May 20, 2007
No. 1 Stanford 4, No. 9 Miami 1Notebook
STANFORD will be facing UCLA for a third time this year when the squads hook up in Monday's semifinal. The Cardinal won both dual matches by a 4-3 margin (Feb. 17 at home and Apr. 13 on the road).Safe to say it will be tough to defeat the Bruins a third time. UCLA, seeded No. 12 in the NCAA Tournament, shocked No. 5 Northwestern 4-0 on Friday before today's 4-3 win over No. 4 Florida. Clearly, the Bruins are playing well when it counts.
"We know they are a solid team," said Stanford head coach Lele Forood. "We are not surprised they have made it this far and it speaks well for the conference as a whole."
Stanford played California three times this year, posting a 3-0 mark.
WITH host Georgia and crowd favorite Georgia Tech still alive in the draw, Stanford could use as much fan support as possible. On Sunday afternoon, the Cardinal received some helpful alumni support in the form of a pink-clad, sign-bearing contingent that included Emilia Anderson, Alice Barnes, Erin Burdette, Kara Guzman, Joanna Kao and Jessica Leck. The group flew into Athens for the weekend hoping to witness a potential fourth straight national championship. SUNDAY'S lineup had a much different look compared to last year's NCAA championship match. The only matchup that remained the same was Jessica Nguyen battling Miami's Caren Seenauth. Last year, Nguyen defeated Seenauth 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 6 position. This time around at the No. 5 spot, Nguyen was leading 6-1, 5-2 before the match was halted. IT'S a given the doubles point is going to be crucial the rest of the way. Stanford has dominated in singles play throughout the first four matches but has been forced to battle en route to winning four doubles points. Today against Miami was no different, as only one squad could manage more than a two-game lead."I think the doubles point gets the nerves out," said Celia Durkin. "It's more adrenaline at that point and it starts out the match strong. We know it's going to be a challenge but I think we're all confident in our doubles play."
WHITNEY Deason continues to play well down the stretch, as she has won four of her last five overall.Deason provided a 6-2, 6-4 clincher on Sunday against Miami and ambushed BYU's Chie Hayasaka 6-2, 6-1 in her only other counting NCAA Tournament match. Deason, 25-9 overall and 19-4 in duals, anchors a strong bottom of the lineup for the Cardinal that features three nationally-ranked players at Nos. 4-6.
Stanford's depth was key today, as Miami looked to close out wins at the top two spots.
"A lot of us are playing with confidence right now and the results are showing," said Deason. "We have received big wins from the bottom of our lineup all season long in important matches. I think it allows everyone else to relax and takes a little of the pressure off."