May 15, 2007
Postseason Media Guide
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Forood Earns Third Pac-10 COTY
2007 NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Stanford Cardinal (22-1, 8-0 Pac-10)
- vs -
No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores (19-8, 9-2 SEC)
Henry Feild Stadium - Athens, Ga.
Up Next
No. 1 Stanford (22-1, 8-0 Pac-10) resumes its quest for a fourth consecutive national championship when NCAA Tournament play continues this week. This time around the action shifts to Athens, Ga., with the University of Georgia serving as the host site for the NCAA team and individual competition. The Cardinal, which has won 19 in a row overall, is the top seed in this year's event and will square off against No. 16 Vanderbilt (19-8, 9-2 SEC) on Friday at 9 a.m. PST in the round of 16. The winner advances to Sunday's NCAA quarterfinals.
Scouting No. 16 Vanderbilt
No. 16 Vanderbilt (19-8, 9-2 SEC) advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 with a 4-0 victory over Tennessee in the second round. The host Commodores, who entered postseason play with a 3-3 mark in their final six matches, blanked Murray State 4-0 in their NCAA opener. It's been a season of streaks for Vanderbilt, which lost six in a row prior to starting a season-best 12-match winning streak that spanned almost two months. Players to watch during singles play include: No. 19 Amanda Fish (21-9) and No. 28 Amanda Taylor (35-7). Fish and Taylor also team up as the Commodore's top doubles squad and are ranked No. 8 in the nation. Stanford and Vanderbilt hooked up back on Feb. 1 at the National Team Indoors, with the Cardinal winning 6-1 thanks to a doubles sweep and four straight-set singles victories.
Stanford All-Time In NCAA Tournament
Stanford owns a 102-11 record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. During that time, Stanford has won 15 of 25 possible NCAA team titles, including each of the last three seasons. The Cardinal owns an 20-match winning streak in NCAA Tournament play, dating back to its last loss against Florida in the 2003 national championship. Stanford defeated Miami 4-1 to capture last year's title.
Back At The Top
What makes Stanford's three consecutive national championships even more impressive is the Cardinal did not drop a match over that stretch (89-0). And while Stanford has not been as dominant this year, it would be a mistake to write off the three-time defending champs. Since a 4-3 upset by then-No. 6 Georgia Tech back on Feb. 3 snapped an NCAA record 89-match winning streak, Stanford has responded with a 19 victories in a row. Ranked as low as No. 4 this year (Mar. 6), the Cardinal has bounced back and retained the No. 1 spot since late March. Not to mention Stanford went almost three months without its normal lineup in tact as key starters battled through multiple injuries and slow starts.
Forood Honored As Pac-10 Coach of the Year; Five Named All-Pac-10
Stanford was well-represented among the All-Pac-10 squad, as the selections were voted on by the league coaches. Head coach Lele Forood, who guided the Cardinal to its 20th straight Pac-10 title, earned her third Pac-10 Coach of the Year honor (2004, 2005). Forood kept the Cardinal on top despite losing some of the top seniors in the nation last year, and competing against some of the toughest teams in the country on a regular basis. She has led the Cardinal to a 190-4 recod overall. Five players were named All-Pac-10 honorees, the most honors for Stanford since five were recognized in 2004. Theresa Logar, the Cardinal's top singles player, was tabbed to the First Team. Logar, ranked No. 8, is 26-9 overall and 17-4 in dual matches at the No. 1 spot. She will be competing at the NCAA Singles Championship.
Celia Durkin, Jessica Nguyen and Anne Yelsey were named to the Second Team. Durkin is 26-11 and 13-5 in duals, Nguyen is 20-6 and 9-1 in duals in limited action and Yelsey checks in at 18-7 and 16-5 in duals. All three players are ranked nationally and will compete in the NCAA Singles Championship. Lindsay Burdette earned Honorable Mention accolades. Burdette owns a team-best 27-5 overall mark and is 17-2 in duals. Burdette will compete in the NCAA Singles Championship.
Stanford Against the NCAA Tournament Field
Stanford owns an 8-1 record against teams (1-0 vs. Vanderbilt, 2-0 vs. USC, 2-0 vs. UCLA, 0-1 vs. Georgia Tech, 3-0 vs. California) competing in the round of 16. Stanford and Fresno State were scheduled to play back in January but the match was cancelled due to rain.
Cardinal Well-Represented In NCAA Singles, Doubles
Stanford will be well-represented in the NCAA Championship singles and doubles draw with five singles participants and one doubles team. Competing in singles will be Lindsay Burdette, Celia Durkin, Theresa Logar, Jessica Nguyen and Anne Yelsey. Logar and Durkin were tabbed as two of eight No. 9-16 seeds in the draw. Also, Stanford's top doubles team of Burdette and Yelsey was selected. The second team of Durkin and Nguyen was named the sixth alternate.
Burdette and Yelsey Earn Runner-Up Finish At Pac-10 Championships
Stanford's top doubles team of Lindsay Burdette and Anne Yelsey advanced to the doubles title match at the Pac-10 Championships before dropping a 6-1, 6-0 decision to UCLA's Yasmin Schnack and Riza Zalameda. Yelsey, who had captured the doubles title with Alice Barnes each of the last two seasons, was bidding for her third consecutive championship. Celia Durkin and Theresa Logar reached the semifinals of the main singles draw while Lejla Hodzic went 3-1 in the invitational singles draw. Lindsay Burdette, who was defeated by Logar in the quarterfinals, posted one of the event's biggest upsets when she topped No. 11 Susie Fodor of California.
A 1-0 Lead Certainly Helps
Stanford has captured the doubles point in 20 of its 23 matches so far this year, translating into a quick 1-0 lead. That includes eight doubles sweeps, the last coming on Apr. 7 against Washington when all three teams won by identical 8-2 margins. Not that Stanford has trouble playing from behind- the Cardinal was swept in all three doubles matches on two different occasions (Feb. 23 at Arizona State and Mar. 28 at UNLV) but ended up winning the match.
Home Sweet Home
Stanford closed out the regular season home schedule with a perfect 12-0 record, extending its winning streak to 95 in such matches. Throw in a 26-0 record in NCAA Tournament matches played at Taube Family Tennis Stadium and Stanford has not been defeated in the last 121 contests played on its home court. Stanford's last loss at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium occurred on Feb. 27, 1999, when No. 4 California pulled a 5-4 upset.
Tentative NCAA Singles and Doubles Lineup
DOUBLES
(1) Lindsay Burdette/Anne Yelsey
Ranked No. 21 ... 6-2 on neutral courts ... 11-0 at home ... 7-5 against nationally-ranked foes ... runner-up finish at Pac-10 Championships ... won 12 of 13 overall, including a season-best 10 in a row from Mar. 30-Apr. 28 ... reached semifinals of ITA Northwest Regional Championships
(2) Celia Durkin/Jessica Nguyen
11-4 overall, 5-1 dualRanked No. 42 ... 5-2 on neutral courts and 4-0 at home ... team has only played together for six dual matches, the last coming on Apr. 21 in a 9-7 win at California ... runner-up finish at ITA Northwest Regional Championships ... did not play together in the first two rounds
(3) Whitney Deason/Theresa Logar
15-7 overall, 15-6 dualConsistent team has won six of its last eight matches, although their first two NCAA Tournament matches went unfinished ... 11-4 against Pac-10 opponents ... clinched doubles point in back-to-back 4-3 regular-season victories during critical UCLA/USC road trip.
SINGLES
(1) Theresa Logar
Ranked No. 8 ... 14-5 against nationally-ranked foes ... 11-4 in neutral court matches ... 17-5 against Pac-10 opponents ... reached semifinals at Pac-10 Championships ... has won eight of her last 10 overall ... both of her first two NCAA Tournament matches this year went unfinished ... 86 career dual victories place her in a tie for 10th on the all-time list ... two-time All-American
(2) Anne Yelsey
18-7 overall, 16-5 dualRanked No. 17 ... 3-4 on neutral courts ... 7-6 against nationally-ranked opponents ... one of the club's top players down the stretch, winning 14 of her last 16 matches ... pieced together an 11-match winning streak from Feb. 24-Apr. 14 ... five overall wins shy of 100 for her career ... two-time All-American
(3) Celia Durkin
26-11 overall, 13-5 dualRanked No. 14 ... 11-6 against nationally-ranked opponents and 5-2 vs. the top-25 ... team leader in matches played (37) ... 14-5 on neutral courts and 9-2 at home ... 4-3 in three-set matches ... 11-5 when playing at No. 3 singles ... reached semifinals of Pac-10 Championships ... 4-3 in three-set matches ... 11-5 when playing at No. 3 singles ... 2006 All-American
(4) Whitney Deason
24-9 overall, 18-4 dualRanked No. 96 ... 8-3 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 8-5 on neutral courts ... 4-5 in three-set matches ... won 11 in a row from Feb. 23-Apr. 6 ... won four of her last five overall, including a 6-2, 6-1 clincher in Stanford's second round win over BYU ... reached quarterfinals of National Collegiate Tennis Classic in January
(5) Jessica Nguyen
20-6 overall, 9-1 dualRanked No. 20 ...missed most of the dual season with a foot injury; has played only five singles matches since Mar. 2 ... looked sharp in first two NCAA Tournament matches, surrendering only two games combined ... owns a 9-1 record against nationally-ranked foes ... 12-4 on neutral courts ... runner-up at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, starting the year 8-3
(6) Lindsay Burdette
27-5 overall, 17-2 dualRanked No. 41 ... dominant start to her rookie campaign, winning 20 of her first 22 matches ... won 13 straight from Jan. 14-Mar. 30 ... 17-3 against Pac-10 opponents ... 9-3 on neutral courts ... 7-4 in three-set matches ... 12-2 at No. 5 position and 3-0 at the No. 6 spot ... won four of her last five overall, including a 6-0, 6-2 win in her NCAA Tournament debut vs. Sacramento State