May 21, 2006
Notes:
No. 5 seed Baylor improves to 24-6 ... Bears advance to final four for third straight year; have played in final the last two, winning it all in 2004 ... Bears are now 3-2 in NCAA QF matches ... Baylor has never lost to Stanford ... Baylor actually beat Stanford 7-0 back on March 23 in a match moved to the SFTC due to rain ... No. 13 seed Stanford finishes season with 18-4 record ... Stanford was looking for 21st trip to SF, falls to 20-5 all-time in final eight matches ... Cardinal had won 13 of last 14 ... Stanford is now 90-13 all-time in NCAA tournament matches ... Stanford has won a record 17 NCAA tennis championships ... Stanford beat No. 5 Duke and Baylor beat Washington in round of 16.
Quotes:
Stanford Head Coach John Whitliner
"I knew there was the potential for the match to be a long one, We were prepared to stay all night, which we almost did. I felt bad for our players that we had to play in San Francisco and did not have the chance to play in front of a full house at home. Not that it would've made a difference in the match -because Baylor certainly earned the victory - but I felt the guys got cheated a bit. There was such a great atmosphere at Stanford on Saturday in our match with Duke,
"I give Baylor all the credit. Their backs were against the wall and they raised their level of play. They deserved the win.
"In college tennis, the momentum shifts are incredible, I felt good after going up 3-1 that we could win a point at the bottom of our lineup. After the doubles point and early on singles, it looked bleak, Then, all of the sudden, I heard news that Bruch had won and KC and James were making a comeback and I thought we could win all three points. But then, the roller coaster went down very quickly.
"It was a tough loss, no question. But, as I told the team: This is the NCAA Championship and you will always remember it, both the good and the bad. These are defining moments in their lives and they will never forget what happened here tonight. I am very proud of this team, I think we are a top-five team, much better than our No. 13 ranking. I will always have very fond memories of this team."