stanford players will now receive a hard-earned rest during dead week and finals week. The Cardinal has the opportunity to improve to 9-2 on March 23 when it takes on Colorado at noon at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj “at” stanford.edu.

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Women’s tennis hosts trio of ranked teams in opening Pac-12 weekend https://stanforddaily.com/2013/03/07/womens-tennis-hosts-trio-of-ranked-teams-in-opening-pac-12-weekend/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/03/07/womens-tennis-hosts-trio-of-ranked-teams-in-opening-pac-12-weekend/#respond Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:14:24 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1075684 The Stanford women’s tennis team prepares for an uncharacteristic three-day stretch of matches this weekend as it hosts No. 31 Washington, No. 73 Washington State and No. 38 Texas. The No. 20 Cardinal’s (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12) battles against Washington and Washington State will mark its first two conference matchups of the season. Stanford’s most recent […]

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The Stanford women’s tennis team prepares for an uncharacteristic three-day stretch of matches this weekend as it hosts No. 31 Washington, No. 73 Washington State and No. 38 Texas. The No. 20 Cardinal’s (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12) battles against Washington and Washington State will mark its first two conference matchups of the season.

Stanford’s most recent 6-1 victory over then-No. 9 Cal put it back on a winning streak after suffering a key loss to then-No. 2 Florida two weekends ago.

“We were definitely very pleased with the result,” said freshman Lindsey Kostas, “and I think the win will give us more confidence and momentum going into this weekend.”

Ellen Tsay
Sophomore Ellen Tsay and Stanford women’s tennis look to build off last week’s victory over Cal heading into a three-match weekend. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

That momentum will be crucial as Stanford tries to dispatch three teams in a row. The first match will feature Washington, the highest ranked of Stanford’s three opponents, on Friday, followed by Washington State on Saturday and Texas on Sunday morning to round out the marathon.

The Cardinal hasn’t played Texas since 2010 but easily moved past its conference foes from up north last year, capturing a 6-1 victory over Washington and shutting out Washington State 7-0. The players are still focused entering the weekend.

“We have been practicing with more energy and more focus,” said Kostas.  “The coaches give us a game plan, tell us specific drills that we will be doing, and then we go out and try to execute the plan.”

These more systematized practices represent a change in structure that was implemented after the Florida match and has propelled the team forward since. The team hopes to translate its high level of intensity in practice to this weekend’s matches.

“I think we all have learned that every team comes to play and that we cannot take any player or team lightly,” Kostas said.

Junior captains Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn and senior captain Natalie Dillon will lead Stanford this weekend. Nationally ranked No. 14 freshman Krista Hardebeck will be holding down court two as she attempts to improve her dual match record to 4-4. Senior Stacey Tan, the only member of the team to participate in the 2010 match against Texas, will manage court four.

Kostas, who anchors the back of the lineup for the Cardinal as one of the two freshmen on the team, will be concentrating on her mental game.

“It can get very frustrating at times when you are not playing well, but no matter how difficult it may seem to stay tough, it is something that has to be done,” Kostas said. “It’s the only way that you will be able to pull out the win, and it helps your teammates play better if they see that you are not giving in.”

For sophomore Ellen Tsay, who manned court five against Cal, it’s about speed.

“I want to continue to improve my footwork on all fronts,” Tsay said, “especially so that I can move forward faster to the net.”

Tsay hopes that increasing her speed and fitness will help her stay in the match physically.

“Our team tends to be known for taking the first opportunity to attack,” Tsay said, “but this year we also want to be known as the team who will grind it out to the last point and do whatever it takes.”

The Cardinal takes to the Taube Family Tennis Courts Friday against Washington at 1:30 p.m. The matches continue as the team battles Washington State Saturday at noon and closes out the weekend against Texas on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj “at” stanford.edu.

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Women’s tennis returns home for the Big Slam against Cal https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/28/womens-tennis-returns-home-for-the-big-slam-against-cal/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/28/womens-tennis-returns-home-for-the-big-slam-against-cal/#respond Fri, 01 Mar 2013 07:41:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1075418 The No. 26 Cardinal (4-2, 0-0 Pac-12) will take on the No. 9 Golden Bears (4-3) in a non-conference meeting. The Pac-12 dual match will take place at Cal on April 19. Though this weekend’s meeting won’t count towards conference rankings, its importance for Stanford cannot be overemphasized.

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Having returned from last weekend’s trek to Gainesville to face No. 4 Florida and No. 18 Clemson, the Stanford women’s tennis team will reappear back at the Farm this Saturday in a huge match-up against cross-town rival Cal.

The No. 26 Cardinal (4-2, 0-0 Pac-12) will take on the No. 9 Golden Bears (4-3) in a non-conference meeting. The Pac-12 dual match will take place at Cal on April 19. Though this weekend’s meeting won’t count towards conference rankings, its importance for Stanford cannot be overemphasized.

Sophomore Ellen Tsay (above) and the women's tennis team will match up with rival Cal on March 2.
Sophomore Ellen Tsay (above) and the women’s tennis team will match up with rival Cal on March 2. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

The Cardinal fell out of the top 25 after its loss to Florida, which is unfamiliar territory for the powerhouse program. Stanford has reached the quarterfinals and the finals of the NCAA Championship each of the last two seasons, respectively.

“This match is just huge for us,” Gibbs said. “Cal is a top-10 team, and we’ve obviously fallen in the rankings recently. It’s an opportunity for us to restart a streak at home and regain confidence both individually and as a team.”

The Golden Bears will not be an easy opponent. They boast four nationally ranked players: No. 5 sophomore Zsofi Susanyi, No. 8 junior Anett Schutting, No. 49 freshman Lynn Chi and No. 117 freshman Klara Fabikova.

Stanford and Cal’s only common opponent is Saint Mary’s, who upset the then seventh-ranked Cardinal 4-3 on Feb. 16. A few weeks earlier, the Bears swept the Gaels with a dominant 7-0 victory. Cal is also coming off a win over No. 11 USC last Saturday, whom it defeated 5-2 the day after losing to No. 3 UCLA.

Susanyi, who typically tops the lineup for the Bears, did not play singles in the USC matchup. Schutting instead manned court one and defeated USC’s No. 3 nationally ranked Danielle Lao. Either way, Stanford junior captain Nicole Gibbs will face a tough opponent this Saturday.

“We are preparing that [Susanyi] will be playing at the top, but we are ready for either player,” she said.

Gibbs has faced both Susanyi and Schutting before. “[Susanyi] is a grinder,” she said. “She makes a lot of balls and is very athletic. She makes it tough on you to win points for sure. [Schutting] is more straightforward. She hits a pretty flat ball and tries to go for winners. She makes you play more defensively.”

Gibbs and the rest of the Cardinal squad will be hard at work as they attempt to beat Cal and climb back up the rankings. The hard labor won’t just take place on Saturday, though. The team has revamped its normal practices post-Florida in an effort to become a more physical group.

“We read an article on Florida’s website after our match that talked about how they wanted to be physical against us,” Gibbs said. “We don’t want to be perceived as a team that’s not super fit, so we’ve reorganized our practices to reflect our desire to get more physical and more athletic as a team.”

This intensity has permeated Stanford’s long afternoon practices this week as it prepares for Cal’s visit. The team hopes to carry over this intensity through Saturday, not only to regain its reputation as one of the nation’s top programs, but also to entertain the large fan base that’s expected to show.

“People all day have been approaching me with knowledge of the match this weekend,” Gibbs said. “We should see a good fan base.”

The Cardinal and Golden Bears will duke it out in the Big Slam this Saturday at 12 p.m. on the Taube Family Tennis Courts.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj “at” stanford.edu.

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Without Gibbs, women’s tennis stunned by No. 47 St. Mary’s https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/20/without-gibbs-womens-tennis-stunned-by-no-47-st-marys/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/20/without-gibbs-womens-tennis-stunned-by-no-47-st-marys/#respond Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:23:48 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1075124 The Stanford women’s tennis team suffered only its third home loss since 1999 on Saturday when it fell to No. 47 Saint Mary’s (5-3) in a close 4-3 match.

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The Stanford women’s tennis team suffered only its third home loss since 1999 on Saturday when it fell to No. 47 Saint Mary’s (5-3) in a close 4-3 match.

The No. 7 Cardinal (3-1) was playing without junior Nicole Gibbs, a team captain and regular on court one. Gibbs was playing a pro tournament in Rancho Santa Fe this past weekend, making it all the way to the finals of the singles draw.

Junior and fellow co-captain Kristie Ahn, who usually plays No. 1 doubles with Gibbs, felt her absence but made no excuses.

“Going into it, we knew it would be tough without Gibbs,” she said. “And unfortunately, we came up just a bit short.”

Stanford dropped the doubles point for the first time this season to the Gaels. Normally, Gibbs and Ahn team up to play at the No. 1 spot, but without Gibbs, senior Stacey Tan and sophomore Ellen Tsay manned court one, losing to Danielle Flores and Jenny Jullien, 8-5.

“St. Mary’s did a better job in doubles that day,” Tsay admitted. “They made more serves and put away more volleys, so a lot of it just boiled down to execution.”

The court two duo of Ahn and junior Amelia Herring also fell, losing to the Saint Mary’s team of Catherine Isip and Elizabeth Searl in a tight 8-6 match. It was Ahn and Herring’s first appearance together as a doubles team.

“The match was neck and neck the whole time, and unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on a few key points toward the end of the pro set,” Ahn said. “Amelia and I played well though, and it was a lot of fun. They were very respectable opponents.”

Senior captain Natalie Dillon and freshman Krista Hardebeck were able to pull out a 9-8 win, but that didn’t change the outcome of the overall doubles point.

Down 1-0, Stanford knew it had to step it up in singles. Tan crushed Jade Frampton, giving up just one game to her in the second set. Ahn then put the Cardinal ahead 2-1 with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Isip.

The match was even after Hardebeck lost to Jullien on court one, 7-5, 6-1, but freshman Lindsey Kostas captured a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Audrey Leitz in her first appearance this year, putting the Cardinal back on top.

It was tied up again after Saint Mary’s Flores outlasted Tsay at the No. 3 spot in a three-setter, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

“[Flores] was playing to win and swung fearlessly, and I gave her way too much leeway to control points and also didn’t handle her attacking shots very well,” Tsay said. “I didn’t play as assertively as I have been this season, and I know that I need to get back to that style of play. “

It all came down to court five. Dillon fought a hard battle against Catherine Leduc, eventually losing 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

“Tennis is not a timed sport, nor is there a mercy rule,” Ahn said. “The craziest comebacks do in fact happen. It’s also difficult because momentum is such a huge part.”

The team isn’t going to dwell on the past though.

“We’ve accepted what has happened and are ready to move on,” Ahn said.

“The loss has added a new level of intensity and urgency,” Tsay said. “As the coaches pointed out, the loss is not a total loss if we use it to fuel us and motivate us for the rest of the season.”

The Cardinal will have its chance to capture its own upset when it travels to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the No. 2 Gators this Sunday. Stanford will also face No. 18 Clemson on Saturday.

The Gators are one of Stanford’s biggest rivals. Florida beat the Cardinal in the 2011 NCAA championship on the Farm, abruptly putting an end to Stanford’s undefeated season.

Now, the team is concentrating on revenge.

“We’re especially focusing on doubles, particularly [Gibbs] and myself as she’s been gone so much,” Ahn said. “We’re just trying to fine-tune and get ourselves confident with our games before taking on Clemson and Florida.”

This will be the Cardinal’s first trip to the East Coast this year and its first chance to play two top-20 teams in one weekend.

“It’ll be a great opportunity for us to bounce back,” Tsay said.

The Cardinal will appear in Gainesville against Clemson this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and Florida this Sunday at 8 a.m.

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Women’s tennis sweeps through Southern California to remain unbeaten https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/11/womens-tennis-sweeps-through-southern-california-to-remain-unbeaten/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/11/womens-tennis-sweeps-through-southern-california-to-remain-unbeaten/#respond Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:12:44 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1074843 Stanford women’s tennis captured consecutive 5-2 victories this past weekend in its Southern California tour, beating both San Diego and Pepperdine to remain undefeated. On Friday against No. 49 San Diego, the top of the singles lineup dominated play. Juniors Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn both posted easy wins, despite having previously lost their doubles […]

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Nicole Gibbs
Junior Nicole Gibbs went 1-3 over the weekend, but her team stayed perfect. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

Stanford women’s tennis captured consecutive 5-2 victories this past weekend in its Southern California tour, beating both San Diego and Pepperdine to remain undefeated.

On Friday against No. 49 San Diego, the top of the singles lineup dominated play. Juniors Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn both posted easy wins, despite having previously lost their doubles match on court one to San Diego’s Shani Blecher and Laura Claus 8-6. In singles, Gibbs disposed of USD’s Stephanie Hoffpauir 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 1 spot while Ahn gave up just three games in her 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Blecher on court three. Stanford also won the doubles point in spite of the loss on court one, winning 8-3 on court two and 8-5 on court three.

Sophomore Ellen Tsay easily moved past Anna Depenau 6-0, 6-2 at the No.4 spot. On court two, nationally No. 2 ranked freshman Krista Hardebeck, who had been ill with the flu earlier in the week, dropped the first set against Claus, but was able to pull out a win in a third set tie breaker 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8).

“I was happy that I was able to focus and push through,” Hardebeck said. “It is tough to know you’re down a set, but your opponent still has an entire set too so it’s a long ways to go for both players. Anything can happen.”

It was the back of the lineup that struggled against San Diego. USD’s Marta Stojanovic defeated senior Stacey Tan in a tight straight-set match, 6-4, 7-6 (2) while senior captain Natalie Dillon lost to Cara Brown in another tight contest, 7-6 (4), 7-5.

But when Stanford traveled north to Malibu on Saturday to play No. 33 Pepperdine, the individual successes were reversed even though the final score was the same (5-2). This time, it was the bottom end of the line up that pulled out the team victory.

Gibbs and Hardebeck accounted for the Cardinal’s two losses. Gibbs fell to Pepperdine’s Lorraine Guillermo 7-5, 6-1 while nationally ranked No. 92 Khunpak Issara came back in dramatic fashion to beat the Card’s No. 2 Krista Hardebeck after being shut out the first set (0-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6)).

“Obviously it’s a lot more fun to win than lose,” Hardebeck said, “but you can learn a lot from situations like that. [Issara] started setting up her game nicely after the first set, and I didn’t make the changes that I needed to in order to prevent her from keeping momentum.”

Though the rare losses from Gibbs and Hardebeck were frustrating, they came after Stanford had already clinched the match by going up 4-0.

“The main goal is a team win, so it was a little bit of a relief when I found out we had won after losing my second set,” Hardebeck said. “We played a ten-point tiebreaker after though instead of a third set, which can be a coin toss at times.”

She also noted that whether or not the players are aware of where the team scores depends on the location of the match. At Stanford, all six match scores are posted on a large screen. At Pepperdine, there was no indicator for the players.

“You have to focus on yourself though,” she said. “Don’t let anything else get to you.”

Gibbs also was unable to pull out a team point with Ahn on the No. 1 doubles court for the second match in a row to Pepperdine’s Guillermo/Issara duo 8-2.

“Nicole has a very mature mindset,” Hardebeck said. “We all know that one loss won’t define your career at the end of the day. You just have to let it go and continue to work hard.”

With that, it’s back to another week of practice for the Cardinal before it faces Saint Mary’s this weekend.

“I think that we are all just going to keep working on match play and sets, as well as our mental toughness,” Hardebeck said. “We will keep building the base that we already have.”

Stanford will host the Gaels this Saturday at noon at the Taube Family Tennis Courts.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj@stanford.edu.

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W. Tennis to be tested by two top-50 teams this weekend https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/06/womens-tennis-to-be-tested-by-two-top-50-teams-this-weekend/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/02/06/womens-tennis-to-be-tested-by-two-top-50-teams-this-weekend/#respond Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:49:50 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1074691 The Stanford women’s tennis team makes its first trek this weekend to southern California to compete in a double-header against No. 49 University of San Diego (1-1) and No. 33 Pepperdine (0-2). The No. 5 Cardinal (1-0) is fresh off its season opener victory over UC-Davis last Thursday.

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The Stanford women’s tennis team makes its first trek this weekend to southern California to compete in a double-header against No. 49 University of San Diego (1-1) and No. 33 Pepperdine (0-2). The No. 5 Cardinal (1-0) is fresh off its season opener victory over UC-Davis last Thursday.

Senior captain Natalie Dillon was the only Stanford player to lose a singles match against UC-Davis, and said that converting on break points would be a focus of hers going forward. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)
Senior captain Natalie Dillon was the only Stanford player to lose a singles match against UC-Davis, and said that converting on break points would be a focus of hers going forward. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

It was an easy win for Stanford, who dropped just one singles match on court six. Senior captain Natalie Dillon lost a hard-fought battle to UC-Davis’ Melissa Kobayakawa in a tiebreaker 10-8—she led the tiebreak 8-3 before Kobayakawa rallied.

“I had a lot of great moments,” she said, “but I need to focus on finishing the match out and converting break points.”

Though a clear leader on the roster, Dillon has experienced only one full year of competition in the main singles lineup.

“I’m working on improving my mental game and competing consistently,” said Dillon. “It’ll be an emphasis of mine this weekend as well as this season more generally.”

Along with Stacey Tan, Dillon is one of the only two seniors on the squad. The pair are the only players who were a part of the 2010 NCAA championship team. As a captain and a walk-on, Dillon’s experience can help guide Stanford towards another title.

“I can serve as an example of what needs to be done in order to win that title at the end of the year,” Dillon said. “Coming as a walk-on, my leadership is more marked by hard work and effort than anything else.”

The Cardinal will continue to work towards that goal and Dillon will continue to demonstrate that work ethic this weekend when they face USD and Pepperdine. Stanford did not compete against USD last year, but easily topped Pepperdine with a 5-2 victory last February.

The top of the lineup should consist of junior Nicole Gibbs on court one, followed by freshman and No. 2 Krista Hardebeck on court two, and junior Kristie Ahn on court three. Sophomore and No. 55 Ellen Tsay, Tan and Dillon will represent the Cardinal on courts four, five, and six.

Doubles will be played with Gibbs and Ahn competing on court one, followed by Tan and Tsay on court two and Dillon and Hardebeck on court three.

“Krista is a fantastic baseline player with powerful shots,” Dillon explained. “This gives me the opportunity to close in at the net, so together we make a pretty explosive team.”

Practice this week has especially concentrated on doubles play. Dillon explained that, unlike the fall where the focus was to fine-tune, the spring emphasis is match play.

“So far practice has been characterized by a lot of drills that simulate competition,” she said. “It’s more tailored and focused to our individual needs as well.”

The Dillon/Hardebeck duo is the only senior/freshman pairing. When asked what advice Dillon would give to Hardebeck and freshman Lindsey Kostas, Dillon instead praised the storied Stanford program.

“Playing on the Stanford tennis team is a real honor and there is a lot of history and legacy that comes with it,” she said. “One component is enjoying the experience but another is putting everything you have into it because that’s when you get the biggest returns.”

This weekend will mark Stanford’s second opportunity playing together as a team. Dillon described how creating an identity is something the group has been discussing recently.

“We are known to be really big hitters,” said Dilllon “but we also want to be known as players that grind on the court, all day and all night. We are taking that step in terms of fitness and practice.”

The Cardinal will first take on USD in San Diego 12 p.m. Friday at the Hogan Tennis Center. The team will then travel up to Malibu on Saturday to face Pepperdine at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center at 1 p.m.

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No. 5 Stanford women’s tennis opens dual-meet season today vs. UC-Davis https://stanforddaily.com/2013/01/31/no-5-stanford-womens-tennis-opens-dual-meet-season-today-vs-uc-davis/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/01/31/no-5-stanford-womens-tennis-opens-dual-meet-season-today-vs-uc-davis/#respond Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:11:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1074526 The No. 5 Stanford women’s tennis team reappears on the courts today in the season opener against UC-Davis. The small but determined eight-girl squad looks for redemption after losing to USC in last year’s NCAA quarterfinals in May. The new journey begins under the leadership of coach Lele Forood, senior captain Natalie Dillon and junior captains Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn.

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The No. 5 Stanford women’s tennis team reappears on the courts today in the season opener against UC-Davis. The small but determined eight-girl squad looks for redemption after losing to USC in last year’s NCAA quarterfinals in May. The new journey begins under the leadership of coach Lele Forood, senior captain Natalie Dillon and junior captains Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn.

Junior Nicole Gibbs hopes to build off a very successful 2012 season when the No. 5 Card returns to the court this week (STANFORD DAILY FILE PHOTO)
Junior Nicole Gibbs hopes to build off a very successful 2012 season when the No. 5 Card returns to the court this week (STANFORD DAILY FILE PHOTO)

The Cardinal lost Mallory Burdette, who opted to forgo her senior year and enter the pro circuit in September after losing to Maria Sharapova in the third round of the US Open. Despite her absence, Stanford still looks strong with several key players coming back.

Gibbs will return to play court one. Like Burdette, she also has experience against top-five players, including Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova. Gibbs just returned from the qualifiers of the Australian Open, and despite briefly missing Stanford practices, sees the benefit in playing professional tournaments.

“I find the two completely complementary to each other,” Gibbs said. “It’s not a balancing act for me when I’m on tour playing matches for my personal career. It’s helping my level of play for when I’m here.”

Academically, though, Gibbs admits it can be difficult. As an Economics major taking a very heavy workload this quarter, she acknowledges the focus necessary to successfully handle all her endeavors. But it’s not only herself who she has to worry about. The trio of Gibbs, Ahn and Dillon will be responsible for maintaining balance within the team.

“It’s our job to take care of the nitty gritties, dot the I’s and cross the T’s,” Ahn said. “We also make an effort to set a precedent, always giving 100 percent whether we’re on the court or in the gym. We also do our best to communicate with the coaches as much as possible so we’re all on the same page.”

Ahn will finally be a healthy starter again after missing almost all of last season with injuries. Her return is huge for the already small Stanford squad.

“I feel better than I did coming into Stanford as a freshman,” she asserted. “I put in my time at the gym when I was still limited on the court, and I think it’s really paid off.”

In addition to the returning Gibbs, Ahn, and Dillon, the Cardinal will return sophomore Ellen Tsay, junior Amelia Herring and senior Stacey Tan.

It has also welcomed two new members, freshmen Krista Hardebeck and Lindsey Kostas. Hardebeck, a No. 1 recruit who has ranked inside the top-300 on the pro circuit, will enter the season ranked an astounding No. 2 in the country.

“[Hardebeck] is a vibrant personality and adds so much to our team dynamic on the personal side,” Gibbs said. “She’s also an exceptional college tennis player and had a very illustrious junior and pro circuit career. She’s definitely the real deal.”

For Hardebeck, Stanford was an easy choice. It was always her dream school because her long time coach, Debbie Graham, is a Stanford alumna who actually captured a NCAA singles title as a sophomore in 1990. Playing for a team has definitely been a transition for Hardebeck, but something she views as a positive.

“Depending on other people and having other people rely on you is something you have to get used to,” she said. “It’s a growing experience but definitely a beneficial one.”

Hardebeck and Kostas actually were doubles partners when they were 12 and 13 years old. Both from southern California, they played in the same section and knew each other well.

“We stopped playing the same tournaments though around sophomore year,” Hardebeck said. “We reconnected when we found out we were both going to be freshmen at Stanford.”

A Kostas/Hardebeck doubles team isn’t in the cards for the Cardinal this year though, as Gibbs and Ahn will lead the line up at No. 1, Tan and Tsay at No. 2, and Dillon and Hardebeck at No. 3.

The singles line up is still not completely cemented, but fans can be sure to see a prepared and determined Stanford team on Thursday.

“I think our team feels we have something to prove out there,” Ahn said. “There will definitely be a lot of desire and fire on the court. We have some pretty animated tennis players who love to get the crowd engaged.”

Gibbs hopes that kicking off the season with a win against UC-Davis will increase the team’s confidence.

“It’s early in the year to talk about a team identity because we haven’t seen how we play together yet,” she acknowledged. “We have a certain level of intensity and a good work ethic on our team, and we’ve reformed ourselves to make up for [Burdette’s] absence. I think we look really good.”

Though UC-Davis typically isn’t a powerhouse team, the Cardinal has some huge matches quickly approaching. In fact, Stanford will travel to Gainesville to face long time rival and No. 1 ranked University of Florida on Feb. 24. The team will also travel to face southern California foes No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 USC in March.

The Cardinal will first attempt to defeat the Aggies on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Courts.

Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissyj@stanford.edu

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W. Tennis: Two of three advance to second round of singles draw https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/24/w-tennis-two-of-three-advance-to-second-round-of-singles-draw/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/24/w-tennis-two-of-three-advance-to-second-round-of-singles-draw/#respond Thu, 24 May 2012 08:45:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1067293 The NCAA singles tournament kicked off with singles play yesterday in Athens, Ga., where juniors Mallory Burdette and Stacey Tan and sophomore Nicole Gibbs represented Stanford in the first round. Burdette and Gibbs, both top-five seeds, moved into the second round with easy wins, while the unseeded Tan fell to Rice’s Natalie Beazant.

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The NCAA singles tournament kicked off with singles play yesterday in Athens, Ga., where juniors Mallory Burdette and Stacey Tan and sophomore Nicole Gibbs represented Stanford in the first round. Burdette and Gibbs, both top-five seeds, moved into the second round with easy wins, while the unseeded Tan fell to Rice’s Natalie Beazant.

W. Tennis: Two of three advance to second round of singles draw
Mallory Burdette (above) smashed her way through to the second round of the NCAA singles tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

Gibbs, who recently won the Pac-12 individual title, is the tournament’s No. 3 seed, and she continued to display her dominant play of late with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over the No. 22 Emily Fraser of Virginia on Wednesday. This may not be Gibbs’ last meeting with Fraser, though. Both women are participating in the same half NCAA doubles draw as well, which kicks off today. For now, Gibbs will concentrate on her second round singles match against either No. 59 Hanna Mar of Duke or No. 21 Joanna Mather of Florida.

Burdette cruised through her match against No. 120 Maria Craciun of South Carolina State, defeating her 6-1, 6-1.

“I played a really solid match today,” Burdette said. “I did a great job of making first serves and returns as well as building points.”

Burdette will now play Washington’s Denise Dy in the second round. Dy, seeded No. 22, defeated No. 41 Marianne Jodoin of Fresno State, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the first round. Burdette has played Dy before and described her style of play as consistent.

“She is a very good defender and she will definitely get a lot of balls back,” Burdette said.

Tan wasn’t able to capture a victory, instead stumbling against the unseeded Beazant. Tan, who earned an at-large bid to the tournament and is ranked No. 25 nationally, lost 7-5, 6-2. It is Beazant now who will face No. 4 Robin Anderson of UCLA, who defeated No. 33 seed Courtney Collins of Memphis, 6-3, 6-0, in her first round matchup.

Though Tan’s run at the singles title has ended, she will appear tomorrow in the first round of doubles with freshman Ellen Tsay. They will play Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews of Notre Dame. Gibbs and Burdette, the No. 2 doubles team and Pac-12 runners-up, will begin their quest for a title as well Thursday against Princeton’s Hilary Bartlett and Lindsay Graff.

The action continues with the second round of singles and first round of doubles today at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

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W. Tennis: Gibbs, Burdette earn high seeds https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/23/w-tennis-3/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/23/w-tennis-3/#respond Wed, 23 May 2012 08:38:18 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1067234 Four Cardinal players, sophomore Nicole Gibbs, junior Mallory Burdette, junior Stacey Tan and freshman Ellen Tsay, remain in Athens, Ga., to represent Stanford in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships this week.

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W. Tennis: Gibbs, Burdette earn high seeds
(SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

The Stanford women’s tennis team saw its hopes for a second national title in three years crushed in a 4-2 loss to USC on Saturday, but four Cardinal players, sophomore Nicole Gibbs, junior Mallory Burdette, junior Stacey Tan and freshman Ellen Tsay, remain in Athens, Ga., to represent Stanford in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships this week.

Despite Saturday’s abrupt ending to the team’s season, Gibbs said that it provides an opportunity for the returning group to learn and improve for next year’s dual-match season.

“Our coaches and our captain [senior Veronica Li] spoke in the locker room afterwards,” Gibbs said. “We reflected on the match, as we do after any loss or any win. This team has been through a lot of adversity, and it was a good moment to observe the year and figure out how we can grow from it.”

However, No. 3 seed Gibbs and her Cardinal teammates will have little time to reflect, as they must quickly refocus their attention from team play to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, which commence on Wednesday for singles and Thursday for doubles.

“There is definitely a different mental aspect when playing individually,” Gibbs said, “because if you lose, you’re done. Your teammates aren’t there to bail you out.”

Gibbs, the top-seeded Stanford player, manned court one for the Cardinal all season and put up a 31-5 overall record. She captured the ITA Northwest Regional Championship in October, the first singles title of her career, and captured her second title on April 29, winning the Pac-12 Championship. Riding an 11-match win streak, the All-American is entering the tournament with reserved confidence.

“I don’t think this tournament will define me one way or another,” she explained. “I’ve had validating performances in other individual tournaments this year, I’ve felt comfortable with my dual record and I’ve felt like I’ve played well. I’m going in with a lot of confidence, but the draw is stacked with the best players in the country so it’ll be a challenge.”

She opens play against Virginia’s Emily Fraser on Wednesday, whom she described as having “an all-court game style with a big serve.” No. 5 seed Mallory Burdette will take on South Carolina State’s Maria Craciun, and No. 25 seed Stacey Tan will face Rice’s Natalie Beazant.

Both Craciun and Beazant are unfamiliar opponents for the Cardinal, but if Stanford’s representatives can make it deeper into the tournament, they could encounter more familiar Pac-12 faces.

The doubles tournament commences on Thursday as the second-seeded pairing of Gibbs and Burdette takes on Princeton’s Hilary Bartlett and Lindsay Graff. This will be Gibbs and Burdette’s first opportunity at redemption after losing their doubles match on Saturday to USC’s Sabrina Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian. Santamaria and Christian are not in the Stanford pair’s quarter of the draw, but Gibbs would relish a rematch on the national stage.

“I have a feeling that, if we were to meet, it would be late in the tournament,” she said. “We would love to make up for those two losses, but it would be a challenge for sure.”

But before focusing on revenge, the dominant pairing of Gibbs and Burdette will have to get past Bartlett and Graff, a first-team All-Ivy League doubles team.

“Personally, I’m focusing on getting a higher percentage of returns in the court, moving across the court to cut off ground strokes and poaching more,” she explained. “[Burdette and I] only experienced two dual-match losses all year so we aren’t making monumental changes, but we do have to bring the intensity.”

Tan and Tsay, an at-large selection to compete in the doubles draw, will seek to bring a similar intensity against their opening opponent, No. 8 seed Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews of Notre Dame.

Both Stanford pairs will have to adjust to altered rules in comparison to the regular season. Unlike regular season dual matches, where doubles are played as eight-game pro sets, the NCAA doubles tournament will require the best two out of three sets. This, along with singles play, naturally will place significant physical stress on the body.

“I’m definitely waiting for the storm to come,” Gibbs quipped. “But we have all the tools necessary here to deal with it, and we’re all planning on finding a way to keep our bodies running.”

Individual play begins today with Burdette’s match at 9:30 a.m. PDT, followed by Gibbs and Tan at 12:30 p.m. PDT. Doubles play opens on Thursday, May 24, with times to be announced.

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W. Tennis: Cardinal heads back down to Georgia for NCAA third round https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/17/w-tennis-cardinal-heads-back-down-to-georgia-for-ncaa-third-round/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/17/w-tennis-cardinal-heads-back-down-to-georgia-for-ncaa-third-round/#respond Thu, 17 May 2012 10:03:24 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1066570 Now the Cardinal faces its true test in Athens, Ga. Fourth-seeded Stanford (20-1, 9-1 Pac-12) traveled cross-country on Monday morning in preparation for its match against 13th-seeded Northwestern today

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The Stanford women’s tennis team breezed through the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championships on its home courts last weekend with wins over Stony Brook and Yale. Now the Cardinal faces its true test in Athens, Ga. Fourth-seeded Stanford (20-1, 9-1 Pac-12) traveled cross-country on Monday morning in preparation for its match against 13th-seeded Northwestern today.

W. Tennis: Cardinal heads back down to Georgia for NCAA third round
Captain Veronica Li (above) is the only senior on the Stanford women's tennis team, and she will try to use her experience to help the rest of her team as the Cardinal battles Northwestern in the third round of the NCAA Championships. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

This will be the Cardinal’s 27th straight appearance in the NCAA round of 16, and Northwestern’s ninth straight. Ironically, Stanford will be playing Northwestern in the third round for the second consecutive year. In a match that went until early in the morning last May, the Wildcats (20-8, 10-1 Big Ten) came close to crushing then-No. 1 Stanford’s hopes at a national title earlier than expected. Senior captain Veronica Li, however, looks back on last year’s battle as something that benefited her team in the long run.

“It’s great to have a tough match in the beginning because, if you can secure a victory, it gets you ready for the rest of the tournament,” Li said. “Last year, that match helped remind us to stay tough out there and fight for each point.”

Northwestern went up 2-1 early in the match with a victory on court four after Northwestern’s Kate Turvy’s had a straight-set defeat of Stanford’s Stacey Tan. This year, Turvy will likely face sophomore Nicole Gibbs on court one, the court both players have manned for their respective teams throughout the season. Stanford also dropped the doubles point in last year’s matchup, something the players intend to change this year.

“We want to play with a lot of confidence and scare some people out there,” Li said. “We’ve definitely put in a lot of work in doubles, especially in the last month or two. Everyone seems to be really in sync and working as a team.”

Li, who has been playing No. 3 doubles with junior Natalie Dillon, commented on her partner’s play.

“She’s really competitive and it’s such a huge advantage to have someone you can trust to fight and pull out the big points,” Li said.

This year will mark Dillon’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament both as a doubles and singles player. Sophomore Kristie Ahn, a critical member of the squad who has battled injuries since last year’s NCAA tournament, hopes to make a comeback this year. At this point, though, her return still seems up in the air.

“I think we’re taking it one day at a time, but it’s a conversation between her and coaches and trainers,” Li said. “As teammates, we are doing our best to support her, but we know that she’ll be a huge part in our success and do her best to contribute in whatever role she plays.”

Li also made clear that supporting the team is what’s most important at this stage in the season. The NCAA rules for the tournament mandate that each match is the best of seven points, so if a team goes up 4-0, then the remaining matches go unfinished. Some players find this format to be disruptive and frustrating.

“You know, people are finishers and people love to be able to go out and give a win,” Li said. “For the players that do, it’s great. For the ones that don’t get to finish, it’s definitely tough to stop short because a lot of girls get better as they go. You’ve got to be ready for anything, though. You’ve got to focus on your court and play each point the same. If your team wins, it’s all for the better.”

As captain and the sole senior on the team, Li is the most experienced player on the squad. Her advice to freshman Ellen Tsay and the other players participating in their first NCAA is to enjoy the moment.

“It’s such a special experience to play for a team and to have gotten this far,” Li said. “You have to enjoy it. Winning isn’t necessarily the thing I remember the most. It’s more about the little things like playing music in the parking lot or hanging out at night in a room and watching a funny movie. My memories are mostly of spending time with the team.”

That being said, there’s no doubt the Cardinal is ready to take on the nation’s elite teams, but the players are taking it one step at a time.

“We are a team that doesn’t prepare differently for certain matches,” she said. “We try to do the best we can day-to-day, and I don’t think we’re thinking about the whole tournament, but instead the next match we are going to play.”

For right now, that focus is on getting past Northwestern. The match will take place at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

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W. Tennis: Stanford begins NCAAs eyeing third straight finals appearance https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/10/w-tennis-stanford-begins-ncaas-eyeing-third-straight-finals-appearance/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/10/w-tennis-stanford-begins-ncaas-eyeing-third-straight-finals-appearance/#respond Thu, 10 May 2012 10:03:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1065965 It’s finally May Madness in the world of college tennis, and the Stanford women’s team is looking to avenge its heartbreaking loss in last year's NCAA championship match with a victory this year

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It’s finally May Madness in the world of college tennis, and the Stanford women’s team is looking to avenge its heartbreaking loss in last year’s NCAA championship match with a victory this year. The players have asserted time and time again that hoisting the trophy is their main goal, and this weekend they begin their quest for the title.

“The ultimate goal is definitely to win NCAAs,” said junior Mallory Burdette. “Our first stepping stone this year was the rematch against Florida in February, and once we overcame that hurdle, we focused on winning the Pac-12 title. Now that we are Pac-12 co-champions, all of our focus has shifted to the NCAA tournament.”

W. Tennis: Stanford begins NCAAs eyeing third straight finals appearance
Sophomore Nicole Gibbs (above) will look to build on her success as Pac-12 singles champion when Stanford kicks off its NCAA tournament run this weekend on the Farm. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

It’s been a successful year for No. 5 Stanford (18-1, 9-1 Pac-12), which is seeded No. 4 in the 64-team tournament. The first and second rounds are held this weekend at 16 different campus sites, one of those being the Farm. The last four rounds, including the championship, will be played May 17-28 at the Dan Magill Tennis Center in Athens, Ga.

Stanford has had a short break since its appearance in Ojai, in which the Cardinal swept Washington State 7-0 in the final regular season match and followed that with strong individual showings at the Pac-12 tournament. Stanford sophomore Nicole Gibbs, who has manned court one for the Cardinal all season, took the Pac-12 singles championship, and Gibbs, along with Burdette, made it all the way to the doubles final before falling to USC’s pairing of Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria 6-4, 6-4.

“[Nicole] and I had several confidence-building matches throughout the tournament,” Burdette said. “Even though we didn’t pull through in the finals, we learned a lot about USC’s No. 1 team, and I think we will know exactly what to expect from them next time. The Pac-12 tournament is also really tough in that we play up to three matches in one day, but it’s great preparation for NCAAs where we will also be playing a lot of tennis over a two-week period.”

Although the anticipation is intensifying, the time off between Pac-12s and NCAAs has actually benefitted Stanford’s small, eight-person squad.

“We knew that we were going to have a smaller team this year,” Burdette said. “And it definitely has put more pressure on each of us to remain healthy and to stay on top of our game. It’s that time of the season where parts of my body are breaking down, and it was really important that I took a few days off after playing so many matches in a short period of time.”

The few days allowed the Cardinal to renew and refocus before the “Big Dance,” as Burdette put it.

“I personally needed to recharge, fine-tune my game and mentally prepare for the NCAAs,” said freshman Ellen Tsay. “And, of course, to build up for the excitement and suspense of the biggest event of the year.”

“We have been pushing really hard for shorter periods of time,” Burdette added. “I think we’ve had our best practices of the year in the past week or so. The bottom line is that we really need contributions from every person in order to reach our goal of bringing home another title.”

The Cardinal faces Stony Brook (14-7) on Friday in the first round. Led by junior Nini Lagvilava and freshman Polina Movchan, Stony Brook won its first American East tournament title over Maryland-Baltimore County 4-2, ensuring its bid to NCAAs. This Friday will be the first time the two teams meet.

If Stanford were to defeat Stony Brook, it would face the winner of No. 41 St. Mary’s and No. 28 Yale in the second round on Saturday. If Stanford can get past these two matches, it will travel to Athens, where it could face its first seeded opponent of the tournament, No. 13 Northwestern, in the third round. If seeds hold, Stanford would square off with its Pac-12 co-champion, fifth-seeded USC.

Both Friday and Saturday are expected to be extremely warm days, but the Stanford players said the weather should help them prepare for the next few rounds.

“I am actually really happy that it is going to be really hot this weekend because it will be great preparation for the Southern heat that we will surely deal with in Athens if we make it,” Burdette said. “I have done a few sessions of Bikram yoga in order to prepare for the heat.”

The action begins when Yale and Saint Mary’s face off at 11 a.m. at Taube Family Tennis Center on Friday, followed by the Stanford-Stony Brook match at 2 p.m. The winners of these two matches will face off at 3 p.m on Saturday.

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W. Tennis: Stanford earns share of Pac-12 title, begins tournament https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/26/w-tennis-stanford-earns-share-of-pac-12-title-begins-tournament/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/26/w-tennis-stanford-earns-share-of-pac-12-title-begins-tournament/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:48:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1064689 With a 7-0 sweep over Washington State in Ojai, Calif., today, the Stanford women's tennis team officially brought its regular season to a close

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With a 7-0 sweep over Washington State in Ojai, Calif., today, the Stanford women’s tennis team officially brought its regular season to a close. The No. 31 Cougars (18-6, 6-4 Pac-12) were no match for No. 5 Stanford, who surrendered only one set all day. The meeting, rescheduled after a rainout on March 25, cemented the Cardinal as co-champions of the Pac-12, alongside No. 4 USC (20-3, 9-1). Apart from 2009, Stanford (18-1, 9-1) has taken at least a portion of the conference championship every year since 1987.

W. Tennis: Stanford earns share of Pac-12 title, begins tournament
Junior Stacey Tan (above) double-bageled her opponent as Stanford swept Washington State to secure a share of the Pac-12 title. Now the Cardinal will turn its attention to the singles and doubles competitions at this weekend's Pac-12 tournament. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

Stanford captured the doubles point first and continued to roll with six straight singles victories. Junior Stacey Tan was the first to finish with a decisive 6-0, 6-0 blow to her opponent, Ksenia Googe, as junior Mallory Burdette followed in suit with a shutout victory over Washington State’s Elisabeth Fournier. Sophomore Nicole Gibbs, freshman Ellen Tsay, senior Veronica Li and junior Natalie Dillon all contributed wins as well.

“Today we had to take care of business,” said head coach Lele Forood. “And we did. We had a really good performance.”

Forood acknowledged that, despite finishing the regular season as Pac-12 co-champions, Stanford has suffered some uphill battles.

“We are not healthy,” Forood said. “[Sophomore Kristie Ahn] is still not available, but we’re optimistic about getting her back for NCAAs and she’s been working incredibly hard. Even [sophomore Amelia Herring] has been injured and had to have a procedure on her wrist.”

That leaves the Cardinal with six healthy players, the number required for each match.

“Our backs have been against the wall,” Forood said, “but this group is very resilient and has done a great job.”

Luckily for Stanford, Herring will return for the Pac-12 invitational draw this weekend. All of her teammates, apart from Ahn, the defending champion of the Pac-10 tournament, will participate in singles, doubles or both at the tournament.

The women’s singles draw will consist of 32 players, and the doubles draw will include 16 teams.

Gibbs, who has manned court one for Stanford all season, will appear in the main draw, along with teammates Burdette, Tan and Tsay. When asked who her toughest opponents will be, she pointed to none other than the ones she practices against every day.

“First and foremost, [Burdette] and my other teammates,” she said. “It’s very uniquely difficult to play someone on your team. You’re so used to it being a support system, and there are certain internal pressures associated with playing the other girls. We have to do it all the time though, so whatever happens, it’s not the end of the world to win or lose. I just want to improve with each match and put myself in the best situation for NCAAs.”

Forood added to Gibbs’ sentiment.

“It’s not like they stop talking to their teammates,” Forood laughed. “They’re kept in separate quarters, so they wouldn’t meet each other until the semifinals anyway. It certainly happens, though, and everyone handles it very well.”

After this weekend, Stanford will have almost two weeks until the start of NCAAs. Although not confirmed, Forood hinted that an exhibition match against the USTA’s top juniors is in the works for May 2.

“It gives us our only competition in the period between Pac-12 and NCAAs,” Forood said. “And quite frankly, it gives me the chance to see the top juniors.”

Gibbs, who trained with the USTA program for many years, thinks that such a match would be beneficial in helping the players remain sharp during the time off.

“These are players that I trained with, so it’s fun to see who will go pro, and who are viable options to recruit at Stanford,” she said. “I think that it would be a fun exhibition match to tune us up.”

Stanford will also put to good use its own depth in the time between Pac-12s and NCAAs.

“We made some changes to the way we practice after playing USC and UCLA two weekends ago,” Gibbs said. “We’re trying to get more focus and drive instilled during practice and everyone’s been doing a good job. Tons of fitness, too. We need to start getting ready for that Georgia weather.”

In the meantime, the Cardinal players will take the courts of the Ojai Valley Athletic Club today. The singles and doubles finals will be held on Sunday starting at 10:30 a.m. at Libbey Park.

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W. Tennis: No. 5 Cardinal closes out regular season against Cal https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/20/w-tennis-no-5-cardinal-closes-out-regular-season-against-cal/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/20/w-tennis-no-5-cardinal-closes-out-regular-season-against-cal/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:46:32 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1064100 The Stanford women’s tennis team will close out its regular season with a hugely important conference rematch against cross-bay rival California this weekend. The first matchup, which No. 5 Stanford (16-1, 7-1 Pac-12) won 5-2 in early March, did not count toward Pac-12 standings. With the conference title race completely up in the air after UCLA beat Stanford last weekend, No. 10 Cal (17-5, 8-1 Pac-12) will have the chance to avenge its loss and capture its own piece of the Pac-12 title.

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The Stanford women’s tennis team will close out its regular season with a hugely important conference rematch against cross-bay rival California this weekend.

W. Tennis: No. 5 Cardinal closes out regular season against Cal
Sophomore Nicole Gibbs (above) and the No. 5 Cardinal women’s tennis team look to shake off their recent loss against UCLA as they host cross-Bay rival No. 10 Cal for the last game of the regular season. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

The first matchup, which No. 5 Stanford (16-1, 7-1 Pac-12) won 5-2 in early March, did not count toward Pac-12 standings. With the conference title race completely up in the air after UCLA beat Stanford last weekend, No. 10 Cal (17-5, 8-1 Pac-12) will have the chance to avenge its loss and capture its own piece of the Pac-12 title.

Junior Mallory Burdette, who has accumulated a 30-4 overall record at the No. 2 spot and is riding a 16-match singles winning streak, described the Cardinal’s sentiment entering this week after its loss to the Bruins last weekend.

“I think the loss helps to reenergize everybody,” said Burdette. “We sat down after the match and talked about what we wanted to change in order to improve, and I think it’s a good time to refocus before our last match of the season.”

The last time these two top-10 teams played, Stanford captured the doubles point with wins on all three courts. Burdette acknowledged that No. 6 nationally ranked Jana Juricova, who captured the NCAA singles title last May, was absent from the lineup in March but will be a formidable force this weekend in both singles and doubles. She will most likely appear alongside freshman Zsofi Susanyi, across the net from Stanford’s top duo of Burdette and No. 4 nationally ranked sophomore Nicole Gibbs. The top doubles pairings from both schools together have a collective record of 39-4.

“[Juricova] makes things tough because if you leave the ball sitting, she will put it away,” Burdette explained. “She’s tall and has a big serve.  [Juricova and Susanyi] are both good at net and have great volleys, but they’re not unbeatable.”

In singles, Burdette and Gibbs both captured victories in the first meeting. Junior Stacey Tan lost her singles match to Cal’s Anett Schutting, while sophomore Kristie Ahn was defeated by Annie Goransson. Freshman Ellen Tsay defeated Cecilia Estlander and senior captain Veronica Li cleaned up with a win over Alice Duranteau. However, there is no guarantee that Stanford’s players will be facing the same Cal players, as Burdette described the unpredictability of Cal’s lineup. She does know, however, that she’ll most likely be facing Susanyi on Court 2, whom Gibbs defeated last time.

“I’ve never played her before and I’m looking forward to it,” said Burdette. “She hits a nice ball that is more in my strike zone. Last time I played Tayler Davis, who is much more scrappy and doesn’t hit the balls as cleanly, which made it more difficult for me to take advantage of the low ball.”

No matter what will be thrown at the Cardinal players, they plan on being ready.

“We created a plan after last weekend to help us concentrate this week,” Burdette described. “For example, on Monday we planned on doing more baseline drills, working on hitting and movement. Tuesday was going to be set day, and Wednesday was all about doubles.

Burdette mentioned that the team even brought in her older sister, Lindsay Burdette, as well as former player Lilia Osterloh to help push them, get that extra ball back and assist with doubles practice.

With the Pac-12 virtually tied, both Stanford and Cal are looking for a victory this weekend to gain at least a portion of the Pac-12 title. If Stanford were to win, it would need to also play Washington State prior to the start of the Pac-12 tournament as a makeup for a previously rained-out contest.

“One of our first goals of the season was to get the Pac-12 title,” Burdette said. “We are definitely going out there wanting to win, but as long as people are moving in the right direction and working on the right things the bigger picture will be okay.”

The rematch, which will also mark Senior Day as it is the final matchup of the regular season, will take place at the Taube Family Tennis Center at noon on Saturday.

 

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W. Tennis: Historic home winning streak snapped https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/17/w-tennis-historic-home-winning-streak-snapped/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/17/w-tennis-historic-home-winning-streak-snapped/#respond Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:45:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1063595 UCLA handed the Stanford women’s tennis team its first loss of the season on Saturday, shattering the Cardinal’s undefeated season with a 5-2 victory. More importantly, the match ended the Cardinal’s regular-season home-winning streak at 157, with the last defeat on the Farm dating back to Feb. 27, 1999.

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UCLA handed the Stanford women’s tennis team its first loss of the season on Saturday, shattering the Cardinal’s undefeated season with a 5-2 victory. More importantly, the match ended the Cardinal’s regular-season home-winning streak at 157, with the last defeat on the Farm dating back to Feb. 27, 1999.

W. Tennis: Historic home winning streak snapped
The Stanford women's tennis team lost for the first at home in 157 regular-season matches on Saturday, falling 5-2 to UCLA. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

It was not all bad news for Stanford, however, as the loss came one day after the team routed No. 4 USC (18-2, 7-1 Pac-12), 4-2. Despite falling to the No. 1 Bruins (21-1, 8-1), No. 6 Stanford (16-1, 7-1) is viewing the loss as a positive, something that will help take the pressure off in its quest to win a team title in May.

“It was very much needed for all of us to play an incredible, high-level team at this point in the season and see where we are,” senior captain Veronica Li said. “We did so well against USC and came up short yesterday, but I think it’s good to point out that there hasn’t been a single season where we’ve gone undefeated and then won the national championship. This match gives us motivation and shows that everyone has to work harder.”

It was only two years ago that the Cardinal won the national championship, and it was in that same year that Stanford was beaten 6-1 by the Bruins.

“A lot of us agree that this is the best thing that could have happened to us at this point in the season,” Li said.

The day started off on a bad note for Stanford when it dropped its first doubles point of the year. Junior Stacey Tan and freshman Ellen Tsay flew by UCLA’s Courtney Dolehide and Pamela Montez in the No. 2 spot, beating them 8-2. However, the duo of junior Mallory Burdette and sophomore Nicole Gibbs lost to Robin Anderson and Skylar Morton 8-6 on court one, and junior Natalie Dillon and Li also were defeated on court three.

Stanford needed to come out strong in singles after losing the doubles point, and it did so as Burdette crushed UCLA’s McCall Jones 6-1, 6-1. After this victory, however, the Cardinal lost four matches, only picking up a victory on court three. Gibbs, Tsay, Li and Dillon all lost to UCLA’s four freshmen in the lineup.

Li, who was swept by Chanelle Van Nguyen, 6-1, 6-3, commented on the strength of UCLA’s recruiting class.

“Their freshmen are definitely playing really well,” she said. “At the same time, we’re still only in the regular season, and there’s less pressure. They don’t have a lot of experience playing college tennis yet. They might have less of an advantage going into the postseason and NCAAs.”

Tan captured a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Montez, recording Stanford’s second and final point of the match.

On Saturday, Tan and Dillon were the only two players to falter in the matchup with USC. Doubles were not played because of a threat of rain, but Stanford held on to clinch four of the six singles matches and grab the victory. On court one, Gibbs played a close first set against USC’s Zoe Scandalis but ran away with the second, winning 7-6 (4), 6-2. Burdette, Tsay and Li also came out with victories.

Looking ahead to this weekend, the Cardinal will be facing Cal in a rematch of a meeting earlier this season in which Stanford won 5-2. However, that match didn’t count for the conference standings, which reveal no clear top seed as of now.

“Even though we beat Cal last time we played, that doesn’t guarantee a win again,” Tsay said. “Cal beat UCLA, UCLA beat us, we beat USC and USC beat Cal. That just goes to show that it really depends on each team’s performance that day.”

In preparation for their last regular season match before Pac-12s and NCAAs, the Cardinal looks to be more focused in practice.

“Personally, I want my practice to have a more specific focus,” Tsay said. “I need to keep my feet moving after every shot and have targets in mind for each ball that I’m going to hit. If what I’m working on can come naturally, then all I have to worry about is staying mentally tough. As a team, we’re looking to add more structure to this week’s practices, too.”

Stanford takes on the Golden Bears this Saturday at noon at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

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W. Tennis: No. 6 Stanford looks to remain undefeated against Santa Clara https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/06/w-tennis-cardinal-ready-to-host-pac-12-foes/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/06/w-tennis-cardinal-ready-to-host-pac-12-foes/#respond Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:46:40 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1062401 The No. 6 Cardinal (14-0, 6-0 Pac-12) will be aiming high in its final nonconference match of the season against the unranked Broncos. In the past two weeks, Stanford has delivered four straight devastating blows to its opponents. The Stanford women defeated No. 51 UNLV, No. 27 Arizona State, No. 28 Arizona and most recently the unranked Cal Poly Mustangs, all without dropping a match.

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After a brief lapse in dual match play due to dead week and finals, it’s taken the Stanford women’s tennis team no time at all to once again demonstrate its dominance. Stanford looks to continue its undefeated season with a win over Bay Area rival Santa Clara this Saturday.

W. Tennis: No. 6 Stanford looks to remain undefeated against Santa Clara
Senior Veronica Li (above) and the No. 6 Stanford women's tennis team, freshly coming off a 7-0 win over Cal Poly, hope to remain undefeated as they square off against Santa Clara at the Taube Family Tennis Center on Saturday morning. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

The No. 6 Cardinal (14-0, 6-0 Pac-12) will be aiming high in its final nonconference match of the season against the unranked Broncos. In the past two weeks, Stanford has delivered four straight devastating blows to its opponents. The Stanford women defeated No. 51 UNLV, No. 27 Arizona State, No. 28 Arizona and most recently the unranked Cal Poly Mustangs, all without dropping a match.

“All of us did a good job of getting a lot of court time during dead week and finals week, so it wasn’t difficult at all to get back into the groove of things,” explained freshman Ellen Tsay. “Every one of us has been really motivated and disciplined this year, whether it is extra workouts or practicing on our own.”

Senior captain Veronica Li described the importance of maintaining momentum for the squad as the Cardinal enters the last full month of competitive dual match play before the Pac-12 Championship in late April and the NCAA tournament in May.

“I think the team is looking really good, and our goal is the national championship in May, so we are still building towards that,” Li acknowledged. “Hopefully we’ll keep getting better each day and be ready to compete at our best come time.”

Santa Clara (8-7) will commute to the Farm on Saturday morning in hopes of coming away with a victory against the strong Cardinal squad. It will most likely be sophomore Nicole Gibbs facing the Broncos’ No. 1 singles player, sophomore Katie Le, on court one. However, Tsay has played Le before, as both girls were top Northern California junior players. Le was named the WCC Women’s Tennis Singles Player of the Month on Thursday and, coming off an 11-match win streak, will lead her team in the fight.

“As always, we are going to concentrate on playing our game and keeping our focus against them,” Tsay said.

Despite the Cardinal’s recent success at this critical point in the season, its six consecutive shutouts don’t necessarily accurately represent the toughness of each match.

“My singles match against Cal Poly was a mental test because it was the first time I played on court three,” Tsay said. “My opponent was tricky to play in the windy conditions. I went up 3-0 in the first set and then it went back to 3-all, but during the critical time, I was ‘resilient,’ as coach Lele put it.”

Resilient she was, executing a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Kathryn Webb and securing her first stadium victory.

Doubles play has continued to be a strength of the Stanford team, as the No. 1 pairing of junior Mallory Burdette and Gibbs remains undefeated and the No. 2 pairing of junior Stacey Tan and Tsay continues to improve.

“[Tan] and I work really well together and have gotten really good at anticipating each other’s tendencies as the season has progressed,” Tsay said. “We’ve been doing a lot of doubles drills during practice, and that has helped us hone our strategies.”

The No. 3 team of junior Natalie Dillon and Li has also been dominant against recent opponents. Continued strong doubles performances will be needed in the final weeks of the regular season. After this weekend’s match against Santa Clara, the Cardinal will face three conference rivals consecutively: No. 4 USC, No. 1 UCLA and finally No. 9 Cal, whom the Cardinal dismantled 5-2 in an earlier meeting this season that did not count towards conference standings.

For now, the Stanford women’s tennis team is focusing solely on defeating Santa Clara at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Taube Family Tennis Center.

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W. Tennis: Stanford stays unbeaten, knocks off Cal and Washington to start Pac-12 season https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/05/w-tennis-stanford-stays-unbeaten-knocks-off-cal-and-washington-to-start-pac-12-season/ Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:47:07 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1060468 With a weekend spent more in transit than on the courts, the No. 11 Cardinal continued to cruise as it flew by No. 7 Cal (6-4) on Friday with a 5-2 beating and finished off business at No. 28 Washington on Sunday with a 6-1 victory.

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With a weekend spent more in transit than on the courts, the No. 11 Cardinal continued to cruise as it flew by No. 7 Cal (6-4) on Friday with a 5-2 beating and finished off business at No. 28 Washington on Sunday with a 6-1 victory.

 

W. Tennis: Stanford stays unbeaten, knocks off Cal and Washington to start Pac-12 season
Junior Mallory Burdette was one of several undefeated Cardinal players on the weekend, as the squad won all of its doubles matches and fell only three times in singles. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

Stanford (8-0, 2-0 Pac-12) showed strength in doubles play, as the Cardinal went six for six this weekend in doubles matches. In fact, it has yet to drop a doubles match thus far in the regular season, as junior Mallory Burdette — who plays on court one with sophomore Nicole Gibbs — pointed out.
“We’ve been working a lot on doubles in practice, and it’s definitely showing in our matches,” Burdette acknowledged. “It has to do with chemistry, and I think all three courts have it this year.”

 

Stanford captured the first point in the Cal match with three doubles victories, though the Cardinal was only up a break on courts two and three.

 

“Doubles is about instinctive play,” Burdette said. “With Nicole, I have to be able to read when she hits a good shot or a weaker shot. I have to know when to move back or when to attack. I think we’re continually improving.”

 

She also described how freshman Ellen Tsay and junior Stacey Tan make a formidable pair on court two, with Tan bringing the big groundstrokes and Tsay right there on top of the net to finish the point. Similarly, sophomore Kristie Ahn and senior Veronica Li complement each other as they both move around well at the net.

 

In singles play, Tan lost the first match to Cal’s Anett Schutting 6-3, 6-3, evening the score at 1-1. Gibbs quickly launched the Cardinal ahead again with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Zsofi Susanyi. Li, Burdette and Tsay also came out triumphant, as Ahn fell in straight sets to Annie Goransson.

 

Burdette fought hard to pull out a three-set tiebreaker win over Cal’s Taylor Davis. Although Cal was ranked above Stanford going into the weekend, the Cardinal’s hard-fought victory was more important for helping to boost the squad’s confidence than moving past the Golden Bears in the ITA rankings.

 

“I knew going into the match that we might be a little rusty,” Burdette said. “So I was trying to keep my cool out there. [Davis] was doing a good job of getting my big shots back, so it was about executing and putting short balls away.”

 

In the heat of such a close match, Burdette said she had to concentrate her emotions in order to play her best.

 

“I think at times I can show too much emotion,” she admitted. “Now, I have routines that I do in between points to keep me in the moment and focused on the things that I can control. It’s important to go up to the line with the same energy and mentality every time.”

 

Burdette’s composure paid off in the Washington match as well, as she defeated Andjela Nemcevic 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday. Stanford had already taken the doubles point with victories on every court and continued to roll with wins from Gibbs, Tan, Tsay and Li. Junior Natalie Dillon lost to Riko Shimizo after a very close first set. Tsay also was forced to fight back after dropping the first set and came back to win in a tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-4 (10-7).

 

“The 6-1 score doesn’t reflect what went on in the match,” Burdette noted. “It got really tight in the middle of the match, and the courts were split so that you couldn’t see how everyone else was doing. We were all happy with the way it turned out.”

 

Stanford continues their travels this weekend to the Pac-12’s newest competitors, Colorado and Utah. Like at Washington, the Cardinal will be playing indoors.

 

“We’ve been hearing a lot about their conditions and facilities,” Burdette explained. “Our court surfaces at Stanford are lightning fast and might even be faster than the indoor courts, so no matter the change, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.”

 

Stanford will be looking to capture its ninth win at 12:30 p.m. this Friday, March 9, against No. 33 Utah.

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W. Tennis: Stanford ready for back-to-back matches against Cal and Washington https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/02/w-tennis-stanford-ready-for-showdown-against-cal-and-washington/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/02/w-tennis-stanford-ready-for-showdown-against-cal-and-washington/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:46:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1060234 tanford will take on No. 7 California this Friday and then travel north to Washington to face the No. 28 Huskies in a double-header weekend. Although the Stanford players don’t pay much attention to the rankings, this weekend’s matches will nonetheless provide the team with an opportunity to prove itself. Cal especially will be a tough test for the Cardinal as both squads have nationally ranked singles players backed up by deep lineups.

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It’s been a few weeks since the Stanford women’s tennis team handed then-No. 1 ranked Florida its first loss, replacing the Gators as the top team in the nation. This victory gave the Cardinal the momentum it needed to easily cruise past both St. Mary’s and San Francisco in its most recent matches.

W. Tennis: Stanford ready for back-to-back matches against Cal and Washington
Sophomore Nicole Gibbs (above) and the No. 11 Stanford women's tennis team will put their undefeated record on the line as they go on the road to face No. 7 Cal and Washington in a tough doubleheader weekend. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

 

Due to a new computer-generated ITA ranking system, however, No. 11 Stanford (6-0, 1-0 Pac-12) enters this weekend as the underdog once more—at least on paper.

 

Stanford will take on No. 7 California (6-3, 0-0) this Friday and then travel north to Washington to face the No. 28 Huskies (5-2, 0-0) in a double-header weekend. Although the Stanford players don’t pay much attention to the rankings, this weekend’s matches will nonetheless provide the team with an opportunity to prove itself. Cal especially will be a tough test for the Cardinal as both squads have nationally ranked singles players backed up by deep lineups.

 

“I think regardless of the sport, there’s always something special and exciting about playing Cal, but it really couldn’t be much more competitive than for tennis.” sophomore Kristie Ahn said. “I’ve known some of their players since the [junior tennis], so it’s always entertaining to think that we’re mortal enemies.”

 

Cal’s No. 1 player, Jana Juricova, has not been playing as of late, but Ahn acknowledged that the Cardinal needs to be prepared, whether she steps back into the lineup or not.

 

Senior captain Veronica Li kept the focus on the Cardinal, as she views this weekend’s upcoming match as a chance to measure Stanford’s development this far into the regular season.

 

“I’m really excited for this match because I think it will push all of us individually and challenge us to play our best,” Li said. “Playing Cal at their house is always a battle, but I’m looking forward to gauging our improvement in the past few weeks.”

 

No. 28 Washington will also test the players’ adaptability, as they will be playing in unfamiliar conditions.

 

“Washington definitely has a home court advantage because they’re used to playing on indoor courts,” Li explained. “The court surface is quicker, and we’re going to have to adjust our games to be prepared for that.”

 

Li and Ahn both recognized the hardships that come along with not only competing in two matches in one weekend, but also the travel associated with it.

 

“I think being on the road forces us to prepare even more carefully,” Li said. “It’s taxing to spend that many hours traveling and by the time we get back, everyone is usually exhausted. We’re traveling a lot over the next two weeks so it’s important to get ahead in school right now, rest and prepare.”

 

As captain, Li said she realizes that she’s lucky to be surrounded by such driven teammates.

 

“My job has been easy in the sense that I don’t have to micromanage people,” Li said. “Everyone is pretty independent and good at taking care of issues like class conflicts and injuries. Traveling definitely brings the team together because it’s only us away from the chaos of campus.”

 

Ahn, who just recently returned from injury, highlighted the benefits of playing alongside her teammates once again, even in an unfamiliar environment.

 

“I forgot how much of a boost you can get from seeing your teammate taking the lead or fighting through a tough point,” she said.

 

She should get plenty of motivation in this weekend’s two matches, especially from Li, her doubles partner. Although Ahn, who played doubles with Gibbs for much of last year, has switched to the forehand side with Li, she feels confident about both singles and doubles going into the weekend.

 

“I think I’ve done pretty well considering the circumstances,” she said. “Although, I do have a lot of room for improvement.”

 

Ahn and the Stanford women’s squad will all have the opportunity to put their hard work to the test this weekend at Cal on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and again at Washington on Sunday at noon.

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W. Tennis: Burdette and company look for redemption against No. 1 Florida https://stanforddaily.com/2012/02/10/w-tennis-burdette-and-company-look-for-redemption-against-no-1-florida/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/02/10/w-tennis-burdette-and-company-look-for-redemption-against-no-1-florida/#respond Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:49:59 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1057759 This Sunday, No. 2 Stanford will get a chance at revenge against top-ranked Florida following last year's loss to the Gators in the national championship.

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It’s been almost 8 and a half months since the then-ranked No. 1 Stanford women’s tennis team lost in the NCAA Championship to the then-ranked No. 2 Florida Gators. That loss snapped both the Cardinal’s hopes for a second straight national title and its NCAA-record streak of 184 consecutive home wins, which spanned 12 seasons. This Sunday, with the tables turned, No. 2 Stanford (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12) gets a chance at revenge against top-ranked Florida (4-0).

 

Last year’s championship came down to Stanford junior co-captain Mallory Burdette’s nail-biting three-setter against Lauren Embree. Tennis aficionados will be in for a treat, as Burdette will most likely face her familiar foe once again.

W. Tennis: Burdette and company look for redemption against No. 1 Florida
Senior Veronica Li and the Cardinal crew look to upset top-ranked Florida and avenge last year's national championship loss in the process. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

 

“I’ve played [Embree] countless times throughout our careers, so I know exactly what to expect from her,” Burdette pointed out. “I’m really excited for the matchup, and I think it will come down to how well I execute my aggressive game plan.”

 

Though the taste of defeat is still bitter in their mouths, Burdette and the rest of the squad have worked assiduously on improving and returning this season with a positive attitude.

 

“It was obviously a heartbreaker for us because we had been through so much as a team leading up to NCAAs and we still came so close winning another championship,” Burdette said. “But the opportunity to square off against the top team in the nation has been the light at the end of the tunnel for me. It’s still very early in the season, so whether we win or lose, there will be a lot to learn.”

 

One challenge the team faced leading up to last year’s final match was the loss of key player and current sophomore Kristie Ahn, who suffered an ankle injury and has yet to play in a dual match since facing Cal last April.

 

“Naturally I was bummed that I wasn’t able to play in front of the home crowd in the finals, but I was just as happy to root on my teammates,” Ahn said of last year’s match. “It was absolutely nerve-wracking, watching from the sidelines, and I think I finally understood what it’s like to be a ‘tennis parent.’ Although we didn’t come out with the win, I couldn’t be more proud of my team and the way we competed.”

 

Ahn has worked hard to rehab and return for this season, aided by the guidance of her coaches, her teammates and her trainers.

 

“The process was a bit tedious at times, inching my way forward, but I knew that in the long run it would pay off,” she explained. “I actually had to be fed balls for a while, and it felt like I was learning to play tennis again, but on crack. There was a lot of communication among many parties who constantly reassessed my situation so as not to lose track of my progress.”

 

While Coach Lele Forood and the players alike are excited about Ahn’s return, they realize that outstanding play from every member will be required to avenge their loss.

 

“[Florida] is definitely the team to beat,” Forood said, “but we want to see where we are at in only the second week of February, in the fourth match of our regular season.”

 

Though the other match of the weekend is less highlighted, Stanford first must pass a test on Saturday when they face No. 27 Pepperdine just one day before the Cardinal takes on the Gators. This will serve as another chance for the group’s still-shaping dynamic to become even stronger.

 

“We’re a small team this year with just eight girls, but it’s always different year to year” she said. “This team feels more like a circle and less like a pyramid.”

 

With the graduation of three seniors last year and the addition of sole freshman Ellen Tsay, she explained there’s naturally less of a hierarchy.

 

“We’ve got really experienced players despite being a young team, and they know how to get up for big matches,” Forood said. “Everyone knows how to prepare themselves. I do think it starts with the doubles though, and we have new doubles teams from last year, which we are still trying to gel. It’s important in the early season to see how our teams are playing together and to hope that we’ve got the right teams.”

 

One formidable pair to watch this weekend consists of sophomore Nicole Gibbs and Burdette. In their first two matches on court one, they’ve won both with ease, 8-1.

 

“We’re feeling great in doubles,” Burdette said. “Just like in singles, we’re still working on several things and just trying to improve with every match.”

 

Both matches take place at noon on the Taube Family Tennis Courts—Pepperdine on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.

 

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W. Tennis: Despite changes, Cardinal cruises https://stanforddaily.com/2012/02/02/w-tennis-despite-changes-cardinal-cruises/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/02/02/w-tennis-despite-changes-cardinal-cruises/#respond Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:50:51 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1056497 The Stanford women’s tennis team reappeared on the Taube Family Tennis Center courts to kick off its 2012 campaign without a home winning streak, without former No. 1 player Hilary Barte and without holding the top spot in the ITA national rankings

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The Stanford women’s tennis team reappeared on the Taube Family Tennis Center courts to kick off its 2012 campaign without a home winning streak, without former No. 1 player Hilary Barte and without holding the top spot in the ITA national rankings. Even with the new flavor, however, the No. 2 Cardinal (1-0) breezed past No. 58 UC-Davis (1-3) to capture the win, 6-1. The match had several firsts, with sophomore Nicole Gibbs debuting at No. 1 on the ladder, top-recruited freshman Ellen Tsay participating in her inaugural collegiate dual match and three doubles teams consisting of completely new pairings.

W. Tennis: Despite changes, Cardinal cruises
Junior Stacey Tan won both her doubles and singles matches with ease as the Cardinal started off 2012 with a 6-1 victory over UC-Davis. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

 

“First” didn’t translate into “foreign” though, as Stanford demonstrated its familiar powerful doubles play with three straight victories to gain the first point of the match. The No. 1 team of junior Mallory Burdette and Gibbs pumped up the Cardinal’s spirits as the duo crushed the Aggies’ Chui/Heneghan 8-1 in the first match.

 

“We’ve had great results together so far and we’re looking forward to improving our chemistry and match play,” Gibbs said. “It’s a privilege to be on court with her, and I’m going to continue to work on getting closer to the net, finishing points more effectively and making more returns.”

 

The other two courts followed suit, as junior Stacey Tan and Tsay defeated Koehly/Zamudio of UC-Davis 8-5, and sophomore Amelia Herring and senior captain Veronica Li also beat Curry/Edles 8-3.

 

Singles matches began soon after, as Gibbs remained on court one to compete in her opening match as the Cardinal’s top player.

 

“It was definitely an honor to be playing at this spot in the lineup, but in terms of strategy, it was the exact same,” Gibbs said. “ I was just trying to put a win up on the board for my team as I tried to do all of last year.”

 

Gibbs gave her team more than just a win as she delivered a devastating blow to Dahra Zamudio of the Aggies, 6-0, 6-1. She finished at about the same time as Li, who blanked Nicole Koehly, 6-0, 6-0. The two victories collectively gave the Cardinal the morale boost it needed to close out the match. Although junior Natalie Dillon fell to Ellie Edles in a tight, three-set match, 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (7), Stanford managed to pull out the victory with wins from Burdette on court two, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 1-0 (8), Tan on court three, 6-3, 6-1, and Tsay, in her first dual singles match, on court four, 6-1, 6-2.

 

“We were all really impressed with her performance and her constant positive outlook throughout the match,” Gibbs said of Tsay’s triumph. “It’s tough to step into your first dual match as a freshman, but she definitely took advantage of the opportunity.”

 

Stanford’s victory over the Aggies was the first step in its journey to fulfill an obvious season goal: winning the NCAA Tournament.

 

“I think we see our goals in terms of the big picture,” Gibbs said. “We are narrow-minded in that we are looking for a championship. We won’t be perfect on day one, but we hope to be as close to perfect as possible come May.”

 

The Cardinal heads north this weekend to face Oregon and will have its second opportunity to develop and improve. Even though Stanford cleaned up last year with a 7-0 win against the Ducks, the women are not entering the match with a lackadaisical mentality.

 

“Our expectation is always to win, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” Gibbs said. “Individually, though, we always have to expect a battle. I’m looking forward to matching up to a higher-ranked team and continuing to build.”

 

The action continues in Eugene this Saturday at 12 p.m.

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W. Tennis: No. 2 Card hits the road https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/18/w-tennis-no-2-card/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/18/w-tennis-no-2-card/#respond Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:34:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1054529 Stanford tennis fans will have to wait two more weeks to witness the Cardinal in action at home, but the players have been busy gaining match-play practice in anticipation of their dual-season opener.

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Stanford tennis fans will have to wait two more weeks to witness the Cardinal in action at home, but the players have been busy gaining match-play practice in anticipation of their dual-season opener. The No. 2 Stanford women made their first appearance since the fall this past weekend, representing the Cardinal in the Freeman Memorial Invitational in Las Vegas and the National College Tennis Classic (NCTC) in Indian Wells, Calif.

 

Senior captain Veronica Li, freshman Ellen Tsay and sophomore Amelia Herring journeyed to Southern California to compete in the NCTC. Other schools represented in the tournament included No. 9 Virginia, No. 21 Texas and No. 16 USC.

 

Tsay led the charge for Stanford as the No. 2 seed behind UVA’s Emily Fraser. Tsay breezed through the first and second rounds before falling to Virginia’s Xi Li 7-6 (4), 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Despite her elimination, Tsay was proud of the mental toughness she displayed throughout the match.

 

“I was down 0-3 in the first set of the match and came back to go up 5-4,” Tsay said. “Even though I lost that set in a tiebreaker and ended up losing the match, I feel as though I was constantly finding ways to try to improve and stay in it.”

 

Tsay faced a similar situation when doubling up with Li. In their quarterfinal match against Texas’ Elizabeth Begley and Juliana Gajic, Tsay and Li’s chances at victory seemed grim as they trailed 1-7 in the pro-set doubles match, which is played to eight games. Tsay was lucky to have experience on her side this time, as she and senior captain partner Li were able to make a comeback to win the match 9-7.

 

“I think at first we were still kind of feeling it out and didn’t have much match experience together,” Tsay said. “Our play was a little bit off-timing, but we knew that if we got it together, we could be the better team. We talked it out, tried to work together more and improved with each game.”

 

Li, too, ran away with the first round but was eliminated in the second round by Texas’ Alex Martin, 6-2, 7-5. Herring fell in the singles first round to Katerna Pallivets of Fresno Pacific, 7-5, 6-1, but moved on to consolations, sneaking by Erika Januskova of Fresno Pacific 7-6 (10-9), 5-7, 7-3. She ultimately lost in the quarterfinals of the consolation round to Cierra Gaytan-Leach of Texas, 6-2, 6-2.

 

Representing the Cardinal just east in Las Vegas was the rest of the squad: junior Natalie Dillon, sophomore Nicole Gibbs, junior Mallory Burdette and junior Stacey Tan. Tan and Burdette both reached the quarterfinals round, but Dillon was defeated 6-1, 6-1 in the second flight of the main draw singles round by Skylar Morton of UCLA. Tan fell 6-0, 6-4 to UCLA’s Robin Anderson in the quarters. It was Burdette who secured a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory that round after dropping the first set.

 

“I was up 4-3 in the first but lost my focus and she came back,” Burdette said. “I knew that if I executed my game plan that I would have a really good chance of getting through that round. The match helped me work through a lot of issues.”

 

Many of these challenges stemmed from playing on the road.

 

“I needed to continue to be aggressive in the point and not settle for just hanging behind the baseline,” she said. “The conditions in Vegas were a little bit tough because of the bouncy courts, which were pretty slow compared to the soft courts at Stanford, so I had to take the ball earlier so it wouldn’t jump over my head.”

 

Burdette made it all the way to the championship round before USC’s Zoe Scandalis outlasted her 6-7 (8), 7-6 (5), 6-3.

 

“I was a little bit frustrated because I had three match points in the second set, but she was tough,” Burdette said. “She got a lot of balls back. I was taking all the risks and really going for my shots, but she was getting almost every ball even though she was hanging back. It made it difficult to close out the match, but she did a great job.”

 

Burdette and Gibbs also made it to the consolation championship doubles match and were set to face North Carolina’s Shinann Featherston and Lauren McHale. However, the match was not played because the Stanford players had already missed their first flight back to the Farm due to prolonged singles play and couldn’t afford to miss a second.

 

The Cardinal now has two weeks to prepare for its first dual match of the season on Feb. 1 against UC-Davis.

 

“The first weeks back are rough because everyone’s been doing different things over break,” Burdette said. “But everyone’s focused now. It’s the time to really break it down in practice and in the gym and then build it all back up for the season’s start.”

 

Tsay agreed and expressed excitement to play back on the Farm.

 

“I think our mentality will be even more intense,” she declared. “I have watched Stanford play dual matches before, and I know the crowd will be really enthusiastic. I can’t wait to experience playing for the team and the home crowd.”

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W. Tennis: “No regrets” for No. 2 Card https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/11/w-tennis-no-regrets-for-no-2-card/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/11/w-tennis-no-regrets-for-no-2-card/#respond Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:32:58 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1053971 Stanford women’s tennis rings in the New Year ranked No. 2 behind the Florida Gators, the same team it lost the NCAA title to last May after entering the postseason as the overwhelming favorite. Its slip from the top spot is not the only difference from last year–the Card graduated half of last spring’s national championship doubles pair, Hilary Barte, as well as Carolyn McVeigh and Jennifer Yen–but returns seven players and adds one freshman. Roster updates aside, the Cardinal is ready for a fresh start and a new mentality–“No regrets.”

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Stanford women’s tennis rings in the New Year ranked No. 2 behind the Florida Gators, the same team it lost the NCAA title to last May after entering the postseason as the overwhelming favorite. Its slip from the top spot is not the only difference from last year–the Card graduated half of last spring’s national championship doubles pair, Hilary Barte, as well as Carolyn McVeigh and Jennifer Yen–but returns seven players and adds one freshman. Roster updates aside, the Cardinal is ready for a fresh start and a new mentality–“No regrets.”

 

“In last year’s final match, we had already overcome so many obstacles and achieved so much, and I know each player fought her heart out,” explained senior captain Veronica Li. “Everyone said, ‘No regrets.’ We would all much rather lose on this team than win with any other.”

 

Li is the sole senior on this year’s squad and has taken the reins in piloting the team. Helping to provide leadership are juniors Mallory Burdette, Natalie Dillon and Stacey Tan, and sophomores Nicole Gibbs, Kristie Ahn and Amelia Herring. Ellen Tsay, the Cardinal’s lone freshman, is the latest Stanford tennis player to enter college as the No. 1 high school recruit.

 

“Ellen is very driven and independent,” Burdette noted. “She’s a double-threat because she’s very calm and patient, but can also attack and be very aggressive, especially in doubles. I see her playing the role of our ‘rock’ because she’s so solid.”

 

While Tsay may be the “rock,” Burdette hopes to “be the best leader that I can be and take care of all of the little details on the team so that, when we take the court, everybody can just focus on tennis.”

 

Burdette’s efforts in helping the team run smoothly are noticed by her teammates.

 

“Mallory is like my co-captain,” Li said. “She takes care of all the tedious work and really knits the team together.”

 

Li pointed out that Burdette’s meticulousness allows her to concentrate on one of the challenges a new team faces every year–to take a group of some of the most gifted individual tennis players in the nation and mesh that into one championship contending team.

 

“Everyone knows that tennis is an individual sport,” she acknowledged, “and a team setting is a huge change from what we were all used to in the juniors. This year is no different in that we have so many independent, strong-willed talents, but we need to realize that we are all charging along the same path and should have the same goals.”

 

“That’s how we can win,” she added.

 

The Cardinal will have to wait to test its team cohesion until Feb. 1, when it faces UC-Davis at home. This weekend, the team will be split into two groups for two separate individual tournaments. Burdette, Gibbs, Tan and Dillon will all be traveling to Las Vegas to represent Stanford in the Freeman Invitational, while Ahn, Herring, Tsay and Li will be playing down in Palm Springs in the National Collegiate Tennis Classic.

 

“We get to compete against players from other schools instead of playing each other in one tournament,” Burdette explained. “These tournaments allow everyone to improve their individual rankings and serve as a gauge for us as we move into the dual season. Whether we do really well or not, we will each get a feel for what we need to improve upon.”

 

The team’s flexible practice style has allowed for such improvement, with a format that encourages individual tune-ups.

 

“The coaches are very receptive to our opinions and very in touch with our difference practice and playing styles,” she said. “It’s usually a combination of what the coaches think we need to work on as a team as well as more personalized instruction.”

 

Doubles play has been another focus of recent practices. With the graduation of her former partner, Burdette will now be playing with Gibbs at the top of the doubles ladder.

 

“[Gibbs] and I have a similar chemistry out there on the doubles court that I felt with Hilary when we first started playing,” she said. “So it was a very smooth transition for me, and I think the sky is the limit for us as a doubles team.”

 

Although Li explained that this year’s ladder is not yet cemented, Cardinal fans can be sure that fine tennis will be on display yet again at the Farm. With a multitude of strong, young teams such as Duke and UCLA on the schedule, the squad is anxious to begin competing again.

 

“Being ranked No. 2 behind one of our biggest rivals definitely fuels our fire,” she said. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say we are super excited for the opportunity to play.”

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W. Tennis: Returning to action across the Bay https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/20/w-tennis-returning-to-action-across-the-bay/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/20/w-tennis-returning-to-action-across-the-bay/#respond Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:03:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1050918 The Stanford women’s tennis team is already back at work, kicking off its 2011-12 campaign this month and rebounding from a heartbreaking loss to Florida in last year’s NCAA Championship match to start the year on a good note.

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The Stanford women’s tennis team is already back at work, kicking off its 2011-12 campaign this month and rebounding from a heartbreaking loss to Florida in last year’s NCAA Championship match to start the year on a good note.

This past weekend, sophomores Elizabeth Ecker and Amelia Herring, freshman Ellen Tsay and senior Veronica Li represented the Cardinal in the St. Mary’s Invitational. The headline of the weekend was Tsay, the sole freshman on the squad, who made it all the way to the semifinal round of the tournament.

W. Tennis: Returning to action across the Bay
Sophomore Nicole Gibbs (above) and the women's tennis team kicked off the season last weekend, hoping to improve on last year's NCAA runner-up finish. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

“I had a great time because I’m not used to having teammates pump me up during and in between my points,” Tsay said of her first college tennis match. “Just hearing ‘Hear we go, Card’ really boosted my morale, especially in a tight match.”

Tsay cruised through her first round match, defeating Megan Heneghan of UC-Davis with ease, 6-1, 6-0. Her second match was closer, as she beat Saint Mary’s Jade Frampton 7-5, 6-2. Tsay won by default in the quarterfinals, then dropped the first set against Saint Mary’s Jenny Julien 6-4 in the semifinals, but came back ready to play in the second set.

“The entire match was up and down,” Tsay explained. “I lost the first set, but in the second set, I felt I stepped up my game and controlled the court.”

Tsay rallied from a 4-1 deficit to come back and take the set 6-4.

“[Julien] became more and more frustrated in the second set, which allowed me to get back in it,” she said.

It all reversed in the third set, though, as Tsay fell 7-5 after leading 4-1.

“She regained her confidence and came back to win,” Tsay admitted. “It was a great experience and could have gone either way. The main thing is, I’ll learn from what I failed to do, namely closing out the match, and continue working on my game.”

Ecker described the team atmosphere that Tsay highlighted as a big reason for her good play this past weekend.

“[Ellen] definitely adds a lot of character and spunk to the team,” Ecker said. “She’s adjusting to college life and the independence that comes with it, as each of us did, so the team’s a great source of support and motivation for her.”

Ecker and Herring were both defeated in the first round of the tournament, and Li made the round of sixteen. The doubles duo of Herring and Tsay made the quarterfinals before defaulting due to Herring suffering an injury. Regardless of their own results, Tsay’s teammates were all impressed by how their new freshman played.

“She did such a great job staying calm and keeping her composure under pressure in the first match of her college career,” Ecker said, “and we are all so proud of her.”

The weekend prior to St. Mary’s Invitational, the Cardinal sent junior Mallory Burdette, sophomore Nicole Gibbs and junior Stacey Tan to Pacific Palisades, Calif. to represent the Cardinal in the ITA All-American Championships. After losing her first round singles match to Alabama’s Mary Anne Macfarlane, Burdette flew through four consolation rounds to capture the consolation title over Florida’s Joanna Mather, 6-1, 6-2.

Burdette and Gibbs proved to be a formidable pair as they won five straight matches as a doubles team to seize the doubles championship over Florida’s Allie Will and Sofie Oyen, 6-2, 7-6 (2).

This coming weekend, Stanford Women’s tennis will have the opportunity to demonstrate its dominance in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships here on the Farm. All healthy Cardinal players will be showcasing their talents on their home courts. Tsay in particular is excited to play on her turf for the first time and hopes to use her strengths to her advantage.

“I try to come into net a lot during the point to finish it off, and I like moving forward in general,” she said. “I think I have a good court sense that allows me to work the point and move my opponent around, something I intend on doing this weekend. I really want to increase my first serve percentage and hit even more aggressively against my opponents.”

 

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W.Tennis: Three women advance in NCAA singles draw, Barte and Burdette advance in doubles https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/w-tennis-three-women-advance-in-ncaa-singles-draw-barte-and-burdette-advance-in-doubles/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/w-tennis-three-women-advance-in-ncaa-singles-draw-barte-and-burdette-advance-in-doubles/#respond Fri, 27 May 2011 08:50:52 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048980 After suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the team portion of the NCAA National Championship Tuesday night, senior Hilary Barte, freshman Nicole Gibbs and sophomore Stacey Tan are moving forward and focusing their attention on a quest for an NCAA individual title. Each successfully survived the round of 32 on Thursday and will appear in the round of 16 today. Barte and sophomore Mallory Burdette also coasted into the doubles round of 16 with their victory over Michaela Kissell and Dominica Zaprazna of Marshall.

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After suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the team portion of the NCAA National Championship Tuesday night, senior Hilary Barte, freshman Nicole Gibbs and sophomore Stacey Tan are moving forward and focusing their attention on a quest for an NCAA individual title. Each successfully survived the round of 32 on Thursday and will appear in the round of 16 today. Barte and sophomore Mallory Burdette also coasted into the doubles round of 16 with their victory over Michaela Kissell and Dominica Zaprazna of Marshall.

W.Tennis: Three women advance in NCAA singles draw, Barte and Burdette advance in doubles
The duo of senior Hilary Barte (at right) and sophomore Mallory Burdette (at left) swept past their opponent in the round of 32. Barte, freshman Nicole Gibbs, and sophomore Stacey Tan also advanced in the singles draw. (ZACK HOBERG/The Stanford Daily)

Gibbs explained that the Cardinal’s loss to the Florida Gators was a huge disappointment, but she understands that, in order to succeed, she cannot focus on the past.

“Tennis is a sport where you have to have a very short memory for your losses,” she said. “The team loss definitely [hurts] morale moving into individuals, but at the same time, it’s a very separate event and we compartmentalize that. The reason we were out there practicing every day and working hard was for the team event, and now we are just excited to get out there and play more tennis after the whistle blows.”

Gibbs, who is unseeded, was certainly focused on Thursday in her win over USC’s Danielle Lao, 6-2, 6-1, who plays No. 2 for the Trojans.

“I think I played really solid tennis today, and the score reflected that,” Gibbs said. “She was definitely no easy opponent, but I executed well, hit my forehand well, and served well. I tried to exploit her weaknesses and impose my own strengths.”

Tan also moved on with a victory, defeating Sanaa Bhambri of North Carolina State despite dropping the first set 5-7. She rallied back in the second set to win 6-3 and carried the momentum on into the third set, which she swept 6-1.

The Cardinal’s highest-ranked player in the individual draw is the No. 3-seeded Barte, who cruised past Kelcy McKenna of Arizona State with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. If both Barte and Gibbs win tomorrow in the Round of 16, they would face each other in the quarterfinals.

“You have to view it as a positive,” Gibbs said of potentially playing a teammate. “It means you got really far in the draw. I don’t see it as changing the way I view my teammates’ matches though. I’ll still be there to cheer her on tomorrow, and we’re all still a support system for each other.”

Barte also won 6-3, 6-0 alongside Burdette in the first round of doubles yesterday. The fourth-seeded pair will take on the winner of Alexa Guarachi/Courtney McLane of Alabama and Micaela Hein/Kelcy McKenna of Arizona State in the round of 16. Stanford’s other qualifying doubles team of Gibbs and fellow freshman Kristie Ahn will not be making an appearance, as Ahn is sidelined by an ankle injury.

“I think it’s a disappointment for both of us, not getting out there and competing post-season,” Gibbs said. “It will probably make bouncing back from singles matches easier for me because there won’t be that extra fatigue.”

The four players still representing the Cardinal will all be in action today as they try to ease the disappointment of Tuesday’s team loss to Florida with individual honors.

 

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Women’s tennis dominate in NCAA quarterfinals https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/23/womens-tennis-dominate-in-ncaa-quarterfinals/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/23/womens-tennis-dominate-in-ncaa-quarterfinals/#respond Mon, 23 May 2011 08:48:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048781 After a nail-biting match against Northwestern in the round of 16, the No. 1 Stanford women’s tennis team rallied to continue its quest for a back-to-back national championship with a victory over Georgia in the quarterfinals Sunday afternoon.

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After a nail-biting match against Northwestern in the round of 16, the No. 1 Stanford women’s tennis team rallied to continue its quest for a back-to-back national championship with a victory over Georgia in the quarterfinals Sunday afternoon.

Feeling confident and on its home courts, Stanford (27-0, 8-0 Pac-10) didn’t quite expect the challenge it faced in moving past the relentless 16th-seeded Wildcats (22-8) on Friday night.

Women's tennis dominate in NCAA quarterfinals
Senior Hilary Barte, above, helped lead her team to a close win over Northwestern and a solid victory over Georgia in the on-going NCAA Tournament. (ZACK HOBERG/The Stanford Daily)

Stanford dropped the doubles point for the fourth time all season at the start of the long battle. Though Stanford’s No. 1 doubles pair of senior Hilary Barte and sophomore Mallory Burdette clinched an 8-5 victory in doubles, freshmen Nicole Gibbs and junior Veronica Li dropped their set 5-8 to Northwestern as senior Carolyn McVeigh and sophomore Stacey Tan were also defeated 6-8.

The score continued to flip-flop as Gibbs tied the match at 1-1 with her straight-set victory. However, Tan’s loss to Northwestern’s Kate Turvy on court four put Stanford down 1-2 as the Cardinal found itself in an unfamiliar position. The top of the ladder came on strong, however, as Barte and Burdette captured wins to propel Stanford into the lead for the first time all night. Li and McVeigh were both in very tight matches at the No. 5 and 6 spots as the home crowd watched anxiously.

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Tan, who watched hopefully after her loss. “Northwestern stepped up their game and came out ready to play with nothing to lose. I believed that my teammates would give 100 percent and pull it out.”

That’s exactly what McVeigh did, finally clinching the win for the Cardinal at 1:34 a.m. as she breezed through the third set and defeated the Wildcats’ Stacey Lee 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.  Li and Northwestern’s Linda Abu Mushrefova’s match was unfinished after the Cardinal finally secured a victory at 4-2.

Relieved to have survived the potential upset it faced, the Cardinal looked to focus all its attention on yesterday’s quarterfinals match against No. 8 Georgia (19-4), a team that has made 26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Stanford appeared to have reawakened after its Friday night battle, sweeping the Bulldogs 4-0.

“We were definitely more inspired to go out there and give it all our effort,” Tan said. “We did not want to play hesitantly. There were going to be nerves, but we needed to go out there and do what we’ve been doing all year long: do our job.”

The undefeated Cardinal was not going to let the doubles point slip away again. Barte and Burdette clinched a fast win on court one, 8-1. At one point, however, McVeigh and Tan were down 1-3 before bouncing back to secure the doubles point with their 8-5 win.  Court two’s match was suspended at 7-7.

“I was really motivated, especially after losing my match on Friday, to show the team that I’m going to do my best,” Tan said.  “[McVeigh] and I stuck to our game plan, played solid tennis, and did not make too many errors.”

It was then on to singles as Tan, supported by a fired up crowd, led the charge with a 6-0, 6-0 domination over Georgia’s Cameron Ellis. Barte defeated Chelsey Gullickson at the No. 1 spot, with Gibbs closing up the match by beating Maho Kowase 6-2, 6-3.

The Cardinal keeps rolling as it faces No. 5-seeded Baylor (28-3 — which defeated 4th-seeded North Carolina yesterday — in the semifinals this afternoon. The winner of that match will face the victor of No. 6-seeded UCLA (22-5) and No. 2-seeded Florida (29-1) in the championship on Tuesday afternoon. Stanford has already defeated both North Carolina and Florida this season with victories at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. They have not faced Baylor.

Before learning the result of the North Carolina-Baylor match, Tan said that the Cardinal will focus on itself going into tomorrow’s semifinal.

“I think that we will be ready to face either team,” she said. “No matter the outcome, we will prepare ourselves to play our best.”

The show continues at 4 p.m. Monday at the Taube Tennis Center.

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W.Tennis: Play time is over as Stanford hosts NCAA Championships https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/13/w-tennis-play-time-is-over-as-stanford-hosts-ncaa-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/13/w-tennis-play-time-is-over-as-stanford-hosts-ncaa-championships/#respond Fri, 13 May 2011 10:05:57 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048490 As the Stanford women’s tennis team heads into its 30th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend, the 2010 NCAA title isn’t the only thing it will be defending. The No. 2 Cardinal will look to extend its NCAA-record home winning streak to an eye-popping 180 consecutive matches when the first and second rounds of the NCAAs commence this weekend at the Taube Family Tennis Center.

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As the Stanford women’s tennis team heads into its 30th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend, the 2010 NCAA title isn’t the only thing it will be defending. The No. 2 Cardinal will look to extend its NCAA-record home winning streak to an eye-popping 180 consecutive matches when the first and second rounds of the NCAAs commence this weekend at the Taube Family Tennis Center.

W.Tennis: Play time is over as Stanford hosts NCAA Championships
Sophomore Stacey Tan (above) has compiled a stellar 17-2 record in dual-match play, mostly out of the fifth slot. The No. 2 Cardinal take a perfect record into this weekend's NCAA Championships. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)

The undefeated Cardinal (23-0, 8-0 Pac-10) has not participated in a regular-season match since its victory over No. 9 Cal on April 16. Other than an exhibition against the USTA Junior National Team and the Pac-10 individual tournament, the Cardinal has focused solely on what’s been dubbed by some as May Madness.

Senior Carolyn McVeigh, who will be starting in her fourth and final NCAA championship, talked about the type of preparation required to repeat as national champions.

“We’ve been trying to strike the right balance between practicing hard and staying fresh,” she said. “It’s almost two straight weeks of intense matches, so we’ve been saving up our energy while honing in on our individual games.”

McVeigh said that the girls have been battling each other to augment their practices.

“We’ve been playing a lot of practice sets to keep match mentality alive,” she said. “Live points always contribute to slight pressure situations, helping us stay focused.”

The top-seeded Cardinal steps out to face Illinois-Chicago (18-4, 8-0 Horizon League) on Saturday in the first round. The Flames, who just won their 15th straight conference championship, will be making their 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

McVeigh admitted that she has little knowledge of Illinois-Chicago’s players, but that she will stick to her normal on-court warm-up routine.

“It’s all about adjusting. I tend to move my ball around and try to decipher [my opponent’s] strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “It’s hard because girls’ rally balls might be different from their live balls. Mostly, we try to focus on our own games.”

On match day, McVeigh said that she and her teammates are always focusing on maximizing performance.

“We are in constant preparation, but on match day we wake up at least four hours before we play, have breakfast together, get a light hit in, decompress, organize equipment, get hydrated,” she said. “It’s eating, sleeping, hitting, eating, hitting and even some tennis dreaming.”

The other teams that will be playing at Stanford’s site will be No. 27 Pepperdine (14-7, 6-0 WCC) and No. 36 Long Beach State (20-5, 10-1 Big West), who will meet before the Cardinal’s match on Saturday morning—the winners of the two Saturday matches will meet at noon on Sunday in the second round.

Match play will run as usual, with three doubles matches played for the first point followed by six simultaneous singles matches worth one point each. As the NCAA Tournament is a single-elimination format, it’s win or go home for the 64 competing teams. Sixteen are seeded, meaning there are 16 different locations for the first and second rounds with four teams playing at each.

Stanford’s home advantage could prove tremendous, as the Cardinal women have won 179 consecutive home matches as well as 42 straight matches overall.

The streak has certainly been on the minds of McVeigh and her teammates.

“It’s definitely inspiring,” she said. “We’ll have our family and friends in the stands, but we can’t take any team lightly. Some of the country’s best have their bull’s-eye on us and will try to take us down.”

Freshman Nicole Gibbs, who anchors the middle of the lineup, added to McVeigh’s sentiments.

“Playing in front of all of my classmates will give me that much more fire on court,” she said. “It’s a special experience to play NCAAs as a freshman and competing on our home courts.”

Gibbs was confident that the team’s supporters would respond and come out in force for the NCAAs.

“I have them rallied,” she said.

Long Beach State and Pepperdine will kick off the first round at 9 a.m. at Taube Family Tennis Center on Saturday morning. Stanford faces Illinois-Chicago at noon.

 

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