May 17, 2008
No. 5 Baylor Upends No. 4 Stanford 4-1 In NCAA Quarters
SATURDAY'S NOTEBOOK...
Saturday's 4-1 loss to Baylor signals the end of impressive careers for Cardinal seniors and lineup regulars Celia Durkin and Whitney Deason. Deason is a four-year letterwinner while Durkin transferred to The Farm after playing her freshman season at Harvard. Deason racked up an impressive 102-36 record in four seasons. Durkin, 85-27 overall in three seasons, is a two-time All-American and was tabbed an All-Pac-10 Second Team selection as a junior.
Both players were members of Stanford's 2005 and 2006 NCAA championship squads, bringing a wealth of postseason experience to a roster that includes four underclassmen. They have posted a combined 187-63 overall singles record.
There is a slight chance Durkin's career might not yet be over- she has been named one of eight alternates for next week's NCAA Singles Championship.
It finally happened. Saturday's loss was the 10th dual match defeat of head coach Lele Forood's amazing eight-year career on The Farm. Since taking over at the helm in 2001, Forood has racked up an unthinkable 214-10 overall record- good for an eye-popping winning percentage of .955.
Forood was recently honored as the ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year after guiding Stanford to its 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2003 ITA National Coach of the Year and three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Forood has captured five NCAA team titles and eight straight Pac-10 championships during her tenure on The Farm.
Forood wraps up her eighth season by leading this year's Cardinal squad to a 22-5 overall mark and a share of the program's 21st consecutive conference title. She picked up her 200th career victory back on Mar. 4 in a 5-2 victory over William & Mary.
It's not all over for some members of the Cardinal squad. Stanford will be represented by three different players in the NCAA Championship singles and doubles draw, as two singles participants and one doubles team have been selected to the main field.
The draw is expected to be announced Monday evening, so Hilary Barte, Jessica Nguyen and Lindsay Burdette will be sticking around Tulsa for at least a few more days.
Barte, ranked No. 3 in the country, earned a No. 1-8 seed in the draw. Barte is 29-7 on the year and 22-4 in dual match play. Joining Barte in the main draw is Nguyen, who was tabbed a No. 9-16 seed. Nguyen is 28-9 overall and 17-5 in dual match play, competing primarily at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
In doubles, Stanford's top team of Barte and Burdette earned an at-large invite to the field. Ranked No. 9 in the country, Barte and Burdette are 17-11 overall, with all of those matches being played at the No. 1 spot.
Singles competition begins Wednesday, May 21, while doubles action starts Thursday, May 22.