NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships : Stanford Wins Title for Third Year in a Row

Teri Whitlinger and Eleni Rossides had never played a doubles match together, but that didn’t stop Stanford Coach Frank Brennan.

Brennan, on the verge of winning a national team championship, rolled the dice, figuratively speaking, and ended up winning big. Stanford’s pickup team of Rossides and Whitlinger defeated Florida’s Shaun Stafford and Holly Danforth, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 2 doubles Sunday to clinch the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. title.

The No. 2-seeded Cardinal won 4 of 6 singles matches in straight sets en route to defeating No. 1 Florida, 5-2, at UCLA’s L.A. Tennis Center before 1,000 spectators.

The third straight Cardinal victory had something in common with the other two because it didn’t come easily. The first championship final was a 5-4 win over USC in Austin, Tex., in 1986. Last year, Stanford suffered through an injury-filled season before rallying to win against Georgia, 5-1, in the final. This time, No. 1 singles player Tami Whitlinger missed the entire tournament and, before this week, Rossides hadn’t played a singles match since Feb. 7.

“Total shock,” Brennan said after Whitlinger and Rossides secured the victory. “If someone would have said we’d finish with two wins and lose in the semifinals, I would have taken it. This team (Florida) is the best (ranked No. 1) team in the country. They played well, and I don’t think they choked.”

However, who would have thought that Florida would lose at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Stanford’s Lisa Green defeated No. 1-ranked Halle Cioffi, 6-4, 6-2, and Teri Whitlinger beat Stafford, 6-4, 6-2. Stafford was NCAA singles finalist last year as a freshman.

The consensus among the Florida players and their coach, Andy Brandi, was that Stanford played to win, whereas, Florida played not to lose.

“I think we were ready for it,” said Florida’s Nicole Arendt, who defeated Sandra Birch, 7-6, 6-2, at No. 3. “Yesterday (against UCLA) wasn’t a factor at all. If anything, it helped us out. At the end we were just too scared.”

Said Stafford: “Maybe it was because they had lost to us earlier and they were seeking revenge. But we were seeking revenge because we lost to them here last year. I think since we were seeded first, it was more like we were protecting our seeding and playing not to lose.”

Why?

“Got me,” she said. “Your guess is as good as my guess. Plus, you just know that everyone is not for us. I think that had a lot to do with it.”

Brennan had his own theory. The Cardinal lost to Florida, 5-4, in the National Indoor Championships at Madison, Wis., in March. Then, Brennan spent the rest of the spring reading the newspapers, in particular, reading what the Florida players had to say about winning at Wisconsin.

“When they won it, they acted like they won the NCAA championship,” Brennan said. “It’s like the old saying, ‘He who laughs last, laughs best.’ This is the national championship. This is what it is all about. Florida may have gotten a little cocky after that.”

In March, even though Tami Whitlinger played against Florida, Rossides missed the match. This time, having a top national player like Rossides at No. 5, injured and all, helped lift the Cardinal spirit.

In addition to never having played doubles with Teri Whitlinger, Rossides hadn’t played much doubles the whole season. Cindy Buchsbaum played with Whitlinger against Georgia in the team quarterfinals on Friday, and they lost.

So, what made Brennan decide to make the last-minute switch?

“We made a snap decision,” Brennan said. “I talked to my assistant Caryn (Copeland) and made the final decision. But it was her input that made it happen. She watched Eleni and Cindy on the back courts in their singles matches.

“She said, ‘My gut reaction is Eleni, but . . . ‘ I told her, ‘No buts, we’ll go with Eleni.’ Eleni really wanted it. She thinks this is the way it always happens. Just amble along, play a few matches, be interviewed and win a national title. She has her own version of the regular season.”

On Sunday, Brennan also read about Magic Johnson being benched on Friday night and that brought something else to mind about his decision to bring in Rossides off the bench, so to speak.

“It was a CD (coach’s decision),” he said, smiling. “Just like the Lakers.”