Weil Academy’s Burdette Wins 3rd NCAA Crown

For the third time in the last four years, Stanford senior and Weil Tennis Academy Alumni Erin Burdette has ensured that the Cardinal won the NCAA Championship. For the second-year in a row, the Jackson, Ga.-native helped the Cardinal win the title at the University of Georgia - just 85 miles away from her hometown. The three-time All-American struggled earlier in the week, dropping her matches in the quarters and the semifinals, but today, she capped her career with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Kendra Strohm on court three to give Stanford a 4-0 victory and the 14th NCAA Championship in school history. Erin Burdette says, “No matter how many championships you win, it’s always great to come on top”.

Stanford (27-0) finished the 2005 campaign with its 12th shutout of the year en route to the ninth undefeated season in school history. Fifth-year head coach Lele Forood is now 29-1 in NCAA Tournament duals, with four team titles and one runner-up finish.

The top-seeded Stanford defeated 11th-seeded Texas (25-6), 4-0, in this afternoon's final at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Cardinal finished off the Longhorns in two hours and 20 minutes, the quickest match time of the NCAA Championship in Athens.

Stanford stared the day with a win in doubles, as Amber Liu and Anne Yelsey, the No. 36 doubles duo in the nation, finished first, scoring an 8-1 win over 28th-ranked Katie Ruckert and Kendra Strohm on court one. Then it was a race to clinch the doubles point, as Alice Barnes and Burdette owned a 7-2 lead on court two, while Whitney Deason and Theresa Logar held a 7-5 advantage on court three. With both squads were at match point, Logar fired off an ace to clinch the doubles point in the eighth-straight match for Stanford.

In singles, the Cardinal took the first set on all six courts, but Logar kept her doubles momentum going, taking a 6-1, 6-4 victory on court four to put the Cardinal up 2-0. Liu finished second with a 6-3, 6-3 win, while Barnes held a 6-2, 5-4 advantage on court two, Deason was ahead 6-3, 5-1 on court five and Yelsey was leading 6-2, 4-1 on court six. But it was Burdette who struck first, clinching the Cardinal victory by winning 10 of her last 12 games against Strohm.
Stanford continued its success as the All-Tournament Team was named, as Stanford players were honored across the board in doubles (No. 1 - Liu and Barnes; No. 2 - Barnes and Burdette; No. 3 - Deason and Logar) and in four of the six singles spots (No. 2 - Barnes; No. 4 - Logar; No. 5 - Deason; No. 6 - Yelsey). Additionally, Barnes was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament.