TULSA, Okla. - Two days after capturing its 19th national championship (18 NCAA, 1 AIAW), Stanford concluded its postseason run on Thursday afternoon at the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Both Cardinal duos were eliminated during the first round of competition, with Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle falling to Fresno State’s Mayar Sherif Ahmed and Rana Sherif Ahmed 6-2, 7-6 (0) while Melissa Lord and Carol Zhao lost to Kentucky’s Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (9).
The nation’s fifth-ranked duo, Davidson and Doyle (22-11 overall, 9-9 duals) wrapped up the 2015-16 campaign with three doubles crowns (USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships, USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships consolation, NCTC Classic). Davidson and Doyle, who won 13 of their first 14 matches despite being paired together for the first time, posted a 6-4 win over Fresno State’s top duo back on Feb. 19 in a dual match.
Ranked No. 31 in the country, Lord and Zhao (9-4 overall, 6-3 duals) enjoyed a solid season despite playing together for the first time in late March. Lord and Zhao produced a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships despite having only played nine matches together entering the tournament.
The most storied program in women's college tennis, Stanford (20-5, 9-1 Pac-12) captured its 19th national championship (18 NCAA, 1 AIAW), defeating No. 12 Oklahoma State in a 4-3 thriller in Tulsa, Oklahoma. No. 15 Stanford became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title, knocking off No. 2 Florida, No. 10 Michigan and No. 6 Vanderbilt in a span of five days prior to reaching the final. Stanford has now won 14 of its last 16 NCAA matches when seeded lower than its opponent, a streak that covers six years. That includes winning it all as a No. 12 seed three years ago – at the time the lowest-seeded team to accomplish the feat – and taking home the crown in 2010 as a No. 8 seed. Stanford now owns a 142-18 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982.
NCAA DOUBLES FIRST ROUND
No. 32 Mayar Sherif Ahmed/Rana Sherif Ahmed (FS) d. No. 5 Taylor Davidson/Caroline Doyle (STAN) 6-2, 7-6 (0)
No. 1 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (KENT) d. No. 31 Melissa Lord/Carol Zhao (STAN) 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (9)