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Women's Tennis

Gator Killer

STANFORD, Calif. - For the third time in her career, senior Krista Hardebeck played the role of a Gator killer.

Just like she did in the 2013 NCAA semifinals and the 2014 regular season, Hardebeck provided the clincher against Florida yet again on Sunday afternoon at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

Despite losing the doubles point for the first time this season, Stanford (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12) completed its comeback thanks to Hardebeck’s 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Josie Kuhlman at the No. 4 spot.

Sunday’s match was the latest in a long line of recent nail-biters against Florida (5-2, 0-0 SEC), which came up empty on its Bay Area swing after losing 4-3 at California on Friday.

Not only have Stanford and Florida combined to win four of the last six NCAA championships, but the matches have certainly lived up to the hype. Considered by many as the sport’s best rivalry, the powerhouses have hooked up nine times over the last six years, with the Cardinal collecting six victories.

And while February matches often mean very little when the postseason rolls around in May, Sunday’s match was a huge confidence builder for Stanford, which was able to finally showcase its optimal lineup for the first time in 2016.

That’s because junior Carol Zhao, who less than 24 hours ago had posted a runner-up doubles finish at the Morgan Run Women’s Open, a $25K USTA Pro Circuit event in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., returned to the lineup for the first time this season. Last year’s NCAA Singles runner-up and three-time All-American, Zhao missed the entire fall and was originally not expected back until the start of winter quarter as she had been training with the Canadian National Team and competing in pro tournaments.

Zhao, who attended classes in the fall and has been enrolled in full-time units this quarter, contributed a momentum-changing 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory at the No. 1 spot of the lineup against Brooke Austin.

For the first time since rallying past Vanderbilt 4-3 at home last February, Stanford won a match despite losing the doubles point. Trailing 1-0, Taylor Davidson powered past sixth-ranked Belinda Woolcock 7-6 (5), 6-2 at the No. 2 position in the only match of the day that did not require three sets to complete.

The Gators moved back in front 2-1 after collecting a victory on court six, where Anna Danilina outlasted Melissa Lord 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. But the match evened again at 2-2 following Zhao’s first win of the season at the No. 1 spot.

A back-and-forth match on court three went in favor of Caroline Doyle, who slipped past Kourtney Keegan 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (5) to make it 3-2 Stanford. Improving to 10-5 in her career in three-setters, Doyle also won her 75th career match.

Florida caught a break to make it 3-3 after Caroline Lampl started cramping and was unable to continue in her third set against Brianna Morgan at the No. 5 spot. Morgan, the Gators’ only senior, was already in control late in the third set when Lampl was assessed a one-game penalty for a time violation trailing 5-2.

The attention immediately shifted to court four, where Hardebeck – who actually led 40-0 while leading 5-4 in the third set – finally fought off the pesky Kuhlman and grinded out the victory.

The luxury of possibly playing the battle-tested Hardebeck, who has won 82 career matches and was part of Stanford’s 2013 NCAA title team, at the No. 4 spot makes Stanford a national championship contender.

Stanford opens Pac-12 play next weekend in the desert, starting with Arizona on Friday, at 12:30 p.m. PT.

No. 16 Stanford 4, No. 7 Florida 3

DOUBLES
1) No. 3 Davidson/Doyle (STAN) d. No. 7 Austin/Keegan (FLA) 6-2
2) No. 19 Kuhlman/Woolcock (FLA) d. Kimberly Yee/Zhao (STAN) 6-2
3) Danilina/Morgan (FLA) d. No. 41 Hardebeck/Lampl (STAN) 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3

SINGLES
1) Carol Zhao (STAN) d. No. 12 Brooke Austin (FLA) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
2) No. 24 Taylor Davidson (STAN) d. No. 6 Belinda Woolcock (FLA) 7-6 (5), 6-2
3) No. 51 Caroline Doyle (STAN) d. No. 30 Kourtney Keegan (FLA) 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (5)
4) No. 109 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) d. No. 72 Josie Kuhlman (FLA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
5) No. 88 Brianna Morgan (FLA) d. Caroline Lampl (STAN) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
6) No. 67 Anna Danilina (FLA) d. Melissa Lord (STAN) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 1, 3, 5, 4