STANFORD, Calif.- Texas A&M senior Anna Blagodarova posted her 100th-career singles victory, but it was the only point the Aggies could garner as they fell to fourth-ranked and No. 4 seed Stanford, 4-1, in the second round of the NCAA Championships at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

The Aggies (17-9), who were making their ninth consecutive trip to the NCAAs, as well as their sixth straight appearance in the tournament’s second round, began the match by giving the Cardinal all they could handle on two of the three doubles courts as the teams went at it for one hour, 42 minutes before the point was decided.

“We knew coming in that the doubles was going to be a big part of this match,” A&M coach Bobby Kleinecke said. “We felt good about it, and we felt like we had our opportunities.”

The ninth-ranked doubles team of Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette cruised to an 8-1 victory over 51st-ranked Blagodarova (Toronto, Ontario) and Tiffany Clifford (Little Rock, Ark.) at the No. line, but the Aggies and Cardinal were battling it out at the No. 2 and No. 3 lines, which for a brief moment were simultaneously tied at 6-all.

The A&M duo of Christi Liles (Largo, Fla.) and Elzé Potgieter (Bloemfontein, South Africa) jumped out to a 3-0 lead against the 49th-ranked team of Whitney Deason and Jessica Nguyen at the No. 2 line. The Cardinal came back and tied the score for the first time at 4-all and then broke the Aggies to take their first lead at 6-5. A&M broke back to tie the score for the second time and then went on to win the next two games as Liles and Potgieter registered their first victory against a ranked opponent.

“No. 2 played one of the best matches they have played this year,” Kleinecke said. “That was a very, very good win for them. They jumped up 3-0 at first. The other team came back, and we lifted our level again. It’s just one of those types of deals that you go in and try and give yourself a chance. Both Christi and Elze are so talented, they can come up with that.”

Stephanie Davidson (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas) and Morgan Frank (Oldsmar, Fla.), riding a 12-match winning streak and sporting a 21-2 record, had overcome a three-game deficit to tie their match at 6-all at the No. 3 line and trailed 7-6 win their Aggie teammates completed the win at No. 2. A&M tied the match at 7-7, and then in a game that lasted approximately 15 minutes and featured six deuces, the Stanford pair of Celia Durkin and Carolyn McVeigh won the marathon game to take an 8-7 lead. A&M held serve to tie the match at 8-all and force a tiebreaker, but the Cardinal jumped out to a 3-0 lead en route to a 7-2 win in the tiebreaker to clinch the doubles point for Stanford.

“At No. 3 we were a little unlucky,” Kleinecke said. “I thought we played a great match and had a great opportunity. We had some leads early in it and then had to fight from being behind. That was crucial. We just didn’t play a good tiebreaker. Up until that point, I thought we were in great shape. We had some game points to go up 7-6 and just couldn’t capitalize on them.”

The Cardinal, who boast a nationally ranked player at every singles position, began singles by winning the first set on five of six courts. Barte, ranked No. 3 in the nation, put Stanford up, 2-1, with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over 104th-ranked Potgieter at the No. 1 line.

Blagodarova, playing the No. 3 line, reeled off four consecutive games to break away from a 2-2 tie with 65th-ranked Durkin and post the Aggies’ only first-set win. Blagodarova then spotted Durkin a game to begin the second set before winning the next six games to clinch the match and become only the third player in A&M history to reach the 100-victory milestone.

“I knew she needed two wins to come up with that 100th win here at the NCAAs, and that is pretty tough to do, especially when you look at (the match) stopping (when a team reaches four points),” Kleinecke said. “I’m really proud of her for that. I thought she did a great job today and played a very good player and played a great match.”

McVeighh, ranked No. 95 and playing the No. 6 line, put Stanford ahead, 3-1, with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Davidson, and 68th-ranked Deason clinched the win for the Cardinal with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Clifford at the No. 5 line.

Stanford was within one game of winning the each of the other two matches in straight sets when play was suspended.

“It is tough to beat any team in four singles matches after losing the doubles point, and against a good team like Stanford, it makes it even tougher,” Kleinecke said. They are so talented. I’m really pleased with what we put out there and all, but I really feel like the momentum of the match left us when we lost the doubles point.

“We came here to win the match, so we are disappointed right now. When you stop and take a look back and see what we’ve accomplished this year, we are going to be able to walk off the court holding our heads high. We gained a lot this year with a young team, and I think the future bodes well for us.”

The Cardinal (21-4), who have won five of the last seven national championships and 15 of 26 total, advance to the round of 16 and will face No. 13 seed Clemson May 15 in Tulsa, Okla.

No. 4 Stanford, 4, No. 31 Texas A&M 1

Singles

1. (#3) Hilary Barte (STAN) def. (#104) Elzé Potgieter (A&M), 6-0, 6-2

2. (#13) Jessica Nguyen (STAN) led Christi Liles (A&M), 7-5, 5-0

3. Anna Blagodarova (A&M) def. (#65) Celia Durkin (STAN), 6-2, 6-1

4. (#66) Lindsay Burdette (STAN) led Morgan Frank (A&M), 6-4, 5-2

5. (#68) Whitney Deason (STAN) def. Tiffany Clifford (A&M), 6-3, 6-3

6. (#95) Carolyn McVeigh (STAN) def. Stephanie Davidson (A&M), 6-3, 6-0

Doubles (Stanford wins the point)

1. (#9) Barte/Burdette (STAN) def. (#51) Blagodarova/Clifford (A&M), 8-1

2. Liles/Potgieter (A&M) def. (#49) Deason/Nguyen (STAN), 8-6

3. Durkin/McVeigh (STAN) def. Davidson/Frank (A&M), 9-8 (2)

Order of finish (D1, D2, D3, S1, S3, S6, S5)

Taube Family Tennis Stadium (Attendance: N/A)

Team records: Texas A&M (17-9); Stanford (21-4)

Notes:

Blagodarova and Clifford end their careers with 93 doubles victories apiece, tying for fourth in the A&M all-time records.

Frank (19-4, .826) and Liles (29-8, .784) finish the season ranked fourth and 10th, respectively, in the A&M singles records for highest winning percentage in a season.

Davidson ends the season with a 32-6 record in doubles, ranking fifth in the A&M records for wins in a season and third with a .842 winning percentage.

Bobby Kleinecke is 374-242 (.607) in 23 years as head coach of the Aggies.

Former Aggie standout Nicki Mechem (2003-07), who holds A&M records for career singles wins (113), career doubles wins (117) and doubles winning percentage in a season (.861), was in attendance at today’s match. She currently resides in San Jose, Calif.

A&M women’s tennis and soccer videographer Lauren Licarione was recently named the 12th Man Production Student Worker of the Year.

The score of Potgieter’s first-round loss against 37th-ranked Venise Chan of Washington on May 9 was incorrectly reported. Chan won, 6-2, 6-1, not 6-4, 6-1 as was previously reported.

Texas A&M’s George P. Mitchell Tennis Center will be the host site of the 2009 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. A&M has previously hosted the 2002 and 2005 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships.