BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 10 Stanford had a spectacular first day of play at the Battle on the Bayou, upsetting No. 5 LSU 3-2 and topping North Florida 4-1 Friday in Baton Rouge, La.
Stanford's win over LSU is the program's first victory over a top-five ranked opponent this season and the Cardinal's first-ever win over the Tigers.
The exciting day was highlighted by Ashley Vincent's second school record in less than a week, as her win with partner Kelly Belardi on court four over North Florida made her the program's leader for individual wins in a campaign with 26 wins this season.
The Cardinal opened its day with the program's first-ever matchup against the University of North Florida, topping the Ospreys 4-1. Belardi and Vincent earned the first point of the dual with a 21-19, 21-13 victory on court four, but UNF tied it up with a two-set victory on court five. Stanford captured the dual win with two-set victories on courts one and two.
Stanford's meeting with the Tigers was fierce from the start, with four of the five courts (and first two courts played) pushed to three sets to secure dual match points. Vincent and Belardi once again led the way with a three-set win on court four, but LSU quickly took a 2-1 lead with wins on courts five and three. Fifth-year Charlie Ekstrom and Maya Harvey tied the match back up at 2 with a gritty win on court two. Junior Xolani Hodel and senior Maddi Kriz clinched the dual victory, coming back from a first-set defeat to top the Tigers 18-21, 21-18, 15-11 on court one.
The Cardinal heads back to LSU's campus tomorrow for two matchups, taking on Houston Christian and Nicholls State at 7:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. PT. Both matches will be live streamed here.
#10 Stanford 4, North Florida 1
1. Xolani Hodel/Maddi Kriz (SU) def. Audrey Brooks/Iris Fletcher (UNF) 21-16, 21-17
2. Charlie Ekstrom/Maya Harvey (SU) def. Presley Murray/Madison Espy (UNF) 25-23, 21-19
3. Emmy Sharp/Kate Reilly (SU) def. Michaela Rezentes/Katie Camp (UNF) 21-13, 13-21, 17-15
4. Ashley Vincent/Kelly Belardi (SU) def. M. Feliciano-Sanchez/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF) 21-19, 21-13
5. Chantel McMillan/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF) def. Sophie Kubiak/Line Andersson (SU) 21-19, 21-15
#10 Stanford 3, #5 LSU 2
1. Xolani Hodel/Maddi Kriz (SU) def. Kylie DeBerg/Ellie Shank (LSU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-11
2. Charlie Ekstrom/Maya Harvey (SU) def. Grace Seits/Parker Bracken (LSU) 21-16, 14-21, 15-11
3. Hannah Brister/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Emmy Sharp/Kate Reilly (SU) 21-19, 21-18
4. Ashley Vincent/Kelly Belardi (SU) def. Ella Larkin/Lara Boos (LSU) 15-21, 21-16, 15-11
5. Melia Lindner/Amber Haynes (LSU) def. Sophie Kubiak/Line Andersson (SU) 15-21, 21-17, 15-6