Feb. 4, 2006
Madison, Wis. - Top-ranked Stanford improved to 5-0 on the year with a 5-0 victory over No. 19 Harvard this afternoon in the semifinals of the U.S. Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Women's Team Indoor Championship at the University of Wisconsin's A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
Stanford advances to tomorrow's final against Texas, a rematch of the 2005 NCAA Championship, which the Cardinal won 4-0 in Athens, Ga. Stanford will be playing in its 14th Team Indoors championship match (in 19 apperances in the tournament) and will be looking for its ninth title and record third-straight championship. Coming into the final, Stanford has won 61 consecutive matches and 12-straight in Madison at the Team Indoors.
Stanford started the day with a sweep in doubles -- the fifth time in five matches that the Cardinal has swept doubles. In singles, fourth-ranked Alice Barnes picke dup the first victory with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 2 spot. Tenth-ranked Theresa Logar finished second, with a 6-1, 6-2 victory, to put the Cardinal ahead 3-0. But it was Cardinal sophomore Celia Durkin, who was the 2005 Ivy League Freshman of the Year but transfered to The Farm from Harvard after the season, who clinched the Stanford victory with a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles.
Stanford and No. 15 Texas will face off at 11 a.m. (CT) in the finals on Sunday.
No. 1 Stanford 5, No. 19 Harvard 0
Doubles
1. #2 Alice Barnes/Anne Yelsey (S) def. Elsa O'Riain/Melissa Anderson (H), 8-5
2. Celia Durkin/Amber Liu (S) def. Eva Wang/Stephanie Schnitter (H), 8-5
3. Whitney Deason/Theresa Logar (S) def. Preethi Mukundan/Cindy Chu (H), 8-2
Singles
1. Amber Liu (S) led Eva Wang (H), 6-1, 5-0 -- DID NOT FINISH
2. #4 Alice Barnes (S) def. Elsa O'Riain (H), 6-1, 6-0
3. No. 10 Theresa Logar (S) def. Beier Ko (H), 6-1, 6-2
4. No. 2 Anne Yelsey (S) def. Melissa Anderson (H), 6-1, 6-4
5. Whitney Deason (S) led Preethi Mukundan (H), 6-1, 5-0 -- DID NOT FINISH
6. No. 69 Celia Durkin (S) def. Stephanie Schitter (H), 6-4, 6-0