Tournament Central
ATHENS, Ga.- No. 2 Virginia defeated No. 11 Stanford 4-0 on Sunday evening in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second straight season and reaching the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive year, Stanford (20-9, 5-2 Pac-12) came up short in its quest for the program's first semifinal appearance since 2003.
Virginia (28-1) came away with a 4-1 victory in the team's earlier meeting back on Feb. 18 at the National Team Indoor Championships, winning four singles matches after Stanford snagged the doubles point. That match, coupled with last year's hard-fought 4-3 loss to Virginia in the NCAA quarterfinals, gave the Cardinal some added confidence.
But the Cavaliers proved to be too tough on Sunday, eliminating the Cardinal for the second straight season and advancing to the semifinals against Pepperdine, which upset host Georgia.
The pressure-packed doubles competition ended with Virginia's top team of Drew Courtney and Jarmere Jenkins edging Denis Lin and Ryan Thacher 9-8 (2) to secure a 1-0 lead.
The Cavaliers opened doubles play with an 8-4 win on court three, before Bradley Klahn and John Morrissey posted an 8-5 victory at the No. 2 spot.
Virginia went on to win five of six first sets in singles action, firmly taking control of the match.
Mitchell Frank, ranked No. 2 in the country but competing at the No. 3 position, defeated Matt Kandath 6-2, 6-0 for a 2-0 lead.
Courtney contributed a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Morrissey at No. 4, and Justin Shane downed Daniel Ho 6-4, 6-1 on court five to provide the clincher.
Robert Stineman, who held a 6-4, 2-1 lead over Julen Uriguen on court six before his match was abandoned, was the only Stanford player to win a set.
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NOTES: Making its 34th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, Stanford is now 103-18 all-time in the postseason ... The last time Stanford was held without a point in an NCAA Tournament match was May 23, 2004, when USC blanked the Cardinal 4-0 in Tulsa, Okla. ... Stanford was 5-6 when losing the doubles point this year ... Entering this year, three of Stanford's lineup regulars (Daniel Ho, John Morrissey, Robert Stineman) had never played in a regular-season dual match. All three players contributed to the Cardinal's success this year and gained valuable experience. Ho (17-11 overall, 11-6 duals), Morrissey (23-11 overall, 19-6 duals), Stineman (22-13 overall, 14-8 duals) ... Seniors Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher played their final collegiate dual match, although both will participate in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.
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No. 2 Virginia 4, No. 11 Stanford 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 5 Courtney/Jenkins (UVA) d. Lin/Thacher (STAN) 9-8 (2)
2) Klahn/Morrissey (STAN) d. Alex Domijan/Mitchell Frank (UVA) 8-5
3) Shane/Uriguen (UVA) d. Ball/Kandath (STAN) 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
SINGLES
1) No. 36 Bradley Klahn (STAN) vs. No. 4 Jarmere Jenkins (UVA) abandoned
2) No. 29 Ryan Thacher (STAN) vs. No. 39 Alex Domijan (UVA) abandoned
3) No. 2 Mitchell Frank (UVA) d. Matt Kandath (STAN) 6-2, 6-0
4) Drew Courtney (UVA) d. John Morrissey (STAN) 6-2, 6-4
5) No. 82 Justin Shane (UVA) d. Daniel Ho (STAN) 6-4, 6-1
6) Robert Stineman (STAN) vs. Julen Uriguen (UVA) abandoned
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 5