EVANSTON, Ill. – In a season that saw the Cardinal only fall to top-30 teams with an incredibly tough schedule, 29th-ranked Stanford sets to make its 37th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend.
The Cardinal travels to Evanston, Ill. squaring off against No. 40 Notre Dame (15-13, 6-6 ACC) this Saturday at 8 a.m. PT at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center in the first match of the regional. The winner advances to the second round and faces either unranked Valparaiso (20-5) or the host, 14th-seeded and ranked Northwestern (25-4) on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.
Stanford will open postseason play on the road for the fourth consecutive season. The Cardinal had dropped its first-round match in back-to-back seasons until last season when it topped No. 41 Tennessee 4-2 in Durham, N.C. before falling in a 4-1 decision to the host, No. 10 Duke.
Notre Dame is coming off of an ACC Quarterfinal appearance where the Fighting Irish fell in a tough 4-3 loss to the eventual ACC Champion, No. 7 Wake Forest. ND enters Saturday’s contest with two members ranked as Quentin Monaghan checks in at No. 35 and Josh Hagar holding a 105th ranking.
The Irish also enter Saturday’s match with a powerhouse of doubles teams with three teams coming in ranked. Alex Lawson and Quentin Monaghan clock in first with a No. 15 ranking followed by Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar at No. 50 and rounding it out are Eddy Covalschi and Alex Lawson ranked 81st.
Prior to their loss to Wake Forest, the Fighting Irish were on a five match winning streak dating back to the beginning of April. All-time against the Irish, the Cardinal has never lost a match, holding a 5-0 series record. Its last meeting against ND came in 1999 with Stanford taking the W in South Bend, Ind.
Stanford has seen a mix this season resurging from a five match losing streak to counter it with a five match winning streak. The Cardinal has been ranked between No. 17-42 throughout the season, with Stanford seeing four 4-3 losses to top-20 programs. In addition, the Cardinal advanced to the Pac-12 semifinal match for the second straight year.
The 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Tom Fawcett, has compiled a stellar sophomore campaign to lead the Cardinal this season, amassing a 20-7 overall record and 14-5 dual record. Fawcett has been ranked as high as No. 3 this season with 13 wins over ranked opponents.
In addition, Fawcett will represent Stanford in the NCAA singles and doubles tournament entering as the No. 9 singles seed. He will join teammate Maciek Romanowicz as well on the doubles side as an at-large selection.
In doubles, Fawcett and Romanowicz are currently ranked No. 23 with a record of 15-5 overall and 9-3 at the No. 1 spot in duals. The duo currently hold a four match winning streak and are an even 3-3 against ranked opponents this season. The Cardinal also have another duo ranked with Nolan Paige and Maciek Romanowicz checking in at No. 71 with a 10-3 record and 3-0 record against ranked opponents.
Stanford owns a 104-21 all-time record in the postseason. The Cardinal has won 17 NCAA championships, including 15 since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1977. The most recent crown came back in 2000, when Stanford blanked VCU 4-0.