Stanford Cardinal (20-3, 9-0 Pac-12)
vs.
North Carolina Tar Heels (28-3, 12-2 ACC)
NCAA Championships Round of 16
Thursday, May 17 • 9 a.m. PT • 70 degrees, nonstop rain, likely moving indoors
Wake Forest Tennis Complex • Winston-Salem, N.C.
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STANFORD, Calif. - While it's hard to predict exactly what may happen to Stanford when the NCAA Championships resume Thursday, one thing is for certain: the Cardinal will certainly make it interesting.
Seeded No. 15 in the postseason draw and ranked No. 15 in the latest poll, Stanford (20-3, 9-0 Pac-12) is riding a 16-match winning streak, trailing only Texas (19) as the hottest team in the country. The Cardinal will square off against North Carolina (28-3, 12-2 ACC) on Thursday, May 17, at 9 a.m. PT in what figures to be one of the most highly anticipated round of 16 matchups.
That's because Stanford, the winningest program in collegiate history with 19 national championships (18 NCAA, 1 AIAW) boasting a 149-19 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, 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 10 years, the Cardinal has somehow 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. 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.
We remember our first No. 15 seed. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/bb84oauDCx
— Stanford Women's Tennis (@StanfordWTennis) May 15, 2018
Equally comfortable playing the role of underdog, Stanford has incredibly won 16 of its last 19 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent, a battle-tested stretch that dates back to 2010. The seemingly annual occurrence of the Cardinal outperforming its seed and making a mockery of the NCAA bracket has also translated into a 40-5 record during the month of May over the last eight seasons.
However, Stanford is about to be severely tested, facing quite possibly its biggest challenge yet during the aforementioned upset stretch. The tournament's No. 2 overall seed, North Carolina is actually ranked No. 1 in the country, which is likely only a byproduct of its 4-3 loss to top-seeded Vanderbilt back in February. Showcasing a lineup that features six ranked singles players and two ranked doubles teams, the Tar Heels are well-positioned to match the Cardinal's firepower and depth. Plus, there's the added storyline of Stanford playing what amounts to a road match, with North Carolina making the roughly 90-minute commute from nearby Chapel Hill.
The Cardinal can gain a measure of confidence from last year's 4-2 NCAA quarterfinal victory over the Tar Heels, a four-hour marathon that was moved indoors due to rain and contested with only four available courts. The lineups will look different on both sides, especially at the No. 1 spot, where Cardinal freshman Michaela Gordon is seeking her first NCAA win while Tar Heel sophomore Makenna Jones, who has emerged as the nation's No. 2 player, is playing four spots higher than last year when she lost the deciding match.
Stanford is coming off a pair of 4-0 shutouts in the opening rounds, blanking St. John's in the first round and Michigan in the second. It's the first time the Cardinal has opened NCAA competition with back-to-back shutouts since a semifinal finish in 2014.
Stanford's three losses have all come against teams currently ranked eighth or higher in the national rankings – Vanderbilt, Texas and Florida. The Cardinal suffered all of those losses prior to the return of junior All-American Melissa Lord, who rejoined the club in late March following a shoulder injury that kept her sidelined since November.
Lord (15-4 overall, 7-1 duals) has provided a boost in her return, but Stanford's balanced singles lineup has contributed throughout the season. All six players are nationally ranked, led by Gordon (21-8 overall, 12-7 duals), who checks in at No. 15. Emma Higuchi (26-6 overall, 18-3 duals) leads the team in victories and has won 14 in a row since her last loss on Feb. 24 while Emily Arbuthnott (25-7 overall, 15-2 duals) is right behind and has a team-best seven clinchers, including last year's victory over North Carolina. Meanwhile, Caroline Lampl (18-7 overall, 12-4 duals) is battle-tested with 73 career wins while Janice Shin (22-4 overall, 13-3 duals) has quietly strung together eight straight victories.
In doubles play, Stanford boasts two nationally-ranked duos, led by the No. 3-ranked pairing of Arbuthnott and Gordon (16-5 overall, 8-4 duals). Lampl and junior Kimberly Yee (16-3 overall, 15-2 duals) crack the list at No. 84. Even if the Cardinal starts off slow, there is no panic. Since 2016, Stanford has won 12 of its last 17 matches when losing the doubles point.