STANFORD, Calif. - No. 13 Stanford (15-5, 7-3 Pac-12) will be making its 34th consecutive postseason appearance when first round competition gets underway at campus sites next weekend.
The Cardinal, ranked No. 13 in the country but awarded the No. 14 overall seed in the postseason draw, will host Stony Brook (15-1, 5-0 America East) in its NCAA Tournament opener.
Taube Family Tennis Stadium will play host to NCAA first and second round competition on May 8-9. All seats are general admission. Single-day tickets are $8 (adult) and $5 (student/youth/senior). Tickets are available starting on Wednesday, April 29, either in person, by calling 1-800-STANFORD or visiting www.gostanford.com. Phone orders will be available at will call.
The schedule for the first and second round matches is as follows:
 Friday, May 8 (First Round): No. 19 Pepperdine (17-6, 8-1 WCC) vs. No. 44 Auburn Tigers (16-13, 3-10 SEC) - 11 a.m. PT Friday, May 8 (First Round): No. 13 Stanford (15-5, 7-3 Pac-12) vs. Stony Brook (15-1, 5-0 America East) - 2 p.m. PT Saturday, May 9 (Second Round): First-round winners - 1 p.m. PT |
The most storied program in college tennis with 17 NCAA championships, Stanford finished fourth in Pac-12 play while being ranked between No. 7-13 in the country throughout the season. The next edition of the rankings, which will be used throughout the postseason, will be released on Friday.
The Cardinal has pocketed signature wins against other NCAA Tournament teams such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Duke, Arizona State and Pepperdine. That being said, Stanford’s five losses are definitely a rarity, the most setbacks since a 19-5 finish in 2009.
Stanford owns a 133-17 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. Stanford must be considered a national championship contender regardless of seed. Two years ago, the 12th-seeded Cardinal became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title, knocking off No. 5 USC, No. 4 Georgia and No. 1 Florida before knocking off No. 3 Texas A&M in the final. That championship also extended Stanford's record streak of 37 years in a row with at least one NCAA title and paved the way for a 19th consecutive Directors' Cup.
Incredibly, Stanford, which also captured the 2010 NCAA championship as a No. 8 seed, has won nine of its last 10 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent.
All first and second round matches are played at campus sites. The final 16 teams square off at the NCAA Tennis Championships, hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas, beginning Thursday, May 14. The national championship matches are set for Tuesday, May 19.