STANFORD, Calif. - No. 2 Stanford opened its national title hunt with a 4-0 shutout of Massachusetts on Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Championship at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Making its 42nd consecutive postseason appearance, the Cardinal (23-2, 8-1 Pac-12) wasted little time in dispatching of Massachusetts (15-8, 4-1 A-10) with dominant efforts in doubles and singles.
Riding an nine-match winning streak, Stanford also improved to 58-8 during the month of May since 2010, a stretch that has produced five NCAA championships.
Meanwhile, the Cardinal has won 111 of its last 118 matches at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Stanford needed only 25 minutes to lock up the doubles point, making it official when Katherine Hui and Valencia Xu won 6-2 at the No. 2 spot.
The Cardinal extended its lead to 2-0 thanks to a win from postseason veteran Angelica Blake. Improving to 6-2 all-time in NCAA team competition, Blake was rarely tested in a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1.
Making her postseason debut at the No. 6 spot, Emma Sun secured Stanford's third point. Appearing in her first dual of the season in singles, Sun defeated Amelia Tye 6-3, 6-3.
The clincher came from another postseason debutant, freshman Katherine Hui at No. 3. A first-set winner, but down 5-4 in the second, Hui won the next three games to knock off Ella Faessler 6-3, 7-5.
The win sets up a second-round match between the Cardinal and No. 32 LSU, which earned a 4-3 win over No. 34 Baylor earlier in the day. The two are scheduled face off on Saturday at 3 p.m., but rain in the forecast could impact the match start. Check @StanfordWTennis on Twitter on Saturday morning for schedule updates.
UPDATE (10 a.m. PT Saturday): Stanford/LSU is moving to a not before 5 p.m. PT start Saturday's match.
No. 2 Stanford 4, Massachusetts 0
DOUBLES
1) Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) led Danielle Hack/Thamonpan Jonglertrakul (UMASS) 3-2 unf.
2) Katherine Hui/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Ella Faessler/Amelia Tye (UMASS) 6-2
3) India Houghton/Chidimma Okpara d. Renata Farima/Mariana Campino (UMASS) 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1) #25 Angelica Blake (STAN) d. Danielle Hack (UMASS) 6-2, 6-2
2) Alexis Blokhina (STAN) led Thamonpan Jonglertrakul (UMASS) 7-6 (7), 1-0 unf.
3) Katherine Hui (STAN) d. Ella Faessler (UMASS) 6-2, 7-5
4) Valencia Xu (STAN) led Mariana Campino (UMASS) 4-6, 6-0 unf.
5) India Houghton (STAN) led Polina Akimova (UMASS) 6-1, 5-1 unf.
6) Emma Sun (STAN) d. Amelia Tye (UMASS) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 6, 3