Stanford Women Take Third Straight NCAA Championship

©Colette Lewis 2006
Palo Alto CA--

A new chapter in the storied history of Stanford tennis was written on Tuesday when the women’s team concluded its third straight undefeated season with the NCAA Division I women’s title, disposing of the University of Miami Hurricanes 4-1.

It was Theresa Logar at No. 3, undefeated herself in dual matches this year, who clinched the championship and the Cardinal’s 85th consecutive win with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Monika Dancevic--and suddenly Logar was beneath a pile of teammates on court 3 at Taube Stadium.

“It hits you and then the team hits you,” laughed Logar, a junior who has never felt the sting of a team loss in her college career. “I realized it was the fourth point and looked over and there was like a sea of teal or aqua coming at me,” she said of the colorful T shirts worn by the rest of the team and many of their local fans in attendance.

Overwhelming favorites when the tournament began, Stanford pitched shutouts in their first four matches; the suspense in the final was whether they could go through the event without dropping a point.

It was close. After winning the doubles point when their No. 1 team of Alice Barnes and Anne Yelsey reeled off six straight games down 3-7, the Cardinal gave Miami no chance to establish momentum with an early surprise. Hurricane star Audra Cohen, who with Melissa Applebaum lost those six consecutive games, knew the opportunity for a huge upset may have died there.

“It affected the whole match,” said Cohen, a sophomore. “We got caught up in the moment and the tables turned. But that’s athletics.”

Even with Stanford No. 4 Anne Yelsey unable to play singles in the final due to a strained quad, the Cardinal didn’t miss a beat with freshman Jessica Nguyen, who moved into the lineup at No. 6, and ran out to a 5-0 lead, as did Celia Durkin at No. 5. Durkin gave Stanford its second point, Nguyen its third, demonstrating the real strength of team.

“We like to think we have a very deep team, “ understated coach Lele Forood, who now has four perfect seasons in her six years as head coach. When asked to rank this particular team, she asked for time to gain some perspective, but she did call them a “very competitive, spirited group” who take losses “really personally.” That would be losses of points, not matches, because only the seniors have any experience in losing a match.

Senior Amber Lui, a two-time NCAA singles champion in 2003 and 2004, was unable to handle Cohen at No. 1, and her 6-3, 6-3 loss, coming just moments before Logar won, spoiled the shutout. But it was knowing that she had played her last team match that brought tears and perspective.

“When we won we started crying, the seniors, knowing that was the last match” said Lui. As for her assessment of where this team ranks among the four she’s played on, Lui said, “I think we’ve gotten stronger every year, performing better and better each year.”

Alice Barnes, another senior and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for all three years the award’s been given, also admitted that playing in her last team match was bittersweet.

“I couldn’t sleep last night. It’s so important and I was thinking what can I do to help my teammates, to prepare them. It’s such a massive part of your life, it means so much and then it’s taken away. I’m in denial right now.”

Barnes’ college career may be over, but she and Liu are leaving behind a very vibrant winning streak and legacy for a program that is full of them.

Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews put it best during her oncourt ceremony comments.

“Stanford makes something very, very difficult look easy.”