Sept. 12, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Stanford men's volleyball and women's tennis teams have been invited to attend a celebration of 2009-10 NCAA Championship teams at the White House, with President Barack Obama offering congratulations and recognizing each program individually.

The NCAA Champions ceremony is scheduled for Monday afternoon on the South Lawn of the White House.

In addition to the once-in-a-lifetime experience of being honored at the White House and addressed by the President of the United States, the trip represents a final opportunity for both teams to reunite and reflect on their accomplishments.

Stay tuned to www.gostanford.com for complete coverage of this weekend's memorable trip in a three-part series.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 12
Student-athletes, coaches and support staff from both Stanford teams arrived in Washington, D.C., throughout the day. With the first of day of classes now just one week away, returning student-athletes from both teams are wrapping up their summers and arriving to the East Coast straight from their respective hometowns.

The coaching staffs from both teams made their way over from the Bay Area while recent graduates from each squad got to enjoy one last "road trip" with their teammates.

Upon their arrival, the men's volleyball team gathered for dinner at Clyde's at Willow Creek Farm before checking into their hotel. The women's tennis team also enjoyed a team meal, dining one hour later at Grill Fish.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Men's Volleyball: Stanford captured its second-ever NCAA title with a dominating 30-25, 30-20, 30-18 victory over Penn State before a raucous crowd at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal completed a "Worst to First" journey, capping an incredible turnaround three years after a 3-25 season.

Women's Tennis: The most storied program in women's tennis history, Stanford claimed its 16th NCAA championship, 17th overall and first since a dominant three-year title run ended in 2006. The Cardinal lost the doubles point but still managed to rally past Florida for a thrilling 4-3 victory.

REMEMBER ME
Brad Lawson, men's volleyball: Tallied an eye-popping 24 kills in 28 swings and finished with a hitting percentage of .821, a Stanford season-high by nearly .200 points in perhaps the most dominating performance by an outside hitter ever in an NCAA final.

Mallory Burdette, women's tennis: The NCAA final was tied 3-3 with only one match left when the Stanford freshman fell behind 5-4 in the third set to Florida's Marrit Boonstra. But Burdette found the resolve to rattle off three consecutive games and clinch a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5 victory. Mallory was then tackled by joyous teammate and sister Lindsay Burdette, creating an on-court dogpile.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
Both 2010 championships were memorable in different ways. The men's volleyball squad ambushed Penn State in a shutout victory that was as quick as it was convincing. Meanwhile, the women's tennis team lost the doubles point but took down Florida in singles. We asked members of both championship squads what they remember most from watching each other's title match.

Evan Romero
"We are good friends with a bunch of the girls so we were following it. I remember we were all really happy and had this event set up, if they were to pull it off. So they came over and hung out at our place and we all celebrated."
Jake Kneller
"It was awesome to see them pull out a close one. Something that we talked about for weeks after was that tackle at the end with Mallory and Lindsay. That really sums up all the emotion that goes into that type of win."
Kawika Shoji
"Just how the team stayed together, especially when they were down and things were tight in that last match with Mallory. The team was so close and it showed in the way they supported each other. I also remember them dancing to a song called "Waving Flag" on the court as they received the trophy, and it made me laugh because I think they took that song from us and it was one of our team songs."
Erik Shoji
"I was definitely watching their match and followed them throughout the tournament. I remember having to go to class in the middle of the championship match, but I wasn't even paying attention because I was watching the live stats. Then I rushed back to Jimmy V's after class right in time to see Mallory pull it out."
John Kosty
"The ending was the tackle, but I remember the whole match because the team came from behind and persevered through the final to win it."
Ed Howell
"I think what I remember is the thing most people remember: the on-court tackle. I was just as happy for them as I was for us."

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Lindsay Burdette
"It was cool to see all the support they had and the game was awesome. Today I was cleaning out my wallet and I had even saved the ticket stub from the semifinal and was planning to put it in my memories box as a Stanford event that I will always remember.
Mallory Burdette
"The coolest part for me was getting to watch them celebrate afterward and hearing all the buzz."
Natalie Dillon
"The energy that night was unbelievable and the team looked great."
Jennifer Yen
"The final was pretty sick. My favorite part was when the Star Wars people made their entrance to the really intense Star Wars music. After the game we all tried to rush the court even though we weren't allowed too, but we did it anyway. That was awesome."
Carolyn McVeigh
"All the support from the crowd. It was great seeing all the friends of players standing around and dressed up in costumes. That camaraderie and the uniqueness of the costumes really represented Stanford."
Hilary Barte
"Brad Lawson's performance. For him to perform at such an elite level was very inspirational."