Stanford women upset Cal to reach NCAA quarters

Second-ranked Carol Zhao clinched Stanford's victory
over Cal by defeating No. 4 Maegan Manasse 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
2014 photo by Tri Nguyen/TriNguyenPhotography.com

   The Stanford women tend to play their best in the NCAA Tournament.
   The 14th-ranked Cardinal did it again on Friday, ousting No. 3 Cal 4-3 in Waco, Texas, to reach the quarterfinals. Cal (22-4) had won 10 consecutive matches and swept Stanford (18-5) in two regular-season meetings.
   Stanford has won 10 of its last 11 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent, the school reported on its web site. The Cardinal won the 2010 NCAA championship as the No. 8 seed and two years ago became the lowest-seeded team at No. 12 to win an NCAA title. 
   This was the second straight year that Stanford has defeated Cal 4-3 in the NCAA round of 16 as the lower seeded team in a match that was moved indoors because of rain. Last year's tournament was held in Athens, Ga., although the Stanford-Cal match was shifted to nearby Atlanta.
   With Friday's match tied 3-3, second-ranked Carol Zhao defeated fourth-ranked Maegan Manasse 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 on Court 1.
   Stanford will face No. 7 Georgia (23-6) on Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT. The Bulldogs beat No. 11 Michigan 4-2.
   Top-ranked USC (24-2), with Giuliana Olmos of Fremont, will play No. 9 and host Baylor (28-6) in another quarterfinal. Also, No. 2 North Carolina will meet No. 6 UCLA in a rematch of last year's final, won by the Bruins.

No. 14 Stanford 4, No. 3 Cal 3

Doubles

   1. No. 2 Taylor Davidson and Carol Zhao (Stanford) def. No. 7 Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr 8-6.
   2. No. 10 Caroline Doyle and Ellen Tsay (Stanford) def. No. 5 Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi 8-4.
   3. Lynn Chi and Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Krista Hardebeck and Lindsey Kostas 8-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles

   1. No. 2 Carol Zhao (Stanford) def. No. 4 Maegan Manasse 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
   2. No. 19 Taylor Davidson (Stanford) def. No. 18 Klara Fabikova 6-4, 6-0.
   3. No. 25 Caroline Doyle (Stanford) def. No. 44 Denise Starr 6-4, 6-4.
   4. No. 43 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. No. 92 Krista Hardebeck 6-1, 6-1.
   5. No. 50 Lynn Chi (Cal) def. No. 106 Ellen Tsay 6-7 (2), 6-0, 6-1.
   6. No. 103 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Lindsey Kostas 6-1, 6-0.
   Order of finish: 6, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1