June 8, 2012

STANFORD, Calif.- Junior Mallory Burdette and sophomore Nicole Gibbs were honored as ITA All-Americans, as announced by the organization on Friday morning.

In order to be selected as an ITA All-American, a singles player must be a top-16 seed in NCAA Singles Championships, reach the round of 16 in NCAA Singles Championships or finish in the top 20 of the final ITA Rankings. For doubles, the team must be a top-8 seed in NCAA Doubles Championships, reach the quarterfinals in NCAA Doubles Championships or finish in the top 10 of the final ITA Rankings.

Burdette has now earned three All-America accolades in her career (twice in doubles, once in singles). Gibbs has collected three All-America honors in her career (twice in singles, once in doubles).

In a unique head-to-head matchup that lasted nearly three hours, Gibbs edged Burdette 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the first all-Stanford singles final since 2001. One hour later, Burdette and Gibbs shook off physical and emotional fatigue to claim the NCAA doubles title with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Georgia's Nadja Gilchrist and Chelsey Gullickson. This year's championship matches represented the first time in NCAA men's or women's tennis history that teammates squared off in the singles

Burdette captured her second consecutive NCAA Doubles title after taking last year's crown with Hilary Barte. An All-Pac-12 Second Team selection, Burdette finished the year 41-7 overall and 19-1 in duals. She won a career-best 21 consecutive matches from Jan. 15-Apr. 28, and claimed the consolation singles title at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.

This year's Honda Sports Award recipient for women's tennis, Gibbs became only the third player in NCAA history to capture both titles in the same season. Tabbed the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Gibbs finished the season 41-5 overall and 21-2 in duals, playing all her matches at the No. 1 spot. She won 17 straight matches to end the year, and pocketed two other singles titles, winning the ITA Northwest Regional Championships and Pac-12 Championships.

As a doubles team, Burdette and Gibbs posted a 35-5 record overall and 18-2 ledger in duals. Playing together for the first time, the duo opened the season by claiming the title at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.