May 27, 2011
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STANFORD, Calif. - Top-seeded California women's tennis junior Jana Juricova and No. 23-ranked senior Mari Andersson continued to make their presence felt as each of the Golden Bears advanced to the singles quarterfinals of the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships at the Taube Family Tennis Center on Fri., May 27. As the top-seeded doubles team, the Cal duo also moved into the doubles quarterfinal with an impressive win on day three of the championships.
For the first time since 1995 when Pam Nelson and Jennifer Poulos appeared in the NCAA singles quarterfinals, together, the Bears will have two players among the final eight.
In the day's early match, Andersson avenged two earlier losses to No. 12-ranked Jacqueline Cako of Arizona State to earn her 31st singles victory of the year, 6-3, 6-0. Juricova drew No. 16-ranked Venise Chan of Washington in the round of 16, but turned her away in a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Andersson will face No. 17 Lauren Embree of Florida in the quarterfinal at noon PT on Sat., May 28. Embree defeated No. 63 Leslie Hureau of Indiana, 6-1, 6-0, in the round of 16. Juricova will have revenge on her mind when she locks up with No. 25 Chelsey Gullickson of Georgia in a rematch of the 2010 singles final in this year's quarters. The two players met a week ago in the team championship round of 16 where Gullickson delivered the knockout blow to the Bears with a three-set victory at the top court.
Together, Andersson and Juricova earned their 40th victory of the year in a 7-5, 6-3 win over Wake Forest's No. 21-ranked team of Kayla Duncan and Kathryn Talbert in the round of 16. The top-ranked Cal tandem will move on to face Northwestern's No. 12-ranked team of Nida Hamilton and Linda Abu Mushrefova in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. PT. Northwestern's duo took out UCLA's No. 23-ranked team of Courtney Dolehide and Andrea Remynse, 6-4, 6-2, in the round of 16.
In Andersson's singles match, Cako served to open, but Andersson forced deuce, and took the advantage, twice, before a wide backhand shot by Cako gave Andersson the break for a 1-0 lead. Andersson earned the first hold of the match to go up, 3-1, when she put a serve down the inside seam to force Cako into an error. Cako did the same to keep Andersson at bay, but the Bear didn't let up as she came through with a 40-15 lead in the next game to eventually take a 4-2 lead in the set. Andersson put a strangle-hold on the first set when she blasted a shot down the line to break Cako for the third time. Though Cako responded to break Andersson, and win her third game, Andersson took command in the next game to build a love-40 lead before a Cako error sealed the first set in Cal's favor, 6-3.
Andersson served to open the second set, and quickly built a 2-0 lead when she broke Cako with a shot down the left sideline. Andersson held serve to go up, 3-0, and broke Cako for a second time to snatch a 4-0 lead in the set. Cako couldn't hold her serve as she sent a baseline shot long to surrender a commanding 5-0 lead to Andersson, who carried that momentum to a 15-40 lead over Cako's serve in the final game. Cako saved one match point, but Andersson scored a cross-court winner to complete a 6-3, 6-0 win to advance.
Meeting for the third time in their careers, Juricova and Chan broke each other's serves to open the first set, but each player held their next serve to knot things up at two-all. Juricova broke Chan in game five and held her own serve in game six to pull out to a 4-2 lead, but Chan stayed within striking distance with a win in the next game. Juricova made her move when she pulled away to create a 5-3 lead, and seized the first set with a shot down the right sideline to win, 6-3.
Each player held serve in the first five games of the second set to produce a 3-2 lead for Juricova. But long rallies gave way to a service break for Cal to give Juricova a 4-2 lead in the set. Juricova fought her way out of a game-seven break point to earn deuce before she dropped a shot into no-man's land to secure a 5-3 lead in the set. Chan fell behind and faced match point, 30-40, in the next game, but forced deuce when Juricova put a ball into the net. Juricova earned the advantage, and then crushed a shot down the line to force Chan into an error to complete the 6-3, 6-3 victory.
In their doubles match, behind Juricova's serve, the Bears didn't drop a point to take the first game of the match, but Talbert controlled things from the baseline to help the Demon Deacons knot the set at one-all. The Deacons had the Bears on the ropes for a break in the next game, but the Cal duo fought back to earn deuce before Duncan knocked a shot into the net to keep the Bears on top, 2-1. Cal continued to climb as it broke Duncan's serve for a 3-1 lead, before Juricova's service ace closed out the next game to give the Bears a 4-1 lead. But the Deacons continued to preach as they claimed the next three games to knot things up at four-all. The skid woke the Bears from their slumber as Juricova served Cal to a 5-4 lead, but Wake Forest responded behind Talbert's serve to tie the set at five-all. Andersson cut a soft volley to the ground to give the Bears a 6-5 lead before a tentative cross-court shot allowed Andersson to poach a ball to give Cal the first set, 7-5.
Juricova served to start second set as Bears cruised to a 1-0 lead, but again, Talbert came through to tie the set at one-all. Andersson stood up the Deacons to get Cal a 2-1 lead before the Bears broke Duncan's serve to go up, 3-1. Cal moved to the net, aggressively, to keep Wake Forest on its toes and earned a 4-1 lead by forcing Deacon errors. Just like in the first set, Wake Forest took the next game, but Cal decided to deviate from the original script, and held the Deacons scoreless to stop their run for a 5-2 lead. Duncan held serve for the first time in the match to get Wake Forest within a break at 5-3, but Juricova closed out the match from the baseline to give the Bears a 7-5, 6-3 win.
For complete schedules, results, scores, draws, and live streaming video, please visit www.GoStanford.com.
2011 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
Taube Family Tennis Center | Stanford, Calif.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Singles Round of 16 | May 27
[1] No. 1 Jana Juricova (CAL) def. No. 16 Venise Chan (WASH) 6-3, 6-3
No. 23 Mari Andersson (CAL) def. No. 12 Jacqueline Cako (ASU) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles Round of 16 | May 27
[1] No. 1 Andersson/Juricova (CAL) def. No. 21 Duncan/Talbert (WF) 7-5, 6-3
Singles Quarterfinal | May 28
[1] No. 1 Jana Juricova (CAL) vs. No. 25 Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) - Noon PT
No. 23 Mari Andersson (CAL) vs. No. 17 Lauren Embree (FLA) - Noon PT
Doubles Quarterfinal | May 28
[1] No. 1 Andersson/Juricova (CAL) vs. No. 12 Hamilton/Mushrefova (NWU) - 4 p.m. PT
Post-match Quotes
Head coach Amanda Augustus
On advancing two Cal players to the NCAA singles quarterfinals for the first time since 1995
"This is something our program is about. Come tournament time, we're ready and we're a force to be reckoned with, not only as a team, but in singles and doubles. We've had a lot of success in the individual tournament over the years and we kind of fly under the radar sometimes. I think everybody knows that this year is a special year for [Jana Juricova and Mari Andersson]. They're ready to go and they have been peaking at the right time. We're just taking it one day at a time, and one match at a time, and we just want to see how far we can take this thing."
Senior Mari Andersson
On moving ahead to the singles quarterfinals alongside Jana Juricova
"I think it's a really exciting thing for our program. I think people kind of expect Jana [Juricova] to be there, but for me, maybe not. For Cal to have two players in the quarterfinals really shows how good of a team we have. We have such a high level of tennis among all of our players. I feel like I'm playing the best collegiate tournament of my career, and I'm super happy, but it's a little unfortunate that it's coming now in an individual tournament. I would rather have the team around me, but I am very excited to be doing as well as I am in my final NCAA championships."
