ATHENS, Ga.- No. 8 Stanford captured a see-saw doubles point then ambushed No. 9 Clemson in singles en route to a 4-0 victory in the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships on Thursday night.
Stanford (23-1, 8-0 Pac-10) advances to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 Baylor (30-2, 11-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT. The Lady Bears have eliminated the Cardinal from postseason play during the last two seasons- in the quarterfinals in 2008 and the round of 16 last year.
After battling through a hotly-contested doubles competition that lasted one hour and 34 minutes, Stanford breezed through singles play in about the same amount of time to finish off Clemson (24-6, 9-2 ACC).
For the 23rd time in 24 matches, Stanford won the doubles point to grab a 1-0 lead. That's not to say it was easy, as all three teams were unable to separate with several ties and lead changes. It appeared as if the Cardinal's top team of Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette would be the pace-setter up 5-2, but the Tiger duo of Josipa Bek and Ina Hadziselimovic tied the match at 7-7 and later at 8-8 before being suspended.
Meanwhile, Stanford's No. 2 team of Mallory Burdette and Stacey Tan emerged with a 9-7 win after trailing 6-5 and 7-6. The doubles point was clinched when the No. 3 team of Veronica Li and Carolyn McVeigh surged ahead for an 8-6 victory after being tied at 5-5.
The Cardinal appeared to be in control early on in singles, taking the first set on every court. It stayed that way, as the Tigers were never able to really get going.
Carolyn McVeigh put Stanford ahead 2-0, crushing Laurianne Henry 6-1, 6-2 on court five. McVeigh, now 24-8 overall on the year, has been pasting opponents at the No. 5 spot all season and improved to 18-3 in duals.
Mallory Burdette followed with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Hadziselimovic at the No. 3 position, putting Stanford in front 3-0.
Lindsay Burdette provided the clincher with her first win since Apr. 22, blasting Keri Wong 6-1, 6-3 on court two.
NOTES:
Stanford and Clemson also faced off in the round of 16 two years ago, with the Cardinal prevailing 4-0. Carolyn McVeigh and Laurianne Henry hooked up at the No. 5 spot on that day, with McVeigh picking up a 6-3, 6-4 win ... At 23-1, Stanford is the only one-loss team in the country ...After starting the year 12-4, Burdette is now just 5-11 since Feb. 27. However, Stanford fans should be encouraged with Lindsay Burdette's victory because if the Cardinal is going to make a deep run in the postseason, Stanford's lone senior will be a key factor ... Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette (ranked No. 2) did not finish their doubles match against Clemson's duo of Josipa Bek and Ina Hadziselimovic (ranked No. 7). Barte and Burdette sport a 7-3 record against top-10 opponents this year ... Originally scheduled to start at 6 p.m. PT, the match began at 7:40 p.m. PT ... Stanford's 23 wins are the most since a 24-2 finish back in 2007.
No. 8 Stanford 4, No. 9 Clemson 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 7 Bek/Hadziselimovic (CLEM) led No. 2 Barte/L. Burdette (STAN) 8-8 (2-5), susp.
2) No. 56 M. Burdette/Tan (STAN) d. Henry/Wong (CLEM) 9-7
3) Li/McVeigh (STAN) d. Ciolkowski/Magnusson (CLEM) 8-6
Order of Finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
1)No. 4 Hilary Barte (STAN) led No. 17 Josipa Bek (CLEM) 6-1, 1-5, susp.
2)No. 83 Lindsay Burdette (STAN) d. No. 79 Keri Wong (CLEM) 6-1, 6-3
3)No. 33 Mallory Burdette (STAN) d. No. 110 Ina Hadziselimovic (CLEM) 6-1, 6-4
4)No. 86 Stacey Tan (STAN) led No. 114 Nelly Ciolkowski (CLEM) 7-6 (6), 4-1, susp.
5)Carolyn McVeigh (STAN) d. Laurianne Henry (CLEM) 6-1, 6-2
6)Veronica Li (STAN) led Estefania Balda (CLEM) 6-2, 3-2, susp.
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 2
THEY SAID IT:
Head coach Lele Forood
Talking about Stanford cruising quickly in singles after winning a slow-paced, hard-fought doubles point:
"One never knows. They have a style of doubles that is tricky to play against. A lot of balls came back that we thought were put-aways. That prolonged points and Clemson just kept fighting. We started to break through at the end of doubles, and that was more effort and focus than anything else."
Freshman Stacey Tan
While Stanford claimed first-set victories in five singles matches, Tan labored through her first set, eventually winning in a tiebreaker.
"It was a tight match throughout. I felt like I wasn't playing my best tennis tonight at the start. So I just decided to try to get a feel for the match. Keep grinding away, going for my shot. I need to stay positive in those situations. Matches are going to be tough like that at this point of the year."
Senior Lindsay Burdette
Playing in front of family and friends, the Jackson, Ga., native clinched the victory. Considering her recent struggles, what was her reaction?
"This has been a season of ups and downs. I actually thought this match was pretty routine. I've been better lately about letting the bad ones go and just focusing on what I have to do. I was really looking forward to the three-week break, and using that time to sharpen everything in my game and get back to doing what I do well. I feel like I am playing better now, and I'm exactly where I want to be."