Monday, May 21, 2018

Stanford women reach third straight NCAA final

   This is looking a lot like 2016 for the Stanford women.
   Then, the Cardinal became the lowest-seeded team to win the NCAA championship at No. 15.
   Stanford (23-3) can match that feat when it faces Vanderbilt (27-3), seeded first and ranked second, on Tuesday at 10 a.m. PDT in Winston-Salem, N.C. The match will be streamed live.
   The Cardinal, which has overcome early-season injuries, beat third-ranked Duke, playing near home, 4-2 today. The Commodores defeated fourth-ranked Georgia Tech 4-2.
   Stanford extended its winning streak to 19 matches and reached the NCAA final for the third consecutive year. The Cardinal lost to Florida 4-1 last year in Athens, Ga.
   Stanford also won the NCAA title as the No. 12 seed in 2013 and No. 8 seed in 2010. Overall, the Cardinal has won 19 of its last 22 NCAA matches when seeded lower than its opponent.
   Stanford's Michaela Gordon, a freshman from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles against Duke.
   No. 9 Ellyse Hamlin and Kaitlyn McCarthy beat No. 3 Emily Arbuthnott and Gordon 6-3 as the Blue Devils won the doubles point.
   No. 6 Samantha Harris topped No. 15 Gordon 6-2, 7-6 (3) to cut Stanford's lead to 3-2 before No. 93 Caroline Lampl topped No. 116 McCarthy 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
   In Tuesday's men's final, No. 1 Wake Forest (30-2) will meet No. 3 Ohio State (34-2). The Buckeyes defeated No. 2 UCLA 4-1 in a nearly seven-hour match featuring two lightning delays.
   On Court 4, No. 96 Kyle Seelig of Ohio State beat No. 103 Logan Staggs, a senior from Tracy in Northern California, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Staggs did not play doubles.

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