April 14, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.- No. 2 Stanford posted yet another undefeated regular season on its home court, easily defeating No. 40 Saint Mary's 6-1 on Thursday afternoon at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Stanford (22-0, 7-0 Pac-10) extended its NCAA-record home winning streak to 179 consecutive matches (147 regular season, 32 NCAA Tournament). The streak spans 12 seasons and is recognized as 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.
Following Thursday's victory over Saint Mary's (11-8, 5-1 WCC), Stanford will likely have to wait an entire month before its next opportunity to increase its home winning streak. Essentially a lock to host an NCAA Championships first round match on May 13, the Cardinal wraps up the regular season at No. 9 Cal on Saturday, hosts an exhibition match against the USTA Junior All-Star Team next Friday and participates at the Pac-10 Championships later this month.
Improving to 15-0 at home in 2011, Stanford remained the only unbeaten team in Division I this season and has now won 41 consecutive contests overall dating back to its last loss: a 6-1 setback at UCLA in late February of last year.
Despite a brief scare in doubles, Stanford claimed a 1-0 lead. After a split of the first two doubles matches, the Cardinal's No. 2 duo of Carolyn McVeigh and Stacey Tan turned a 7-5 deficit into a 9-7 victory over the Saint Mary's pairing of Jenny Jullien and Claire Soper.
Stanford then coasted in singles play even with a shuffled lineup. Nicole Gibbs improved to 33-4 overall and 21-0 in duals with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at the No. 3 position before Hilary Barte booked a 6-0, 6-3 win on court one.
Saint Mary's received a point from Jullien at the No. 4 spot, edging Tan 6-4, 6-3 to momentarily trim the deficit to 3-1.
McVeigh dispatched of Molly Aloia 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 to secure the match, while Mallory Burdette and Veronica Li added straight-set wins.
Saturday's match in Berkeley is significant for both teams. At 7-0, Stanford has already earned at least a share of the regular season championship but can claim the title outright for the second straight season with a win. California is 6-1 and must win to share the crown but also avoid falling into third place. The contest begins at 12 p.m.
No. 2 Stanford 6, No. 40 Saint Mary's 1
DOUBLES
1) No. 2 Barte/Burdette (STAN) d. Poorta/Chkhikvishvilli (SMC) 8-2
2) McVeigh/Tan (STAN) d. Jullien/Soper (SMC) 9-7
3) Bukajeva/Isip (SMC) d. Li/Jennifer Yen (STAN) 8-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 4 Hilary Barte (STAN) d. No. 47 Alex Poorta (SMC) 6-0, 6-3
2) No. 22 Mallory Burdette (STAN) d. No. 75 Catherine Isip (SMC) 6-0, 7-6 (6)
3) No. 12 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. Anna Chkhikvishvilli (SMC) 6-1, 6-0
4) Jenny Jullien (SMC) d. No. 55 Stacey Tan (STAN) 6-4, 6-3
5) Veronica Li (STAN) d. Claire Soper (SMC) 6-1, 6-1
6) Carolyn McVeigh (STAN) d. Molly Aloia (SMC) 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 4, 6, 2, 5