May 4, 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 find out which Stanford players have been invited to participate in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, which kick off May 25. |
"Competing inside Taube Family Tennis Stadium has been the best part of playing tennis for Stanford. In big matches when the seats are filled, you can really feel the energy and it pumps you up as a player. During my sophomore year for an NCAA second round match, we had over 50 fraternity brothers cheering us on and when the stadium is full, there is no better place to be than on that court." Stanford senior and two-time All-American Alex Clayton, who leads Stanford with 16 dual match victories this year.
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| 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. Saturday, May 7: The most storied program in women's college tennis, Stanford has claimed 17 team titles (16 NCAA, 1 AIAW). Let's take a closer look. |
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Men's Team Bracket | Women's Team Bracket
STANFORD, Calif.- One day after the NCAA team brackets were announced, the Stanford tennis programs were once again well-represented among the singles and doubles selections for the 2011 NCAA Championships.
Only the selections were announced on Wednesday, the individual brackets will be released at a later date.
The individual portion of the NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championship is scheduled for May 25-30, with singles play kicking off on May 25 and the doubles competition getting underway on May 26.
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MEN'S TEAM
Highlighting the selections on the men's side is junior Bradley Klahn, who will begin his title defense of the NCAA Singles Championship. Klahn and junior Ryan Thacher will compete in doubles.
Junior Bradley Klahn
2010-11: Tabbed one of eight No. 9-16 seeds ... ranked No. 9 nationally ... 29-10 overall ... 15-7 in duals, playing all his matches at the No. 1 spot ... 14-3 in tournament play ... 18-8 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 9-1 over his last 10 matches ... reached semifinals of the D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships in October ... captured the singles title at the Sherwood Cup in mid-January, repeating as the tourney champion ... earned a runner-up finish at the Pac-10 Championships over the weekend.
 Stanford's top doubles team of Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher will be in action.  |
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Junior Ryan Thacher
2010-11: Tabbed an at-large selection ... ranked No. 46 nationally ... 23-13 overall ... 12-9 in duals, playing all but one match at the No. 2 position ... 11-4 in tournament play ... 9-9 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 6-4 over his last 10 matches ... advanced to quarterfinals of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in October.
Junior Bradley Klahn and Junior Ryan Thacher
2010-11: Tabbed one of four No. 5-8 seeds ... ranked No. 3 nationally ... 37-5 overall ... 17-1 in duals, playing every match at the No. 1 spot ... 20-4 in tournament play ... 11-4 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 9-1 over their last 10 matches ... claimed the consolation title at the ITA National Indoor Championships back in November ... won the Sherwood Cup doubles crown in mid-January ... captured another title at the 122nd Pacific Coast Doubles tournament in early March ... reached the semifinals of last week's Pac-10 Championships.
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WOMEN'S TEAM
Stanford's stacked lineup includes five players participating in the singles draw while two doubles teams have also qualified.
Senior Hilary Barte
2010-11: Tabbed the No. 3 seed ... ranked No. 3 nationally ... 25-5 overall ... 14-4 in duals, playing all her matches at the No. 1 spot ... 11-1 in tournament play ... 16-4 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 6-4 over her last 10 matches ... opened the year by winning the singles title at the ITA All-American Championships in early October ... captured the singles title at the NCTC Classic in mid-January, repeating as the tourney champion ... did not lose her second match of the year until Mar. 5.
Freshman Kristie Ahn
2010-11: Tabbed one of eight No. 9-16 seeds ... ranked No. 15 nationally ... 36-3 overall ... 18-0 in duals, alternating between the Nos. 3 and 4 spots of the lineup ... 18-3 in tournament play ... 13-3 against nationally-ranked opponents ... riding a 24-match winning streak since her last loss on Jan. 16 ... opened the year by capturing the singles crown at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships ... pocketed the singles title at last weekend's Pac-10 Championships, becoming the first Stanford player to win the event since Gabriela Lastra in 2002.
 How deep is Stanford's singles lineup? Five players will compete in the NCAA Singles Championship. |
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Freshman Nicole Gibbs
2010-11: Tabbed an at-large selection ... ranked No. 18 nationally ... 37-5 overall ... 22-0 in duals, alternating mainly between the Nos. 3 and 4 spots of the lineup ... 15-5 in tournament play ... 14-3 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 9-1 over her last 10 matches ... notched a runner-up finish at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in mid-October ... advanced to the semifinals of the Freeman Memorial Invitational Championships in mid-January ... made a run to the semifinals in last weekend's Pac-10 Championships.
Sophomore Mallory Burdette
2010-11: Tabbed an at-large selection ... ranked No. 22 nationally ... 23-7 overall ... 15-4 in duals, primarily holding down the No. 2 position ... 8-3 in tournament play ... 11-7 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 7-3 over her last 10 matches ... reached the quarterfinals of the NCTC Classic in mid-January ... moved on to the quarterfinals of last weekend's Pac-10 Championships.
Sophomore Stacey Tan
2010-11: Tabbed an at-large selection ... ranked No. 43 nationally ... 24-8 overall ... 17-2 in duals, primarily holding down the No. 5 position ... 7-6 in tournament play ... 7-2 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 8-2 over her last 10 matches ... reached the semifinals of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in October ... advanced to the semifinals of last weekend's Pac-10 Championships.
Senior Hilary Barte and Sophomore Mallory Burdette
2010-11: Tabbed the No. 4 seed ... ranked No. 3 nationally ... 20-6 overall ... 12-3 in duals, playing every match at the No. 1 spot ... 8-3 in tournament play ... 11-5 against nationally-ranked opponents ... have won five straight and are 8-2 over their last 10 matches ... playing together for the first time, the duo opened the season by claiming the title at the ITA All-American Championships in October ... earned a runner-up finish in the championship match of the NCTC Classic in mid-January.
Freshman Kristie Ahn and Freshman Nicole Gibbs
2010-11: Tabbed an at-large selection ... ranked No. 34 nationally ... 21-9 overall ... 14-4 in duals, playing mostly at the No. 2 spot ... 7-5 in tournament play ... 5-4 against nationally-ranked opponents ... 7-3 over their last 10 matches ... playing in their first collegiate tourney, earned a runner-up finish at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in October ... reached the semifinals of last weekend's Pac-10 Championships.