STANFORD, Calif. - It seems as if nothing can stop Stanford. The second-seeded Cardinal collected its third sweep in three postseason matches on Friday, this time dispatching No. 14 NC State to advance to the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla., where the final eight teams will compete for the national championship. Stanford will face seventh-seeded Georgia in an NCAA quarterfinal on Friday, May 17.
In a rematch of last year's NCAA semifinal, which NC State won 4-0, Stanford flipped the script. The Cardinal took the doubles point behind wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Angelica Blake and Alexis Blokhina beat 29th-ranked Sophie Abrams and Anna Zyranova 6-3, that duo's first win over a ranked opponent during the dual season. Tied 3-3 on Court No. 3, Katherine Hui and Valencia Xu broke their opponents and rode that momentum to a 6-4 win over Gina Dittmann and Abigail Rencheli.
Stanford's top courts dominated in singles. Now 5-0 in her last five matches, all against ranked opponents, Alexandra Yepifanova made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 7-5 win over No. 62 Anna Zyranova. Connie Ma was dominant on Court 2, winning 6-1, 6-4 against No. 71 Abigail Rencheli. Angelica Blake clinched it at No. 1, cruising past the nation's No. 2 Amelia Rajecki 6-3, 6-3. The Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year has won nine in a row and handed Rajecki her fifth loss of the dual season and second in straight sets.
Stanford heads to Stillwater riding a 11-match winning streak that includes four consecutive sweeps, Stanford is 60-8 during the month of May since 2010, a stretch that has produced five NCAA championships. Over the last six weeks, the Cardinal has beaten its 11 opponents by a combined score of 50-5.
The win also served as the final match at Taube Family Tennis Stadium before construction begins next month on a re-imagined facility with 12 outdoor courts. Stanford won 113 of its final 120 matches in the facility.
No. 2 Stanford 4, No. 14 NC State 0
DOUBLES
1) #12 Amelia Rajecki/Maddy Zampardo (NCST) d. #10 Connie Ma/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 6-3
2) Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) d. #29 Sophie Abrams/Anna Zyranova (NCST) 6-3
3) Katherine Hui/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Gina Dittmann/Abigail Rencheli (NCST) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
SINGLES
1) #25 Angelica Blake (STAN) d. #2 Amelia Rajecki (NCST) 6-3, 6-3
2) #7 Connie Ma (STAN) d. #71 Abigail Rencheli (NCST) 6-1, 6-4
3) #29 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. #62 Anna Zyranova (NCST) 6-1, 7-5
4) Alexis Blokhina (STAN) tied Gina Dittmann (NCST) 6-4, 3-6 unf.
5) Katherine Hui (STAN) led Maddy Zampardo (NCST) 6-4, 3-2 unf.
6) Valencia Xu (STAN) led Sophie Abrams (NCST) 6-4, 5-1 unf.
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1