May 11, 2013
STANFORD, Calif.- No. 12 Stanford coasted to another easy postseason victory on Saturday afternoon, blanking No. 22 Rice 4-0 during the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
With the win, Stanford (18-4, 8-2 Pac-12) punched its ticket to next weekend's round of 16 in Urbana, Ill., with the University of Illinois serving as the host site. The Cardinal has advanced to the round of 16 for the 28th straight year.
Making its 32nd consecutive postseason appearance, the Cardinal easily locked up the doubles point before receiving straight-set victories from both ends of the lineup.
The tone was established in doubles, highlighted by an 8-0 win from its No. 2 duo of Stacey Tan and Ellen Tsay, which also won its first round match on Friday by an identical score.
Nicole Gibbs put the Cardinal ahead 2-0, picking apart Natalie Beazant 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 1 position.
Kristie Ahn, who has now won 16 of her last 18 matches overall, followed with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Dominique Harmath at the No. 2 spot.
The clincher came in the form of a 6-3, 6-1 win on court six from Natalie Dillon, who along with fellow senior Stacey Tan was playing the final home match of her career.
Rice (21-5, 2-1 Conference USA) reached Saturday's match after defeating No. 53 Pepperdine 4-3 on Friday.
Stay tuned for additional postseason coverage on www.gostanford.com. The round of 16 on the women's side gets underway on Friday, May 17. Stanford will face either No. 5 USC or UC Irvine.
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No. 12 Stanford 4, No. 22 Rice 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 8 Ahn/Gibbs (STAN) d. No. 23 Beazant/Harmath (RICE) 8-4
2) No. 28 Tan/Tsay (STAN) d. Gater/Zimmermann (RICE) 8-0
3) Dillon/Hardebeck (STAN) vs. Daniella Trigo/Zinko (RICE) abandoned
Order of Finish: 2, 1
SINGLES
1) No. 13 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. No. 41 Natalie Beazant (RICE) 6-2, 6-2
2) No. 25 Kristie Ahn (STAN) d. No. 61 Dominique Harmath (RICE) 6-4, 6-2
3) No. 14 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) vs. Liat Zimmermann (RICE) abandoned
4) No. 103 Stacey Tan (STAN) vs. Katie Gater (RICE) abandoned
5) No. 92 Ellen Tsay (STAN) vs. Kim Anicete (RICE) abandoned
6) Natalie Dillon (STAN) d. Solo Zinko (RICE) 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 6