Stanford women reach Pac-12 final with 1,000th win

Michaela Gordon, playing in the Sacramento Challenger last July, clinched
Stanford's 4-0 victory over Washington State in the Pac-12 semifinals on Friday
in Ojai. Photo by Rob Vomund

   Freshman Michaela Gordon of Saratoga not only put the Stanford women in their second consecutive Pac-12 Championships final, she gave the Cardinal its 1,000th victory in 44 seasons.
   Stanford, seeded first and ranked 16th, demolished Washington State, seeded fifth and ranked 48th, 4-0 in Ojai to improve to 1,000-103 (.907) in program history.
   The 16th-ranked Gordon clinched Stanford's 13th straight victory by defeating No. 26 Michaela Bayerlova 6-3, 7-5 on Court 1. Gordon also won at No. 1 doubles with Emily Arbuthnott. They are ranked second.
   Stanford (17-3), the defending champion, will meet UCLA today at noon (Pac-12 Network). The Bruins (20-4), seeded second and ranked 13th, beat Arizona State, seeded third, 4-1.
   Alaina Miller, a junior from Saratoga, won at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles for UCLA.
   In the only meeting between Stanford and UCLA this year, the Cardinal won 4-3 on March 9 at Stanford. The Cardinal lost the doubles point and played without junior All-American Melissa Lord, who returned from an injury one month ago.
   The Stanford men, seeded second and ranked fourth, lost to USC, seeded third and ranked 12th, 4-0 in the semifinals. The Cardinal (21-3) had been 2-0 against the Trojans (17-7) this season.
   Stanford nevertheless will receive an at-large berth in the NCAA Championships. The men's and women's selection show is scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m. The team competition begins May 11 for the women and May 12 for the men, both at regional sites.
   In the Big West Conference Championships at Indian Wells, the No. 7-seeded Cal Poly women stunned No. 2 UC Davis 4-3 in the quarterfinals after trailing 3-1.
   In the West Coast Conference Championships at Claremont, the No. 1-seeded Pepperdine women routed No. 5 Saint Mary's 4-0 in the semifinals.