Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Stanford women, Virginia men win NCAA titles

   They were seeded 15th.
   They faced the nation's top-ranked team, the NCAA defending champion and the "home" team.
   Four of their six dual matches came down to the last encounter.
   And they trailed 3-1 in the final.
   The Stanford women overcame all of it to win their 18th NCAA team title.
   Taylor Davidson won the deciding match for the third time in this year's NCAA Championships, giving the Cardinal a 4-3 victory over 12th-seeded Oklahoma State today in Tulsa, Okla.
   "My dreams just became reality," the 46th-ranked Davidson, a junior from Statesville, N.C., tweeted after vanquishing No. 44 Vladica Babic 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Court 2. "We are the 2016 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!! Nothing compares to this feeling. Nothing. Number 15? No. Number 1."
   About 700 fans made the one-hour drive from Stillwater, Okla., where Oklahoma State is located, to cheer on the Cowgirls (29-5).
   With Oklahoma State leading 3-1, Stanford freshmen Caroline Lampl and Melissa Lord won on Court 5 and 6, respectively, after losing the first set.
Collin Altamirano of Sacramento
has won two NCAA team titles in
his two years at Virginia. 2014
photo by Paul Bauman
   Stanford (20-5) beat Florida, ranked first but seeded second, 4-3 in the round of 16 and sixth-ranked Vanderbilt, the defending champion, 4-2 in the semifinals.
   The Cardinal leads all schools with its 18 NCAA team titles. Florida is next with six.
   The NCAA Men's and Women's Singles and Doubles Championships begin Wednesday in Tulsa.
   Men's final -- In a virtual replay of last year's final, top-ranked Virginia defeated No. 11 Oklahoma 4-1. The Cavaliers defeated the Sooners 4-2 for the 2015 title in Waco, Texas.
   Virginia (30-4) won its third NCAA team title in four years and appeared in the final for the fifth time in six years. Oklahoma (20-11) still seeks its first NCAA title after losing in the final for the past three years.
   Henrik Wiersholm, a sophomore from Kirkland, Wash., won the clinching match on Court 6.
   No. 33 Collin Altamirano, a Virginia sophomore from Sacramento, Calif., trailed No. 25 Axel Alvarez Llamas 7-5, 4-3 on Court 2 when their match was abandoned. Altamirano won at No. 3 doubles to help the Cavaliers win the doubles point.
   Oklahoma is coached by John Roddick, the older brother of former world No. 1 Andy Roddick.
   ITA awards -- Cal's Amanda Augustus was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women's Coach of the Year.
   The Bears won their first National Women's Team Indoor championship and opened the dual-match season with a school-record 19 consecutive victories.
   Ranked No. 1 for most of the season, Cal was seeded first in the NCAA Championships and reached the semifinals before falling to Oklahoma State. The Bears finished 23-2.
   Sem Verbeek, a senior on the Pacific men's team, received the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award.
Women's final
No. 15 Stanford 4, No. 12 Oklahoma State 3
Doubles
   1. No. 43 Maria Alvarez and Kelsey Laurente (OSU) def. No. 5 Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle, 6-3.
   2. No. 54 Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari (OSU) def. No. 31 Melissa Lord and Carol Zhao, 5-5, suspended.
   3. No. 79 Katarina Adamovic and Vladica Babic (OSU) def. Krista Hardebeck and Caroline Lampl, 6-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
   1. No. 47 Katarina Adamovic (OSU) def. No. 25 Carol Zhao, 6-4, 7-5.
   2. No. 46 Taylor Davidson (STAN) def. No. 44 Vladica Babic, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
   3. No. 66 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) def. No. 67 Caroline Doyle, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
   4. No. 100 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) def. Kelsey Laurente, 6-4, 6-4.
   5. Caroline Lampl (STAN) def. Katarina Stresnakova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
   6. Melissa Lord (STAN) def. Carla Tur Mari, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2.
   Order of finish: 4, 1, 3, 5, 6, 2
Men's final
No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 11 Oklahoma 1
Doubles
   1. No. 4 Luca Corinteli and Ryan Shane (VA) def. No. 24 Axel Alvarez Llamas and Andrew Harris, 7-5.
   2. Alex Ghilea and Spencer Papa (OKLA) def. No. 16 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and Mac Styslinger, 7-5.
   3. J.C. Aragone and Collin Altamirano (VA) def. Andre Biro and Austin Siegel, 6-1.
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
   1. No. 97 Andrew Harris (OKLA) def. No. 8 Ryan Shane, 7-6 (3), 6-0.
   2. No. 25 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OKLA) led No. 33 Collin Altamirano, 7-5, 4-3, unfinished.
   3. No. 9 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA) def. No. 82 Spencer Papa, 6-4, 6-4.
   4. No. 78 Alexander Ritschard (VA) led No. 61 Alex Ghilea, 6-1, 1-6, 5-2, unfinished.
   5. No. 110 J.C. Aragone (VA) def. Florin Bragusi, 6-3, 6-4.
   6. Henrik Wiersholm (VA) def. Andre Biro, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
   Order of finish: 5, 3, 1, 6

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