STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford carried its momentum from doubles into singles, defeating No. 31 Syracuse 4-1 on Sunday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Championships at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Riding a 19-match winning streak as one of the hottest teams in the country, Stanford (24-1, 10-0 Pac-12) also improved to 46-5 during the month of May since 2010, a stretch that has produced four NCAA titles (2010, 2013, 2016, 2018).
The tone was established in doubles as the Cardinal secured a 1-0 lead. Trailing 5-2, Stanford's top pairing of Caroline Lampl and Kimberly Yee – which entered the day having lost four of its last five – ripped off five straight games to clinch the doubles point with an impressive 7-5 win.
Michaela Gordon extended Stanford's lead to 2-0, defeating her highest-ranked opponent of the season in a 6-3, 6-0 victory against 14th-ranked Gabriela Knutson.
Minutes later, Lampl delivered a 6-4, 6-3 victory at the No. 3 position to put Stanford ahead 3-0. Lampl has now won 22 consecutive matches since her last loss back on Jan. 18.
Syracuse (14-13, 5-9 ACC) collected its only point in unexpected fashion, as Sofya Golubovskaya upset Melissa Lord 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot. It was the first career loss in NCAA team competition for Lord, whose 16-0 all-time postseason record entering the day included the Cardinal's 2018 championship clincher against Vanderbilt.
Emily Arbuthnott made it official at the No. 4 spot, taking down Guzal Yusupova 6-2, 6-3 for her team-leading ninth clincher of the season.
Stanford has won 61 of its last 64 matches at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, which should provide a confidence boost heading into next weekend's NCAA round of 16 match against No. 14 Kansas. In a format change for 2019, all round of 16 matches are played at campus sites. The Cardinal and Jayhawks will square off on Friday, May 10, at 2 p.m. and admission is free.
The winner advances to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where the final eight teams will compete for the national championship May 17-19.
The most decorated program in college history and the winningest program on The Farm, Stanford has won 19 of the possible 37 NCAA championships. Stanford owns a 155-19 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. The Cardinal has won 20 national titles overall in school history, also claiming the 1978 AIAW crown.
No. 3 Stanford 4, No. 31 Syracuse 1
DOUBLES
1) No. 19 Lampl/Kimberly Yee (STAN) d. No. 55 Knutson/Ramirez (SYR) 7-5
2) No. 29 Arbuthnott/Gordon (STAN) d. No. 81 Golubovskaya/Maria Tritou (SYR) 6-1
3) No. 57 Lord/Niluka Madurawe led Hegab/Yusupova (SYR) 5-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: 2, 1
SINGLES
1) No. 24 Michaela Gordon (STAN) d. No. 14 Gabriela Knutson (SYR) 6-3, 6-0
2) Sofya Golubovskaya (SYR) d. No. 29 Melissa Lord (STAN) 6-4, 6-2
3) No. 66 Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. No. 99 Miranda Ramirez (SYR) 6-4, 6-3
4) No. 44 Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Guzal Yusupova (SYR) 6-2, 6-3
5) No. 108 Janice Shin (STAN) led Libi Mesh (SYR) 6-1, 4-3, unfinished
6) No. 107 Emma Higuchi (STAN) led Dina Hegab (SYR) 6-6 (6-3), unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, 4