May 3, 2011
| Stay tuned to www.gostanford.com's Countdown To The Championships for daily coverage of the 2011 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championships in the form of feature stories, historical profiles, match previews, recaps and other tournament news. One of the nation's finest tennis venues, the Taube Family Tennis Center is playing host to its second combined men's and women's NCAA Tennis Championships, as the tournament's current format was introduced at Stanford in 2006.
In today's edition of Countdown To The Championships, we take a look at the postseason paths for the men's and women's teams, as both programs have been selected to compete in the NCAA Championships. |
"I will be coming back to The Farm this year to cheer on my team! I love coming back to NCAA's, because when I get together with my former teammates and other Stanford alumni, it creates this electric atmosphere. We all scream ourselves hoarse, dance around like fools (me more than most) and live the dream again. It's also amazing watching the girls on court do what they do best: totally dominate! I can't wait to see the gang again and cheer our Stanford Cardinal to another NCAA Championship. Go Card!" Three-time All-American Theresa Logar, who was a member of three NCAA Championship teams during her career (2004-07) on The Farm.
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| Wednesday, May 4: The NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships kick off May 25. Find out which Stanford players will be invited. Thursday, May 5: Home court advantage? That's an understatement. 12 years and 179 matches later, the Stanford women are still protecting Taube. Friday, May 6: One year after capturing the NCAA Singles championship, Bradley Klahn breaks down his title run, match-by-match. |
STANFORD, Calif.- Already scheduled to host the final 16 men's and women's teams during the NCAA Tennis Championships, Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Stadium will also play host to the first and second rounds for both Cardinal squads from May 13-15.
All NCAA first and second round matches are played at campus sites. The final 16 teams square off on the Stanford campus beginning Thursday, May 19. The national championship matches are set for Tuesday, May 24, with the men's final at 12 p.m. and the women's title match at 4 p.m.
Ticket prices for three-day all-session tickets (May 13-15) are as follows: $20 (reserved), $15 (adult/general admission) and $10 (student/child/senior general admission). Single-day tickets are priced as follows: $8 (reserved), $6 (adult/general admission) and $4 (student/child/senior general admission). Students must show a valid school ID. Tickets are available by calling 1-800-STANFORD or visiting www.gostanford.com.
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WOMEN'S TEAM
Stanford (23-0, 8-0 Pac-10) will be making its 30th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance when first round competition gets underway at campus sites next weekend.
It's been another dominating season for Stanford. Despite being ranked No. 2 in the latest edition of the national ITA rankings, Stanford was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason draw. The Cardinal is the only unbeaten team in Division I and has won 42 consecutive contests overall dating back to its last loss, a 6-1 setback at UCLA on Feb. 26, 2010.
 Veronica Li and Stacey Tan are lower-lineup weapons for No. 1 overall seed Stanford.  |
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Stanford has not played a dual match since defeating California 5-2 back on Apr. 16 to capture the Pac-10 title. The Cardinal has won the Pac-10 title outright or claimed at least a share of the hardware in every season since 1987, with the exception of 2009.
Stanford will host Illinois-Chicago in the opening round, with the winner of that match meeting the winner of Long Beach State and Pepperdine.
The schedule for the women's first and second round matches is as follows:
Saturday, May 14 (First Round): Long Beach State vs. Pepperdine - 9 a.m.
Saturday, May 14 (First Round): Illinois-Chicago vs. Stanford - 12 p.m.
Sunday, May 15 (Second Round): Long Beach State/Pepperdine vs. Illinois-Chicago/Stanford - 12 p.m.
Illinois-Chicago (18-4, 8-0 Horizon League) is making its 13th consecutive NCAA appearance. The Flames won their 15th straight Horizon League Championship two weeks ago, defeating Cleveland State 4-1.
Stanford owns a 115-14 record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. During that time, Stanford has won 16 of 29 possible NCAA team titles, including last year's crown with a 4-3 victory over Florida in Athens, Ga.
Playing on its home court for potentially six matches should provide Stanford with a decisive advantage. Thanks to a 6-1 win over Saint Mary's back on Apr. 14, Stanford extended its eye-popping NCAA-record home winning streak to 179 matches (147 regular season, 32-0 NCAA Tournament). Stanford's last home loss occurred on Feb. 27, 1999, when No. 4 California pulled a 5-4 upset.
The 16 national seeds for the NCAA Championships on the women's side are as follows: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Duke, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Baylor, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Miami, No. 8 Georgia, No. 9 California, No. 10 Michigan, No. 11 Virginia, No. 12 Florida State, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 Georgia Tech, No. 15 Clemson and No. 16 Northwestern.
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MEN'S TEAM
Stanford (18-5, 5-1 Pac-10) will be making its 33rd all-time NCAA Tournament appearance when first round competition gets underway at campus sites next weekend.
Despite being ranked No. 7 in the latest edition of the national ITA rankings, the Cardinal has been tabbed as the No. 8 overall seed in the postseason draw. As a result, Taube Family Tennis Stadium will serve as one of 16 host sites for first and second round action, scheduled for May 13-14.
 Alex Clayton and the Stanford men's team have been awarded the No. 8 overall seed. |
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Stanford is riding a 10-match winning streak, its longest stretch since a similar run in 2003. The Cardinal solidified its status as the Pac-10's second-place team behind defending national champion USC with a 4-3 victory over California back on Apr. 23. Stanford's last loss was Mar. 25 against USC.
Stanford will host Army in the opening round, with the winner of that match meeting the winner of Cal Poly and Washington.
The schedule for the men's first and second round matches is as follows:
Friday, May 13 (First Round): Cal Poly vs.Washington - 11 a.m.
Friday, May 13 (First Round): Army vs. Stanford - 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 14 (Second Round): Cal Poly/Washington vs. Army/Stanford - 3 p.m.
Army (13-11, 6-0 Patriot League) is making its fifth NCAA Championship appearance and first since 2006. The Black Knights are 0-4 all-time in postseason play.
Stanford owns a 97-16 record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1977. During that time, Stanford has won 15 NCAA team titles, with the most recent crown coming back in 2000 after defeating VCU 4-0.
The 16 national seeds for the NCAA Championships on the men's side are as follows: No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 USC, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Baylor, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 Stanford, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 11 Duke, No. 12 UCLA, No. 13 Texas, No. 14 California, No. 15 Georgia Tech and No. 16 North Carolina.
- By Brian Risso, Athletics Communications/Media Relations.