May 26, 2000
MALIBU, Calif. - The final match of the 2000 NCAA women's tennis singles championship matched Stanford teammates Marissa Irvin and Laura Granville at Pepperdine University. Freshman Laura Granville defeated Irvin 6-0, 6-4, to capture the 2000 singles title to complete an impressive first year at Stanford. She completes her rookie campaign with a 47-3 record.
Top ranked sophomore Marissa Irvin fell for the second straight year in the NCAA Singles Championship match. In the 1999 Championships, Irvin lost to San Diego's Zuzana Lesenarova, who Granville defeated on Wednesday in the third round. Irvin ends her second year on The Farm with a 28-3 record.
This was the first time that two players from the same school competed against each other for the singles championship in the 19-year history of the event. Irvin was trailing 5-3 in the second set, but broke Granville in the ninth game. Granville was on a roll, though, and she came back in the tenth game to take the match and win the title.
"Having Laura and Marissa advance to the championship makes a strong statement about the quality of the women's tennis program at Stanford," said Cardinal head coach Frank Brennan. "Laura has been on a roll, and she played with tremendous confidence and composure this afternoon."
NCAA Singles Championship - Finals
#9 Laura Granville (Stanford) def. #1 Marissa Irvin (Stanford) 6-0, 6-4