University of Georgia Athletics
UCLA Eliminates Three-Time Defending Champion Stanford
May 22, 2007 | General
ATHENS, Ga. --- The No. 12 UCLA women’s tennis team had lost 20 straight contests to top-seeded Stanford, but the Bruins found a way to overcome the three-time defending national champions in the NCAA Semifinals, 4-2, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Monday.
The Bruins (21-7) advance to the NCAA Championship match for the first time since 2004 and the fifth time in program history. They are yet to claim their first national title. Their appearance in this year’s final match marks the lowest seed to be in the final match since the current 64-team format was implemented in 1999. The previous low was No. 11 Texas in 2005.
For Stanford (24-2), it was just the Cardinal’s second loss in three years. After winning both indoor and outdoor titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006, Stanford lost in the 2007 indoor semis to Georgia Tech and then again in the outdoor semis to UCLA. This will be the first time since 1999 Stanford will not be one of the teams in the final match.
In Monday’s match, UCLA was able to do something it had not in both 4-3 losses to the Cardinal in 2007 win the doubles point. And that early point proved to be the deciding factor, as UCLA won 4-2 with Stanford at match point on the lone unfinished court.
Yasmin Schnack and Tracy Lin both provided straight-sets victories for the Bruins on courts three and two, respectively, while Stanford’s Theresa Logar (No. 1) and Jessica Nguyen (No. 5) were able to collect wins as well.
The match came down court four, where UCLA’s Ashley Joelson had dropped her first set in a tiebreaker to Stanford’s Whitney Deason. But Joelson fought back, taking her next two sets with scores of 6-1, 6-3, to clinch the upset over the Cardinal and snap UCLA’s 20-match losing skid to Stanford.
Tennis Match Results
#12 UCLA 4, #1 Stanford 2
Singles competition
1. #8 Theresa Logar (STAN) def. #15 Riza Zalameda (UCLA) 6-2, 6-2
2. #40 Tracy Lin (UCLA) def. #17 Anne Yelsey (STAN) 6-4, 6-4
3. #56 Yasmin Schnack (UCLA) def. #14 Celia Durkin (STAN) 6-2, 6-4
4. #107 Ashley Joelsen (UCLA) def. #96 Whitney Deason (STAN) 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-3
5. #20 Jessica Nguyen (STAN) def. Alex McGoodwin (UCLA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
6. #41 Lindsay Burdette (STAN) vs. Elizabeth Lumpkin (UCLA) 6-4, 5-7, 5-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #19 Riza Zalameda/Yasmin Schnack (UCLA) def. #21 Lindsay Burdette/Anne Yelsey (STAN) 8-4
2. #53 Ashley Joelsen/Alex McGoodwin (UCLA) def. #42 Celia Durkin/Jessica Nguyen (STAN) 8-5
3. Whihtney Deason/Theresa Logar (STAN) vs. #41 Elizabeth Lumpkin/Stephanie Wetmore (UCLA) 6-6, unfinished
Match Notes:
UCLA 21-7; National ranking #12
Stanford 24-2; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,3,2,5,4)
