OJAI, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford blanked Utah 4-0 on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Championships.
Stanford (19-2, 10-0 Pac-12) is looking to pull off the conference double, having captured the regular-season title last weekend. The Cardinal is also attempting to repeat as Pac-12 champions.
This year's dual-match format is a shift from the traditional singles and doubles tournaments.
The Cardinal, which defeated Utah 6-1 last month, quickly claimed the doubles point for a 1-0 lead.
Emily Arbuthnott (6-1, 6-2) and Melissa Lord (6-3, 6-1) booked convincing victories before Taylor Davidson provided her fourth clincher with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Alexia Petrovic at the No. 3 position.
Stanford will next face No. 40 Oregon on Friday in the semifinals at 2 p.m. PT. The other semifinal pits No. 16 California against No. 27 USC.
The Cardinal would have to win three matches in successive days to earn its second straight Pac-12 title and earn the Pac-12's automatic NCAA bid.
Regardless, Stanford will be making its 36th consecutive postseason appearance when first round competition gets underway at campus sites in two weeks. The Cardinal is also a likely candidate to host the opening weekend at Taube Family Tennis Stadium on May 12-14.
No. 6 Stanford 4, Utah 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 82 Arbuthnott/Davidson (STAN) led Pletcher/Turley (UTAH) 5-4, susp.
2) No. 40 Doyle/Lord (STAN) d. Calton/Cheng (UTAH) 6-3
3) Higuchi/Lampl (STAN) d. Gerstner Da Rosa/Turley (UTAH) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 41 Caroline Doyle (STAN) led Margo Pletcher (UTAH) 7-6 (5), 1-0, susp.
2) No. 26 Melissa Lord (STAN) d. Brianna Turley (UTAH) 6-3, 6-1
3) No. 59 Taylor Davidson (STAN) d. Alexia Petrovic (UTAH) 7-5, 6-1
4) Jena Cheng (UTAH) led No. 90 Caroline Lampl (STAN) 7-5, 3-5, susp.
5) Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Whitney Turley (UTAH) 6-1, 6-2
6) No. 72 Emma Higuchi (STAN) vs. Luisa Gerstner Da Rosa (UTAH) 2-2, susp.
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 3