May 11, 2012
STANFORD, Calif.- No. 5 Stanford easily handled unranked Stony Brook 4-0 on Friday afternoon in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Making its 31st consecutive postseason appearance, the Cardinal (19-1, 9-1 Pac-12) simply overwhelmed the Seawolves (14-8, 2-2 America East) in match that took just one hour and 29 minutes to complete.
It was a familiar outcome for Stanford, the nation's only remaining one-loss team. Despite playing without lineup regular Stacey Tan, the Cardinal still had enough depth to prevail.
A pair of forfeits by Stony Brook made the path slightly easier. Carrying only five eligible players, the Seawolves started the match in an early hole due to forfeits at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
The Cardinal locked up the doubles point for a 1-0 lead, as Natalie Dillon and Veronica Li cruised to an 8-0 win at the No. 1 spot.
Leading 2-0 in singles following Stony Brook's forfeit on court six, Stanford needed only two victories from five remaining spots.
Nicole Gibbs posted her eighth straight victory with a 6-2, 6-0 triumph at the No. 1 position, before Natalie Dillon provided the clincher with a 6-1, 6-0 decision on court six.
Stanford will face No. 29 Yale, a 4-0 winner over No. 42 Saint Mary's, in the second round on Saturday at 3 p.m. A berth in next weekend's NCAA Championships is on the line.
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No. 5 Stanford 4, Stony Brook 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 24 Tan/Tsay (STAN) vs. Lagvilava/Movchan (SB) abandoned
2) Dillon/Li (STAN) d. Appineni/Hanson (SB) 8-0
3) STAN wins by forfeit
Order of Finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 3 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. Nini Lagvilava (SB) 6-2, 6-0
2) No. 5 Mallory Burdette (STAN) vs. Polina Movchan (SB) abandoned
3) No. 74 Ellen Tsay (STAN) vs. Katherine Hanson (SB) abandoned
4) Veronica Li (STAN) vs. Prerana Appineni (SB) abandoned
5) Natalie Dillon (STAN) d. Salome Mkervalidze (SB) 6-1, 6-0
6) STAN wins by forfeit
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 5
- - - - - - - - -
No. 29 Yale 4, No. 42 Saint Mary's 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 72 Brook/Li (YALE) vs. Frampton/Jullien (SMC) abandoned
2) Epstein/Sullivan (YALE) d. Chkhikvishvili/Isip (SMC) 8-4
3) Kent/Seideman (YALE) d. Aloia/Searl (SMC) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
1) Elizabeth Epstein (YALE) d. No. 113 Catherine Isip (SMC) 6-3, 6-2
2) Blair Seideman (YALE) vs. No. 86 Jenny Jullien (SMC) abandoned
3) Hanna Yu (YALE) d. Anna Chkhikvishvili (SMC) 6-4, 6-0
4) Vicky Brook (YALE) vs. Jade Frampton (SMC) abandoned
5) Steph Kent (YALE) vs. Catherine Leduc (SMC) abandoned
6) Annie Sullivan (YALE) d. Carla Lindlar (SMC) 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1