ATHENS, Ga. – Top-ranked Stanford scored the doubles point and never let up in singles play, as the Cardinal dealt No. 17 Kentucky a 4-0 defeat Thursday evening at the 2004 NCAA Women?s Tennis Championships at Georgia?s Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Wildcats end their season in the round of 16 with a 19-12 overall tally.
Stanford (26-0) opened doubles play with a strong showing at the No. 1 slot. The top-ranked pair of Erin Burdette and Lauren Barnikow held serve throughout their match against UK?s 14th-ranked Sarah Foster and Aibika Kalsarieva on their way to an 8-2 win. At the No. 2 position, Kentucky?s Kim Coventry and Lara Maurer took their first four games against the Cardinal?s Amber Liu and Alice Barnes before the Stanford pair slowly battled their way into contention. The Cardinal sliced the Kentucky lead in half before Kentucky held for a 5-2 cushion. However, Stanford took the next six games to clinch the Cardinal doubles point.
UK?s Joelle Schwenk and Caroline Winebrenner raced out to a 3-1 lead at No. 3 before Stanford?s Emilia Anderson and Anne Yelsey broke back to tie at three. The Cats took the next game before Stanford rallied for wins in the next three games. The Cats and Cardinal split the next two games before the match was suspended.
At the No. 3 slot, UK?s Schwenk fell to Stanford?s Burdette by a 6-1, 6-1 count. The No. 1 slot pitted defending NCAA singles champion Amber Liu against Kentucky?s Kalsarieva. Liu broke Kalsarieva?s serve early and claimed the initial set by a 6-2 count. Kalsarieva held a 2-1 lead before Liu regained control and earned the third Cardinal point by in a 6-3 second-set victory.
Stanford?s Barnikow broke Kentucky?s Maurer in the sixth game at No. 4 on her way to a 6-3 first-set win. Barnikow raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second set held off a late Maurer rally to put away the Cats with a 6-3 final set.
No. 1 Stanford 4, No. 17 Kentucky 0
Doubles 1. No. 1 Barnikow/Burdette (SU) def. No. 14 Foster/Kalsarieva (UK) ? 8-2 2. Liu/Barnes (SU) def. Coventry/Maurer (UK) ? 8-5 3. Anderson/Yelsey (SU) vs. Schwenk/Winebrenner (UK) ? 7-5, susp.
Singles 1. No. 7 Amber Liu (SU) def. No. 16 Aibika Kalsarieva (UK) ? 6-2, 6-3 2. No. 10 Alice Barnes (SU) vs. No. 48 Sarah Foster (UK) ? 6-4, 5-2, susp. 3. No. 23 Erin Burdette (SU) def. Joelle Schwenk (UK) ? 6-1, 6-1 4. No. 56 Lauren Barnikow (SU) def. Lara Maurer (UK) ? 6-3, 6-3 5. No. 40 Theresa Logar (SU) vs. Kim Coventry (UK) ? 6-3, 4-3, susp. 6. Christine Simpson (UK) vs. No. 60 Emilia Anderson (SU) ? 6-3, 1-3, susp.
