NCAA TENNIS : Texas Women End Stanford Streak of Championships at 6

Texas ended Stanford’s hopes for a seventh consecutive championship Saturday, rallying for a 5-3 semifinal victory in the NCAA women’s tennis tournament at Palo Alto.

No. 1 Florida ousted No. 4 Duke, 5-1, in the other semifinal.

Third-seeded Texas (25-2) split six singles matches and took two doubles as No. 2 Stanford (22-3) lost an NCAA tournament match for the first time since a 5-4 defeat to Trinity (Tex.), May 17, 1985. The Cardinal had won 26 in a row.

It was also Stanford’s first home loss since April 15, 1988. The Cardinal had won 53 in a row at Stanford Tennis Stadium.

Stanford led, 3-1, winning Nos. 3, 5 and 6 singles. The pivotal point came at No. 1 singles.

Heather Willens of Stanford was serving and held a match point over Susan Gilchrist in the 10th game of the final set, but Gilchrist won the point, that game and the next two for a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

“Today was vintage Heather, but ‘Big Sue’ was there also,” Cardinal Coach Frank Brennan said. “That match was like a heavyweight title fight where at the end both fighters draped their arms around each other. No one should have lost. In my estimation that was one of the greatest matches I’ve seen in my 13 years here at Stanford.”

Florida (29-0) defeated Texas, 5-2, on March 19 and leads the series, 9-3. This is the Gators third appearance in the final. Florida lost to the Cardinal in 1988 and 1990.

USC opened defense of its men’s title with a 6-0 victory over No. 17 Texas, No. 3 UCLA did not lose a set in a 6-0 victory over Mississippi, 6-0, and Pepperdine lost to Louisiana State, 5-2, in second-round matches of the NCAA men’s tennis tournament in Athens, Ga.

“We were a little nervous today and we probably weren’t match-tough because we hadn’t played since April (22), but we came on at the end,” USC Coach Dick Leach said.

The top-seeded Trojans (20-2) will face No. 4 Kentucky, a 5-0 winner over Florida, in today’s quarterfinals.

UCLA (20-4) will meet North Carolina.