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Women's Tennis Selected to NCAA Tournament
May 11, 1999
NCAA TOURNAMENT: Stanford was selected by the NCAA to host first and second round matches for the women's NCAA Tennis Tournament. The women's team is seeded second (23-2 overall record) in the newly-expanded field of 64. Stanford meets Pacific to open the tournament, while Oregon and South Florida will compete in the other match.
TICKETS: Advance tickets are available through the Stanford Ticket Office at Stanford Stadium, or via phone at 1-800 BEAT CAL. Only three-day passes are presold with adult reserved tickets at $20, adult general admission at $14, and student/senior/children at $8. Day-of-match tickets will be available May 14-16 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Adult reserved single day tickets are $8, adult general admission is $6 and sutdent/senior/children tickets are $4.
NEW POSTSEASON FORMAT: This is the first year for the expanded field of 64 teams in the women's tournament. Previously, eight of the 16 championship participants were automatic selections, while the remainder played through regionals. In the new format, all teams must compete in one of 16 regional, with the winner of each advancing to the NCAA Championships, May 20-29 in Gainesville, Fla., hosted by the Univesity of Florida.
May 15 NCAA Regional, First Round
No. 54 Oregon vs. No. 34 South Florida 9 a.m.
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 68 Pacific 3:30 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE REGIONAL PARTICIPANTS: Stanford's first round opponent is the University of the Pacific, ranked 68th with a 16-8 overall record heading into the tournament. One of those loses was a 9-0 sweep to the Cardinal in February. The Tigers won the Big West Conference Championships, defeating UC Santa Barbara 5-1. Oregon is ranked 54th and is 11-11 on the season. The Ducks' first-round match will be against South Florida, ranked 34th in the nation, with a 16-8 overall record.
COMING TO STANFORD: Stanford finished its home season with a 6-1 record vs. ranked opposition. During the season, the Cardinal was forced to begin a new winning streak, as fourth-ranked California edged Stanford here at Taube Family Tennis Stadium on Feb. 27. That defeat marked the first time an opponent has beaten Stanford on The Farm since Texas pulled out a 6-3 victory March 5, 1995. That was a 52-home match win streak during a four-year span. With its wins over the Arizona schools in early March, the Cardinal has now won six straight on the Taube courts.
PAC-10 CHAMPIONS: The second-ranked Cardinal won its 12th consecutive Pac-10 Championship, and won it outright for the second straight time since the north and south combined into one division. The title race came down to the final weekend of Pac-10 action, as the Cardinal notched road victories over USC and UCLA to take the conference crown. Stanford went undefeated in league play for the fifth straight year and stands overall at 23-2 (8-0 Pac-10). Not only did Stanford find success in the league as a team, but individually as well. The Cardinal sent four players in singles and two double tandems at the Pac-10 Championshiips in Ojai. Marissa Irvin earned the conference singles title, the first freshman to do so for the Cardinal since, 1994. She also returned to the Farm with the doubles titles after she and parter Teryn Ashley won. Jennifer Heiser won the Pac-10 Invitational singles title.
IN THE RANKINGS: Each of the four teams participating this weekend are ranked, accoding to the latest edition of the ITA Rankings, released May 11. Stanford is second, followed by South Florida (34th), Oregon (54th) and Pacific (68th). Stanford features five players in the rankings. Marissa Irvin remained No. 3 while Teryn Ashley dropped two spots to seventh. Gabriela Lastra (52), Jennifer Heiser (65) and Keiko Tokuda (79) round out the ranked lineup. In doubles, Irvin and Ashley remained ranked second and the freshman duo of Kalvaria and Lastra are at No. 37.
CARDINAL VICTORIES: The entire Cardinal singles lineup has reached the 20-win mark this season, with Marissa Irvin leading the way with 38 overall victories. In dual match action only, Ashley has reached the 20-win mark for the third straight season and is 65-7 in her three years at Stanford, placing her 17th in career dual victories in the Cardinal's all-time record books. Jennifer Heiser has notched 21 dual wins this season, the second straight year she has reached the 20-win plateau. Primarily playing at the No. 5 and 6 spots, her career dual match record stands at 52-4.
HEAD COACH FRANK BRENNAN: At the helm of the Stanford program is Frank Brennan, now in his 20th season. He earned Pac-10 Coach-of-the-Year honors after leading the Cardinal to a perfect 8-0 record and league title. Considered by many to be the finest women's collegiate coach in the nation, Brennan boasts a 472-49 (.906) record and has guided Stanford to all nine of its NCAA titles. He has coached eight NCAA singles champions, one AIAW and three NCAA doubles champions. In the Pac-10, he has guided the Cardinal to 12 straight league titles and 40 straight conference dual-match victories, dating back to the 1994 season. The seven-time Pac-10 and three-time National Coach of the Year was honored in 1989 by both Wilson Sporting Goods and the ITA as the women's collegiate Coach of the Decade (1980s). In 1991, he again was honored as the NCAA Coach of the Decade as part of the NCAA All-Decade Team. He has tutored 31 players to 72 All-America selections during his tenure. In 10 of the Pac-10's 13 years of existence in women's tennis, a Stanford player has been named the Pac-10 (Southern Division) Player of the Year, including this year's selection of Marissa Irvin. Assisting Brennan are Lele Forood and his son, Frankie Brennan. Forood, a All-American at Stanford in 1976, was named the Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year in 1997.
GRAND SLAM: Newcomer Marissa Irvin was named the Pac-10's Player of the Year after sweeping both the singles and doubles titles at the Pac-10 Championships in Ojai. She is ranked third in the country and boasts a 38-6 overall record. She was ranked 50th by the ITA before ever playing a collegiate event and spent most of the fall ranked sixth. Irvin was the ITA's player of the month for February after capturing the women's singles title at the Rolex National Indoor Championships. She went 10-0 in February and won 23 straight matches, peaking at No. 2 in the rankings before her first dual match loss to No. 19 Ditta Huber of USC (April 3). Since that loss, Irvin dropped four of her next seven matches to drop to her current position in the rankings. She upset the No. 1 ranked player in the country to advance to the title match and eventually win the Rolex. With the victory, Irvin became Stanford's second champion in as many years to win the Rolex, following former Cardinal Julie Scott. At the Riviera All-American Championships - her first collegiate tournament - Irvin reached the singles semifinals before falling to No. 7 Martina Nedelkova of VCU. She and Ashley won the doubles title. Irvin also reached the semifinals of the ITA Regional in November, losing to Cal's Anita Kurimay, a player she beat at the title match at the NCTC in mid-January.
During her junior career, Irvin won nine USTA national titles in singles and doubles. She is currently the top-ranked 18-and-under junior in the nation.
TERYN ASHLEY: Junior Teryn Ashley earned first team All-Pac-10 honors after winning the doubles title with teammate Marissa Irvin. The returning All-American and team captain is ranked seventh in the latest ITA rankings and has reached the 20 dual-win mark for three straight seasons. Ashley went 4-2 in the fall, but started the new year by winning the Pac-10 Indoor Singles Tournament. She also advanced to the semifinals of the National Collegiate Tennis Classic and the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. She is now 36-7 on the season. She reached the semifinals in doubles at that same tournament. In the fall, Ashley also lost to Mississippi's Anges Muzamel in the second round of the Riviera All-American Championships in October, but won the doubles title with Irvin. During her freshman campaign, Ashley was the only Cardinal to record an undefeated dual-match record, going 23-0 playing primarily in the No. 6 position. As a sophomore last season, she boasted a 42-10 record en route to first team All-Pac-10 and All-America honors. She opened her collegiate career with 39 straight dual match wins.
JENNIFER HEISER:Junior Jennifer Heiser won the Pac-10 Invitational singles title and is now ranked 65th with a 21-2 dual, 31-8 overall record. As the tournament's 11th seed, Heiser advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional before falling to teammate Marissa Irvin. She finished the fall seson with a 5-2 mark and is currently 22-8. As a sophomore, she posted a 34-6 record, including 25-3 in dual matches. Heiser was a perfect 6-0 in dual matches during her freshman campaign.
FAB FOUR: Along with Irvin, Keiko Tokuda, Gabriela Lastra and Lauren Kalvaria make up one of this year's best recruiting classes. All four are playing a vital role in the Cardinal's return to NCAA Champion status. Tokuda, ranked 79th, advanced to the quarterfinals of her first tournament, the ITA Regional, in both singles and doubles and has a 22-7 mark. Lastra, who is currently ranked 52nd, also advanced to the singles quarterfinals, upsetting first seed Amanda Augustus of California in the process. She won the consolation bracket of the NCTC and and reached the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 individual championships. Lastra stands at 26-11 on the season. Kalvaria, debuted in the April 20 edition of the ITA rankings at 76th, But is not currently ranked. She reached the fourth round of the ITA Regional and has a 21-7 overall mark. The quartet is has already won 107 singles matches this season.
DOUBLE DUTY: Stanford boasts the No. 2 doubles team in the country in Teryn Ashley and Marissa Irvin. The duo was ranked No. 12 by the ITA before Irvin had played one collegiate match. The tandem won the prestigious Riviera All-American Championships in October by defeating three teams ranked in the top ten, including the tournament's top seed and defending NCAA Champions Amanda Augustus and Amy Jensen of California. That win qualified the pair for February's Rolex Individual Championships, where the tandem advanced to the semifinals before falling to Duke's 14th-ranked Vanessa Webb/Karen Goldstein. Ashley and Irvin won the Pac-10 doubles title over California's Anita Kurimay and Claire Curran for their second title of the season. The duo boasts a 26-5 record this year. Gabriela Lastra and Lauren Kalvaria debuted in doubles at No. 20 in the March 9 edition of the ITA rankings and are currently 37th. The freshmen duo is 16-5 on the season.
1998 IN REVIEW: Last season, the Cardinal finished 26-2 overall and captured an unprecedented 11th consecutive division title with a perfect 8-0 mark. The team reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual team champion Duke. ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings Spring Edition, May 11, 1999 ITA Singles Rankings Rk Name School 1. Zuzana Lesenarova San Diego 2. Vanessa Webb Duke 3. Marissa Irvin Stanford 4. Agnes Muzamel Mississippi 5. Ditta Huber USC 6. Dora Djilinova Fresno State 7. Teryn Ashley Stanford 8. Whitney Laiho Florida 9. Marissa Catlin Georgia 10. Michelle Dasso Notre Dame 10. Anousjka Van Exel Tulsa 11. Mariel Verban Wake Forest 12. Julie Ditty Vanderbilt 13. Ditta Huber USC 14. Vanessa Castellano Georgia 15. Annica Cooper UCLA 16. Kristian Kraszewski Washington 17. Stephanie Hazlett Florida 18. Chin Bee Khoo Arkansass 19. Megan Miller Duke 20. Amanda Augustus California 21. Celeste Frey Mississippi 22. Stephanie Nickitas Florida 23. Anita Kurimay California 24. Allison Bradshaw Arizona State 25. Mirela Vladulescu UABITA Doubles Rankings Rk. Team School 1. CatlinCastellano Georgia 2. Ashley/Irvin Stanford 3. Webb/Goldstein Duke 4. Augustus/Jensen California 5. Basica/Cooper UCLA 6. Lehnoff/Nickitas Florida 7. Lawrence/Senoglu Pepperdine 8. Dasso/Hall Notre Dame 9. Ondrejkova/Puflerova S. Alabama 10. Bradshaw/Propstra Arizona St. NCAA Match-by-Match Results
Stanford's NCAA match record is 54-9 (.857) since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. During that time, Stanford has won nine of 17 possible NCAA team titles, capturing an unprecedented six consecutive titles from 1986-91. 1982 Stanford 9, Clemson 0 Stanford 7, Rollins 2 Stanford 5, Trinity (TX) 4 Stanford 6, UCLA 3 NCAA CHAMPIONS |
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