Jan. 29, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.- Staring at a rare 1-0 deficit on its home court after losing the doubles point, No. 1 Stanford responded quickly and convincingly.
After losing the doubles point in a home match for the first time in nearly two years, Stanford (3-0, 0-0 Pac-10) overwhelmed No. 39 Oklahoma by sweeping singles and posting a 6-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
The Sooners collected victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots to take a surprising 1-0 lead in doubles, becoming the first team since California back on Mar. 7, 2009 to win the doubles point on Stanford's home court.
But Stanford ripped off three easy wins at the top of its lineup, and Stacey Tan provided the clincher on court four to help the Cardinal punch its ticket to the National Team Indoor Championships next month in Charlottesville, Va.
Additionally, the Cardinal has now won 167 consecutive matches (135 regular season, 32 NCAA Tournament) on its home court- a streak that spans nearly 12 seasons and is the longest active home winning streak among all sports in Division I athletics. The Cardinal has not lost at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium since a 5-4 setback against No. 4 California back on Feb. 27, 1999.
Trailing 1-0, freshmen Kristie Ahn and Nicole Gibbs made quick work of their opponents. Ahn pounded Whitney Ritchie 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 2 spot before Gibbs cruised past Marie-Pier Huet 6-0, 6-2 on court three.
Meanwhile, Hilary Barte raced out to a 6-0 lead in the first set of her match against Ana-Maria Constantinescu in a battle of No. 1's. Barte wrapped up the second set by a 6-2 count, putting the Cardinal in front 3-1 and erasing any leftover Oklahoma momentum.
Over on court four, Tan had already dropped the first set of her match 6-3. But the sophomore rallied to take the next two sets, 6-1 and 6-0, securing the win for Stanford.
Veronica Li and Carolyn McVeigh finished their matches, also winning easily in straight sets.
Stanford is back in action on Feb. 5, hosting UCLA at 12 p.m.
No. 1 Stanford 6, No. 39 Oklahoma 1
DOUBLES
1)No. 31 Constantinescu/Radu (OKLA) d. Barte/Tan (STAN) 8-1
2)Ahn/Gibbs (STAN) d. Kalashnikova/Ritchie (OKLA) 8-1
3)Huet/Eckel (OKLA) d. Li/McVeigh (STAN) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
SINGLES
1)No. 5 Hilary Barte (STAN) d. Ana-Maria Constantinescu (OKLA) 6-0, 6-2
2)No. 23 Kristie Ahn (STAN) d. Whitney Ritchie (OKLA) 6-1, 6-0
3)No. 80 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. Marie-Pier Huet (OKLA) 6-0, 6-2
4)No. 47 Stacey Tan (STAN) d. Maria Kalashnikova (OKLA) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
5)Veronica Li (STAN) d. Peta Maree Lancaster (OKLA) 6-4, 6-0
6)Carolyn McVeigh (STAN) d. Tara Eckel (OKLA) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, 6
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No. 29 UNLV 4, No. 65 Cal Poly 2
DOUBLES
1)Lee/Markhoff (CP) d. Josifoska/Pavlovic (UNLV) 8-5
2)Batta/Maskaljun (UNLV) d. Davis/Pane (CP) 8-2
3)Lehane/Gatewood (CP) d. Albers/Hidvegi (UNLV) 9-7
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
SINGLES
1)No. 41 Lucia Batta (UNLV) d. Alexa Lee (CP) 6-1, 6-4
2)Aleksandra Josifoska (UNLV) d. Florence Fehane (CP) 7-5, 6-3
3)Ashley Pane (CP) d. Nives Pavlovic (UNLV) 7-6 (5), 6-1
4)Jana Albers (UNLV) vs. Jennifer Cornea (CP) aban.
5)Adrienn Hidvegi (UNLV) d. Jocelyn Davis (CP) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
6)Anna Maskaljun (UNLV) d. Kathryn Webb (UNLV) 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 3, 2, 5