SEATTLE - Down 3-0, No. 6 Stanford was poised to make an epic comeback against No. 4 Duke, but couldn't finish things off on court five, ultimately losing, 4-3. The loss drops Stanford to 3-2 on the year.
The Cardinal couldn't find a groove in doubles, losing matches on courts two and three to give the Blue Devils the first point.
From there, Stanford won four first sets in singles, the exact amount of wins they'd need for the match. Duke earned straight-set wins on courts one and six, putting the Card in a 3-0 hole, needing to win every remaining court.
All four courts that Stanford won the first set reversed fortune in the second, leading to a winner take's all third set battle on two, three, four and five. Stanford began to rattle off wins, first a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win for No. 56 Alexis Blokhina over Georgia Drummy, followed by a dramatic 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 win from No. 41 Alexandra Yepifanova over No. 28 Cameron Morra, saving a set point down 5-4 in the third. No. 31 Angelica Blake evened things up with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win on court three over No. 21 Emma Jackson, and all eyes fell to No. 88 Valencia Xu on court five. The sophomore faded late, ultimately losing 6-4 in the third set.
Stanford will conclude its weekend at ITA Indoor Nationals on Sunday.
#4 Duke 4, #6 Stanford 3
DOUBLES
1. Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) vs. #14 Chloe Beck/Cameron Morra (DUKE) 3-4 (DNF)
2. #25 Karolina Berankova/Elizabeth Coleman (DUKE) d. #43 Valencia Xu/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 6-3
3. Iuliia Bryzgalova/Emma Jackson (DUKE) d. Sara Choy/Connie Ma (STAN) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1. #5 Chloe Beck (DUKE) d. #3 Connie Ma (STAN) 6-4, 6-3
2. #41 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. #28 Cameron Morra (DUKE) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
3. #31 Angelica Blake (STAN) d. #21 Emma Jackson (DUKE) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
4. #56 Alexis Blokhina (STAN) d. Georgia Drummy (DUKE) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
5. Ellie Coleman (DUKE) d. #88 Valencia Xu (STAN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Iuliia Bryzgalova (DUKE) d. Sara Choy (STAN) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 4, 2, 3, 5