ATHENS, Ga. - Freshman Emily Arbuthnott provided her team-leading ninth clincher of the season, fueling defending NCAA champion Stanford past Michigan 4-1 on Friday morning at the NCAA Championships.
Arbuthnott outlasted Mira Ruder-Hook 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 5 spot, improving to 5-0 in three-setters this season and continuing her dominance on the back courts.
Seeded No. 7 in the postseason draw but ranked No. 6 in the country, Stanford (24-2) is attempting to repeat as national champions for the first time since a three-year unbeaten stretch from 2004-06.
Despite what translated into a 6 a.m. PT start, the Cardinal looked extremely crisp and wasted little time in locking up the doubles point for a 1-0 lead while surrendering only one game combined.
Senior Taylor Davidson moved Stanford one step closer to a clinch, delivering a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Alex Najarian at the No. 3 position. One of the Cardinal's most clutch players, Davidson improved to 9-1 career in NCAA team competition.
Michigan (23-6) snapped the shutout bid and recorded its only point when Kate Fahey edged senior Caroline Doyle 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 at No. 1 in a rematch of last year's NCAA quarterfinal, in which Doyle overcame a 6-5 third-set deficit for the clincher.
Leading 3-1, Stanford had multiple opportunities to make it official, and did so when Arbuthnott won for her 26th time in 30 matches this season.
Next up is an NCAA quarterfinal contest against No. 2 seed North Carolina on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT. Stanford, which is 145-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and North Carolina last hooked up in the postseason in 2014, with the Tar Heels prevailing 4-3.
The winningest program in collegiate history with 19 national championships (18 NCAA, 1 AIAW), Stanford must be considered a national title contender regardless of seed. Despite being seeded higher than No. 5 only once (at No. 1 in 2011) over the last nine years, the Cardinal has produced three NCAA crowns (2010, 2013, 2016).
Equally comfortable playing the role of underdog, Stanford has incredibly won 14 of its last 16 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent, a battle-tested stretch that dates back to 2010.
In 2016, Stanford became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title at No. 15, defeating Oklahoma State in a 4-3 thriller. Four years ago, Stanford won it all as a No. 12 seed – at the time the lowest-seeded team to accomplish the feat. In 2010, the Cardinal took home the crown as a No. 8 seed.
Another intriguing storyline is the race between Stanford and UCLA to become the all-time leader in NCAA team championships. Both the Cardinal and Bruins have captured 113 NCAA team titles heading into the weekend.
Stanford 4, Michigan 1
DOUBLES
1) No. 39 Arbuthnott/Davidson (STAN) d. No. 9 Fahey/Najarian (MICH) 6-1
2) No. 46 Doyle/Lord (STAN) led Lommer/Minor (MICH) 3-2, abandoned
3) Higuchi/Lampl (STAN) d. Patiuk/Ruder-Hook (MICH) 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 1
SINGLES
1) No. 26 Kate Fahey (MICH) d. No. 38 Caroline Doyle (STAN) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
2) No. 28 Melissa Lord (STAN) led No. 24 Brienne Minor (MICH) 6-4, 5-7, 4-3, abandoned
3) No. 54 Taylor Davidson (STAN) d. Alex Najarian (MICH) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
4) No. 90 Caroline Lampl (STAN) vs. Chiara Lommer (MICH) 7-5, 6-6, abandoned
5) Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Mira Ruder-Hook (MICH) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
6) No. 71 Emma Higuchi (STAN) d. Valeria Patiuk (MICH) 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1, 5