May 23, 1997
Osterloh Takes Singles Title; Buth/Nickitas Win Doubles
STANFORD, Calif. - In an all-freshman final at the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships, Stanford's Lilia Osterloh sailed past M.C. White of Florida 6-1, 6-1 to become just the third freshman to win an NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship.
No. 8 seed Osterloh took just 50 minutes to get past the unseeded White, breaking her serve six times in front of the announced crowd of 824 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Osterloh came out quickly, taking a 5-0 lead in the first set. White then broke Osterloh's serve to win her first game of the set, but Osterloh immediately broke back for the 6-1 first set win.
"I think I helped her play well today," White said of Osterloh. "I started off pretty slow and was a little nervous in the beginning. She got the momentum and I couldn't quite get back into it."
Osterloh and White each held serve to start the second set. Osterloh got the first break of the set when White double-faulted on game point to give Osterloh the 3-1 lead. From there Osterloh continued to dominate, winning out to take the second set 6-1 and earning the championship.
"I think I was in a zone," Osterloh said. "I didn't really worry about her. I had to play my game, worry about myself. I wanted to work the points and I did that. I was pretty satisfied."
Osterloh becomes Stanford's first singles champion since Sandra Birch took the title in 1991, and is Stanford's seventh overall women's singles champion. The all-freshmen final was the second in NCAA history, the first taking place in 1983 when USC's Beth Herr defeated Gigi Fernandez.
Stanford's women's tennis team also took the team title in the tournament, defeating Florida 5-1 on May 18 for their ninth women's tennis team championship.
In the doubles championship No. 1 seeded Dawn Buth and Stephanie Nickitas of Florida defended their title with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Marissa Catlin and Michelle Anderson of Georgia.
"It was really important getting the momentum in the third set after they won the second," said Stephanie Nickitas. "We got focused and motivated and knew what we had to do. We took it to them instead of them taking it to us."
Buth and Nickitas are the first repeat women's tennis doubles champions in NCAA history. They defeated Texas's Cristina Moros and Farley Taylor in 6-1, 6-2 for the 1996 doubles title.
Singles Results - Championship Match
#8 Lilia Osterloh (Stanford) d M.C. White (Florida) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Results - Championship Match
#1 Buth/Nickitas (Florida) d. #3 Anderson/Catlin (Georgia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2