STANFORD, Calif. - No. 15 Stanford easily dispatched of St. John's 4-0 on Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Championships at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Making its 37th consecutive postseason appearance, the Cardinal (19-3) pounced on the Red Storm early in doubles and carried the momentum through with strong play on the back courts in singles.
Riding a 15-match winning streak as one of the hottest teams in the country, Stanford also improved to 39-5 during the month of May since 2010, a stretch that has produced three NCAA championships.
The Cardinal coasted in doubles, securing the point following a 6-1 victory from Melissa Lord and Janice Shin at the No. 3 spot.
Stanford increased its lead to 2-0 following Emma Higuchi's 6-0, 6-0 rout of Kajsa Stegrell at the No. 6 spot. Higuchi has won 14 consecutive matches, with her last loss coming on Feb. 24.
Caroline Lampl's 6-0, 6-1 win over Jaide Collins at the No. 3 position put Stanford on the brink of clinching.
Emily Arbuthnott made it official with a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Zofia Stanisz on court four.
Stanford will face No. 17 Michigan, a 4-0 winner over Hawai'i, in the second round on Saturday at 4 p.m. A berth in next weekend's NCAA round of 16 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is on the line.
Stanford is 148-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. In 2016, Stanford became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title at No. 15, defeating Oklahoma State in a 4-3 thriller. Five 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.
No. 15 Stanford 4, St. John's 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 3 Arbuthnott/Gordon (STAN) led Livianu/Stanisz (SJU) 4-2, unfinished
2) No. 84 Lampl/Kimberly Yee (STAN) d. Preotescu/Solis (SJU) 6-1
3) Lord/Shin (STAN) d. Collins/Stegrell (SJU) 6-1
Order of Finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
1) No. 15 Michaela Gordon (STAN) led No. 118 Jessica Livianu (SJU) 6-4, 0-1, unfinished
2) No. 40 Melissa Lord (STAN) led Olaya Inclan Solid (SJU) 7-6 (4), 1-0, unfinished
3) No. 93 Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. Jaide Collins (SJU) 6-0, 6-1
4) No. 43 Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Zofia Stanisz (SJU) 6-2, 6-0
5) No. 96 Janice Shin (STAN) led Irina Preotescu (SJU) 6-1, 1-4, unfinished
6) No. 102 Emma Higuchi (STAN) d. Kajsa Stegrell (SJU) 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 4
No. 17 Michigan 4, Hawai'i 0
DOUBLES
1) Fahey/Minor (MICH) d. Dolakova/Pribylova (HAW) 6-0
2) Jones/Ruder-Hook (MICH) d. Melounova/Resma (HAW) 6-4
3) Alzbeta Houbova/Hruba (HAW) led Hall/Lommer (MICH) 6-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 29 Kate Fahey (MICH) vs. No. 73 Petra Melounova (HAW) 6-1, 4-6, unfinished
2) Brienne Minor (MICH) d. Nikola Dolakova (HAW) 6-2, 6-2
3) No. 97 Chiara Lommer (MICH) led Marina Hruba (HAW) 6-2, 4-1
4) Alyvia Jones (MICH) d. Klara Pribylova (HAW) 6-4, 6-0
5) Mira Ruder-Hook (MICH) d. Michelle Pits (HAW) 6-0, 6-3
6) Bella Lorenzini (MICH) led Roxanne Resma (HAW) 6-4, 4-2, unfinished
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5