GULF SHORES, Ala. – No. 3 seed Stanford won its first-round match at the 2024 NCAA Championship over No. 14-seed Georgia State Friday afternoon 3-0, just the second national championship tournament victory in program history.
The Cardinal is now 32-5 on the year with its NCAA Championship first-round victory.
Stanford came out swinging against the Sandy Panthers, as all-American ones pair freshman Brooke Rockwell and senior Xolani Hodel dominated their first set 21-9, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Fellow all-American duo junior Taylor Wilson and Ruby Sorra captured a 21-17 first-set victory on court two, while the threes pair of sophomore Kelly Belardi and partner freshman Chloe Hoffman and fours pair of senior Kate Reilly and freshman Clara Stowell each won their first sets by a score of 21-19. Sophomore Ashley Vincent and senior Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Maya Harvey captured the first-set sweep with a 21-18 victory on court five.
Stanford's three points of the day came from courts one, two, and three, with Wilson and Sorra capturing the first point of the dual with a 21-17 win over Lila Bordis and Aree Keller. Hodel and Rockwell collected the second point with a 21-18 victory over Angel and Bella Ferary and Belardi and Hoffman secured the match with a 21-15 win over Savannah Ebarb and Destiny White.
The Cardinal continues its quest for its first-ever national championship Saturday, taking on No. 11 LSU in the quarterfinals on ESPN2 at 10 a.m. PT. With a win, Stanford would take on the winner of No. 2 UCLA/No. 7 California at 12:30 p.m. PT in the semifinals.
#3 Stanford 3, #14 Georgia State 0
1. Brooke Rockwell and Xolani Hodel (STAN) def. Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary (GSU) 21-9, 21-18
2. Taylor Wilson and Ruby Sorra (STAN) def. Lila Bordis and Aree Keller (GSU) 21-17, 21-17
3 Kelly Belardi and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) def. Savannah Ebarb and Destiny White (GSU) 21-19, 21-15
4. Clara Stowell and Kate Reilly (STAN) vs. Elise Saga and Aliisa Vuorinen (GSU) 21-19, 18-12 UF
5. Maya Harvey and Ashley Vincent (STAN) vs. Courtney Smith and Ayla Johnson (GSU) 21-18, 18-13 UF
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3*
