WACO, Texas - No. 14 Stanford’s postseason run came to an end on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA quarterfinals, falling 4-1 to No. 7 Georgia.
The Cardinal, which entered the match having won 10 of its last 11 NCAA duals when seeded lower than its opponent, was unable to increase that total against Georgia, seeded No. 6 in the draw but ranked No. 7 in the national poll.
Reaching the NCAA quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive season, Stanford (18-6, 7-3 Pac-12) had already dispatched of No. 3 California on Friday in the round of 16. The Cardinal, which placed fourth in the Pac-12 and was ranked between No. 7-14 in the country throughout the season, was seeking its third straight semifinal appearance.
How dominant has Stanford, winner of 18 national championships (17 NCAA, 1 AIAW), been recently? The Cardinal’s six losses are its most since a 20-6 finish back in 1983.
Despite its status as the most storied program in college tennis, it might be surprising to note that Stanford has become familiar with starting the postseason in an underdog role. The Cardinal has entered NCAA’s seeded higher than fifth only once (No. 1 in 2011) over the last seven years. But Stanford won the 2010 NCAA championship as the No. 8 seed and two years ago became the lowest-seeded team at No. 12 to win an NCAA title.
Instead, Georgia (24-6, 13-3 SEC) started strong and controlled momentum throughout, reversing a trend that had occurred during its most recent meetings with Stanford. The two programs had also met in the NCAA quarterfinal round in 2011 and 2013, with the Cardinal handily winning both matches.
The Bulldogs established the tone early by claiming the doubles point for a 1-0 lead with 8-2 victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots. It was only the sixth time this season the Cardinal had dropped the doubles point.
Georgia extended its lead to 2-0 following a 6-2, 6-2 victory from Silvia Garcia over Caroline Doyle at the No. 3 spot. Doyle had won eight in a row and suffered her first loss since March 21.
The deficit was trimmed to 2-1 thanks to Taylor Davidson’s 6-2, 6-4 win over Ellen Perez at the No. 2 position. Davidson notched her 29th victory of the season and remained undefeated in five NCAA team matches over her career.
Georgia’s advantage increased to 3-1 after Hannah King outlasted Ellen Tsay 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 on court five. The lone senior in Stanford’s lineup, Tsay was playing in her second three-setter in three days.
Trailing 3-1, Stanford needed to win all three remaining courts. Lindsey Kostas, making her NCAA debut and looking for her first victory in over a month, gave the Cardinal a boost by winning her first set 6-4 and battling in the second. No. 2-ranked Carol Zhao was locked in a three-set battle with No. 5-ranked Lauren Herring at the top spot of the lineup, with Zhao eventually moving ahead 3-2 in the deciding frame.
Before the Cardinal could focus on those matches, the priority was court four. Kennedy Shaffer had won the first set 6-3 before Krista Hardebeck quickly countered 6-0 in the second set.
Trailing 5-1 in the third set, Hardebeck won three straight games but was unable to get the match to 5-5. After failing to convert on two match points, Shaffer finally provided the clincher.
Next up for Stanford is the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, which begin later this week. Davidson, Doyle and Zhao are competing in singles while the teams of Davidson/Zhao and Doyle/Tsay are represented in doubles.
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NOTES: Stanford is 20-4 all-time against Georgia. The last four matches have taken place in the postseason, with the Cardinal winning three of those … Stanford is 136-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament … Since 2010, the only higher-seeded opponents to defeat Stanford are No. 7 North Carolina (2014) and No. 6 Georgia (2015) … Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao suffered their first doubles loss since April 18 … Lindsey Kostas battled in her match on court six, winning her first set since April 11 … The only time this season in which Stanford lost the doubles point but won the match was in a 4-3 home victory over Vanderbilt on Feb. 15 … Head coach Lele Forood is 368-32 during her 15-year tenure.
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Stanford Head Coach Lele Forood
"We competed until the last point, for sure. The way it goes these days, every round of the NCAA Tournament and the finals is really quite a battle. You have to be sharp when you need to be sharp. Georgia brought it at us pretty good today. They had big hitters and came right at us, from the doubles right into the singles. We had some catching up to do, and we did catch up, but not quite enough."
"They totally outplayed us in the doubles. I don't think that we thought that the match was anywhere near over at that point. Georgia came out really firing and played very well, which continued into the singles play. That was probably more the story than the doubles."
Georgia Head Coach Jeff Wallace
"We've always been in the running. I think that every team that makes the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament have great seasons. We've lost some tough, hard-fought quarterfinal matches. I remember the last time we made it to the semifinals, a couple years ago in Illinois, we won the doubles point against Stanford and ended up losing the singles."
"I'm excited for these players, proud of the work that they have put in, and the belief system that they have created that they can go all the way. Quarterfinals wasn't going to be good enough for them this year. They set their minds to the goal that they wanted to accomplish, and I think they are playing well together as a team."
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No. 7 Georgia 4, No. 14 Stanford 1
DOUBLES
1) No. 11 Herring/Perez (UGA) d. No. 2 Davidson/Zhao (STAN) 8-2
2) No. 10 Doyle/Tsay (STAN) vs. No. 43 Garcia/Shaffer (UGA) abandoned
3) Mariana Gould/King (UGA) d. Hardebeck/Kostas (STAN) 8-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3
SINGLES
1) No. 2 Carol Zhao (STAN) vs. No. 5 Lauren Herring (UGA) abandoned
2) No. 19 Taylor Davidson (STAN) d. No. 63 Ellen Perez (UGA) 6-2, 6-4
3) No. 94 Silvia Garcia (UGA) d. No. 25 Caroline Doyle (STAN) 6-2, 6-2
4) No. 59 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) d. No. 92 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4
5) No. 88 Hannah King (UGA) d. No. 106 Ellen Tsay (STAN) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
6) Lindsey Kostas (STAN) vs. No. 104 Caroline Brinson (UGA) abandoned
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 5, 4