April 15, 2006
Tempe, Ariz. - The Cardinal completed a monumental weekend today in Arizona by defeating #18 Arizona State, 6-1. Top-ranked Stanford has now extended its win streak to 78 straight matches and clinched a share of the Pac-10 title, the 19th conference crown in program history.
Stanford's 78-consecutive wins is a new NCAA record, besting the previous mark of 76 by the Stanford Women's Tennis program between 1988-91. Stanford set the record during former head coach Frank Brennan's tenure, as the Cardinal won six-straight NCAA Team Championships (from 1986-1991).
Stanford picked up the early lead this afternoon with the doubles point, as Lejla Hodzic and Jessica Nguyen started the match with an 8-5 victory on court three. On court two, Celia Durkin and Amber Liu were taken to a tiebreaker after the Sun Devil duo of Sabrina Capannolo and Jessica Leitch rallied from a 6-3 deficit. Despite trailing early in the tiebreak, Durking and Liu closed out the match to take a 7-5 victory and clinch the first point of the day for Stanford. The hard-fought doubles day was not over, though, as top-ranked Alice Barnes and Anne Yelsey fell in a tight tiebreaker to 43rd-ranked Kady Pooler and Roxanne Clarke, 9-8 (7-5).
In singles, No. 19 Liu kept the Stanford momentum going, downing No. 116 Capannolo, 6-0, 6-2. Fifth-ranked Barnes added a 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 59 Clarke, while Hodzic clinched the Cardinal's 22nd win of the season with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Leitch. No. 13 Yelsey came back from a first-set loss to Pooler for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory of the year and Nguyen added a 6-2, 6-4 win over Laila Abdala.
This season's Cardinal squad, under the direction of sixth-year head coach Lele Forood and 11th-year assistant coach Frankie Brennan (son of former head coach Brennan), have guided Stanford to a 22-0 record with a 7-0 record in Pac-10 play, with only two regular season matches remaining.
Stanford will seek to extend its 94-match home-court winning streak next week, as the Cardinal closes out the regular season against No. 58 Sacramento State on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and No. 11 California on Saturday at noon. The Cardinal will honor its four seniors (Barnes, Joanna Kao, Jessica Leck and Liu) before the match against the Golden Bears (at approximately 11:40 a.m.).
#1 Stanford 6, #18 Arizona State 1
Doubles
1. #43 Kady Pooler/Roxanne Clarke (ASU) def. #1 Alice Barnes/Anne Yelsey (STAN) 9-8 (7-5)
2. Celia Durkin/Amber Liu (STAN) def. Sabrina Capannolo/Jessica Leitch (ASU) 9-8 (7-5)
3. Lejla Hodzic/Jessica Nguyen (STAN) def. Rebecca Rankin/Wendy Pilecka (ASU) 8-5
Order of finish: 3,2,1
Singles
1. #19 Amber Liu (STAN) def. #116 Sabrina Capannolo (ASU) 6-0, 6-2
2. #5 Alice Barnes (STAN) def. #59 Roxanne Clarke (ASU) 6-2, 6-2
3. #13 Anne Yelsey (STAN) def. Kady Pooler (ASU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Rebecca Rankin (ASU) def. #41 Whitney Deason (STAN) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
5. Lejla Hodzic (STAN) def. Jessica Leitch (ASU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Jessica Nguyen (STAN) def. Laila Abdala (ASU) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 1,2,5,3,6,4