STILLWATER, Okla. – Stanford dropped a pair of three-setters late and the No. 25 Cardinal had its season end with a 4-3 loss at No. 20 Oklahoma State in the Super Regionals on Saturday.
The Cardinal finishes its season, the first under Peter and Helen Bing Director of Women’s Tennis Frankie Brennan, with a 17-9 record, its 43rd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 42nd trip to the Round of 16. Stanford, which hadn’t been above No. 25 in the national rankings in the past three months, battled injuries and professional departures all season and came up just short of making the quarterfinals for the 40th time.
The Cardinal had to fight from behind after dropping doubles. Caroline Driscoll and Valencia Xu made quick work of Kylie Collins and Marcela Lopez on court 2, 6-1, but the Cowgirls picked up the other two courts and secured the early lead.
Valerie Glozman evened the score, finishing first on court 2 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 84 Anastasiya Komar. She concludes her first season at Stanford an All-American with a 32-5 overall record, a 19-3 mark in duals and a 15-5 tally against ranked opponents.
After Chidimma Okpara dropped her match on court 6, it was Stanford’s other All-American, Connie Ma, who again brought the Cardinal level. Ma trounced Melisa Ercan 6-4, 6-2 to make it 2-2. The final match of Ma’s career wrapped up a storybook four years for the local product from Dublin, Calif. Ma was 29-5 in her senior season, 17-1 in duals, and put together a career record of 131-28, including 68-14 in duals.
Fellow senior Valencia Xu put Stanford on the doorstep of victory with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Kylie Collins on court 4. Down 5-2 in the opening set, Xu stormed back to win five games in a row to take it. She quickly went down a break in the second, before steadying herself to give the Cardinal a 3-2 advantage. Xu went 21-11 this season, 13-6 in duals, and finished her career with a 93-28 overall record, including 55-18 in duals.
It came down to third sets on courts 3 and 5, both which were won by OSU. Caroline Driscoll took her first set from Rose Marie Nijkamp but ran out of gas in her fourth three-setter of the season, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Alexandra Yepifanova and Gracie Epps decided it on court 5. Yepifanova, who only returned to the Stanford lineup less than a month ago after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, dropped the first set, but took the second in an epic 13-11 tiebreaker to give herself a chance. Epps ultimately survived the third and ended it with a 6-4, 6-7 (11), 6-4 victory to send Stanford home.
A senior, Yepifanova leaves Stanford as a two-time All-American with a 98-27 career record, including 60-14 in duals.
#20 Oklahoma State 4, #25 Stanford 3
DOUBLES
1) #6 Anastasiya Komar/Rose Marie Nijkamp (OSU) d. #27 Valerie Glozman/Connie Ma (STAN) 6-4
2) Caroline Driscoll/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Kylie Collins/Marcela Lopez (OSU) 6-1
3) Gracie Epps/Alian Zack d. Chidimma Okpara/Morgan Shaffer (STAN) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
SINGLES
1) #12 Connie Ma (STAN) d. Melisa Ercan (OSU) 6-4, 6-2
2) #8 Valerie Glozman (STAN) d. #84 Anastasiya Komar (OSU) 7-5, 6-2
3) #115 Rose Marie Nijkamp (OSU) d. #88 Caroline Driscoll (STAN) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
4) Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Kylie Collins (OSU) 7-5, 6-3
5) #77 Gracie Epps (OSU) d. Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 6-4, 6-7 (11), 6-4
6) #125 Marcela Lopez (OSU) d. Chidimma Okpara (STAN) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 6, 1, 4, 3, 5