STANFORD, Calif. - Playing the highest ranked team in the second round of any top-16 seed this postseason, No. 7 Stanford prevailed in hard-fought 4-1 victory over No. 17 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal runs its win streak to 20 matches and improves to 23-2 on the year, advancing to next week's Super Regional match. Stanford will host No. 10 Ohio State on Friday, May 12 at 1 p.m.
The Cardinal set the tone early, winning an all-important doubles point. Connie Ma and Valencia Xu continued their hot streak, winning their 10th straight match on court three, dominating the Cowgirls 6-1. Sara Choy and Alexandra Yepifanova finished next, 6-4 winners on court two, for their second straight victory.
All six singles matches were highly competitive, with both Stanford and Oklahoma State winning three first sets. The Cowgirls would draw even at 1-1, as No. 29 Yepifanova dropped her first match since February, and first of the season on court one, 6-4, 7-6(3) to OSU's Kristina Novak.
Energy was high on the back courts, as Valencia Xu gave Stanford its first point in singles play, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Sofia Rojas. Right next to her on court four, No. 84 Alexis Blokhina was next to finish, rallying from down a set to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Ayumi Miyamoto, putting the Cardinal one victory away.
All three remaining matches were in third sets, as Choy won the first and lost the second on six, No. 44 Angelica Blake won the first and lost the second on three, and No. 18 Ma lost the first and won the second on two. The race to the finish was won by Blake, a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victor, clinching her team-high sixth match of the season. The win improves her record on court three this season to 14-0.
Angelica with the clincher ????
— Stanford Women's Tennis (@StanfordWTennis) May 7, 2023
1?? #29 Yepifanova 4-6, 6-7(3) ?
2?? #18 Ma 5-7, 6-1, 4-3 (DNF)
3?? #44 Blake 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 ??
4?? #84 Blokhina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 ??
5?? Xu 6-3, 6-4 ??
6?? Choy 7-6(6), 2-6, 3-2 (DNF)#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/TCu5utTIMe
The Cardinal has never lost at home in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and advances to the Round of 16 for the 23rd time in the 24 versions of the tournament's current format. Stanford is now 55-7 in the month of May since 2010 and has won 102 of its last 108 matches at home.
(7) Stanford 4, Oklahoma State 1
DOUBLES
1. #16 Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) vs. #15 Raquel Gonzalez/Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU) 4-4 DNF
2. Sara Choy/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. Kristina Novak/Alana Wolfberg (OSU) 6-4
3. Connie Ma/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Lucia Peyre/Sofia Rojas (OSU) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1. Kristina Novak (OSU) d. #29 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 6-4, 7-6(3)
2. #18 Connie Ma (STAN) vs. #118 Alana Wolfberg (OSU) 5-7, 6-1, 4-3 DNF
3. #44 Angelica Blake (STAN) d. Lucia Peyre (OSU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
4. #84 Alexis Blokhina (STAN) d. Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Sofia Rojas (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Sara Choy (STAN) vs. Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) 7-6(6), 2-6, 3-2 DNF
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 4, 3