ATHENS, Ga. - Freshman Emily Arbuthnott knows that her team-leading nine clinchers can be somewhat of a deceiving statistic, almost more of a coincidence.
On Sunday, she came through with her 10th. And the timing could not have been better.
Improving to 6-0 this season in three-setters, Arbuthnott outlasted Makenna Jones 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to secure defending NCAA champion Stanford's 4-2 upset of No. 2 seed North Carolina and power the Cardinal into the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. The match, which lasted four hours, was moved indoors due to rain and contested with only four available courts.
Next up for No. 7 seed Stanford (25-2), which is 145-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, is a matchup on Monday against No. 3 seed Ohio State at 11 a.m. PT.
Stanford has incredibly won 15 of its last 17 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent, a battle-tested stretch that dates back to 2010.
Arbuthnott, who also clinched Friday's NCAA round of 16 win against Michigan, reversed her match when all the momentum was seemingly shifting to North Carolina (33-3). Arbuthnott's comeback also provided breathing room for fellow rookie Emma Higuchi, who stormed back after dropping her first set since Feb. 26. Then again, Stanford has relied on its lower-lineup depth all season, with Arbuthnott and Higuchi combining for a 42-2 record on the back courts.
The Cardinal set the tone early in doubles, claiming a 1-0 lead while surrendering only two games combined at the top two spots.
North Carolina evened the match at 1-1, thanks to second-ranked Hayley Carter's 6-1, 6-0 victory over senior Caroline Doyle.
Senior Taylor Davidson, playing in front of a large contingent of family and friends, steadied the Cardinal with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Jessie Aney at the No. 3 spot.
Stanford increased its lead to 3-1 following sophomore Melissa Lord's 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 triumph on court three. Lord improved to 8-0 career in NCAA team competition.
The Tar Heels crept to within 3-2 after Alexa Graham edged sophomore Caroline Lampl 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 at the No. 4 spot.
The pressure to clinch then shifted to Arbuthnott and Higuchi, who teamed up to withstand one final North Carolina push and make it official.
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).
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.
Stanford 4, North Carolina 2
DOUBLES
1) No. 39 Arbuthnott/Davidson (STAN) d. No. 4 Aney/Carter (UNC) 6-1
2) No. 46 Doyle/Lord (STAN) d. Graham/Cassandra Vazquez (UNC) 6-1
3) Daavettilla/Jones (UNC) led Higuchi/Lampl (STAN) 5-1
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 2 Hayley Carter (UNC) d. No. 38 Caroline Doyle (STAN) 6-1, 6-0
2) No. 28 Melissa Lord (STAN) d. No. 18 Sara Daavettila (UNC) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
3) No. 54 Taylor Davidson (STAN) d. No. 35 Jessie Aney (UNC) 6-2, 7-5
4) No. 74 Alexa Graham (UNC) d. No. 90 Caroline Lampl (STAN) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
5) Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. No. 100 Makenna Jones (UNC) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
6) No. 71 Emma Higuchi (STAN) vs. Chloe Ouellet-Pizer (UNC) 6-7 (3), 6-2, abandoned
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, 4, 5
Stanford Head Coach Lele Forood
"We struggled with finishing matches early but what we did well was survive their comeback.Obviously getting our freshmen on last is not preferred, but they had to find their way and Emily Arbuthnott got it done. It's always fun to advance to the semifinals and we like playing here in Athens so we're excited to be here for the Final Four."
Stanford Freshman Emily Arbuthnott
"I think mentally I was really strong and I made a good start to the set. I was holding my serve and making a lot of first serves, which I had not been doing the rest of the match. I just really felt comfortable. It was nice to play aggressively and overall be mentally tough so that I could get a lead and hopefully make her more tired."
North Carolina Head Coach Brian Kalbas
"It was an over four-hour match and we were fighting an uphill battle the whole time, but we competed really hard. I am proud of our team, especially the way we never gave up. We were down many points in several matches and kept fighting. It was really a tribute to our team, the character we have and the mental toughness we continued to have the entire season. It was a tough one to lose. Our team battled, but Stanford deserves a lot of credit."