2017-18: Season in Review2017-18: Season in Review
Women's Tennis

2017-18: Season in Review

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford finished 24-3 overall in 2018, duplicating its 2016 NCAA title run as the lowest-seeded team at No. 15 to win a championship.

Closing the season on a 20-match win streak, the Cardinal rallied past top-seeded Vanderbilt 4-3 in the final to secure its 20th national championship (19 NCAA, 1 AIAW). Knocking off three other seeded favorites in No. 2 North Carolina, No. 7 Georgia and No. 3 Duke along the way, Stanford has now won 20 of its last 23 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent.

It would have been difficult to envision Stanford as an NCAA title contender during the first week of March, when the Cardinal checked in at No. 46 in the national rankings, its lowest position in school history. Stanford was sitting at a modest 4-3 overall, with its three losses coming against postseason regulars such as Vanderbilt, Texas and Florida. Junior All-American Melissa Lord wasn't expected back for three more weeks following a shoulder injury and for the first time since the NCAA shifted to a 64-team field in 1999, Stanford was in serious jeopardy of not even hosting the first and second rounds for the first time.

But the wins started piling up, Lord got healthy and by the start of NCAA's, Stanford had skyrocketed 31 spots in the rankings. The Cardinal cruised through Pac-12 play unbeaten in nine matches and captured its 27th conference title, producing its first three-peat since 2010-12.

Stanford's title also represented No. 117 for Stanford Athletics, as the Cardinal concluded the 2017-18 athletic campaign ahead of UCLA (116) as the all-time leader in NCAA team championships.
 

How Did That Happen Again?The most decorated program in college history and the winningest program on The Farm, Stanford has now won 19 of the possible 37 NCAA championships.

So, it might feel a little odd for 20-time national champion Stanford to be celebrating such success as an underdog. But, really, how can it not, when its last four NCAA crowns have all been upsets.

Stanford's 2016 NCAA championship came as a No. 15 seed. Five years ago, Stanford won it all as a No. 12 seed. Eight years ago, the Cardinal took home the hardware as a No. 8 seed.

Meanwhile, Stanford improved to 153-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 44-5 during the month of May over the last eight seasons.

One reason the Cardinal has been so successful in the postseason: resiliency. In 2018, Stanford was 5-1 when losing the doubles point, with three of those victories coming during the postseason. Over the last three seasons, Stanford has won 15 of its last 20 matches in which it loses the doubles point.

Perhaps more impressively, only two four-year classes (1992-95, 1993-96) did not win at least one championship during their time on The Farm.
 

Two More All-AmericansSophomore Emily Arbuthnott and freshman Michaela Gordon were named ITA All-Americans in both singles and doubles, increasing Stanford's total to 62 players earning 151 honors.

Ranked No. 38 nationally, Arbuthnott (29-9 overall, 17-3 duals) closed out the season tied for the team lead in victories while compiling an 11-2 mark at the No. 4 spot. An All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick, Arbuthnott provided a team-best eight clinching points, produced a 12-2 record in three-setters and was 12-6 against nationally-ranked foes.

Gordon, who finished the season ranked No. 21 nationally, was named Stanford's first ITA National Rookie of the Year since 2011. The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and an All-Pac-12 first team honoree, Gordon (22-11 overall, 12-9 duals) played all of her matches at the No. 1 spot of the lineup. Gordon provided four clinchers, finished 11-3 against Pac-12 opponents and 9-9 against nationally-ranked foes. Gordon captured the ITA Northwest Regional Championships singles title in her collegiate debut.

The nation's No. 6-ranked doubles team, Arbuthnott and Gordon finished 17-8 overall and 9-6 in duals, playing every match at the top spot of the lineup. Arbuthnott and Gordon finished 9-5 against nationally-ranked opponents and claimed the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships title in November.
 

Superior Balance and DepthStanford's strength has traditionally been its superior depth and the 2018 campaign was no different.

And here's what might be most scary for next year's opponents: every member of Stanford's singles and doubles lineup returns in 2019, along with a highly-ranked recruiting class.

Perhaps no better indicator of Stanford's balanced lineup was its nine overall all-conference selections, which was the most in school history and surpassed the previous best of six, achieved three times but most recently in 2006.

Just doing what we do. #GoStanford

A post shared by @ stanfordwtennis on May 17, 2018 at 11:52am PDT

Highlighting Stanford's haul were the recipients of three specialty awards: Michaela Gordon winning Freshman of the Year, Gordon and Emily Arbuthnott pairing up as the Doubles Team of the Year and Lele Forood tabbed the Coach of the Year. Meanwhile, Gordon was named to the first team, junior Melissa Lord booked a spot on the second team while Arbuthnott, sophomore Emma Higuchi, junior Caroline Lampl and freshman Janice Shin all earned honorable mention accolades.

Arbuthnott and Gordon were Stanford's All-Americans but any member of the lineup could make a strong case for Stanford's top player. Lord (19-5 overall, 11-1 duals) provided the clincher in the national championship match, improving to 15-0 all-time in NCAA team competition. Lampl (21-7 overall, 15-4 duals) won all four of her NCAA matches and is Stanford's winningest active player with 76 career victories. Shin (25-4 overall, 16-3 duals) closed the year with 11 straight wins and posted a 12-1 record at the No. 5 spot. Then there's Higuchi (29-6 overall, 21-3 duals), who won 17 in a row to end the season and dominated opponents as the best No. 6 in the country.
 

Pac-12 Champs Three-Peat

Facing a post-doubles deficit against UCLA for the second time this season, Stanford did not panic. Instead, the Cardinal applied pressure.

The result this time was a Pac-12 Championships title, with the Cardinal beating the Bruins 4-2 on April 28 to defend its tournament crown. Stanford also captured its third straight conference title overall, accomplishing the feat for the first time since 2010-12.

The Cardinal's signature win of the regular season was a 4-3 home victory over UCLA on March 13. The rematch in the Pac-12 final quickly resembled a repeat, with the Bruins securing a hard-fought doubles point on the strength of a 7-6 (7) victory at the top spot of the lineup.

Stanford received singles wins from Melissa Lord, Emma Higuchi and Caroline Lampl, whose three-setter put the Cardinal in front 3-2. Emily Arbuthnott then provided one of her team-best eight clinchers, giving Stanford the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Championship Szn. #GoStanford

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1,000 WinsStanford achieved yet another milestone on April 27, collecting win No. 1,000 in program history following a 4-0 shutout over Washington State in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Championship.

However, the Cardinal wasn't done, tacking on seven more victories en route to its 19th NCAA title.

Stanford's program record stands at 1,007-103, good for an eye-popping winning percentage of .907.

ITA National Coach of the YearFresh off its latest NCAA championship run, Lele Forood was honored as the ITA National Coach of the Year.

Forood earned the prestigious distinction for remarkably only the second time in her career after being first recognized in 2003.

Guiding Stanford to its 19th NCAA championship in school history with the Cardinal duplicating its 2016 title run as a No. 15 seed, Forood has now coached Stanford to nine NCAA titles in her 18 seasons on The Farm. Four of those NCAA championships have come over the last nine years, with Stanford seeded No. 8 in 2010 and No. 12 in 2013.

Forood has compiled a 438-43 overall record during her tenure on The Farm.
 

Sophomore Emily Arbuthnott
• ITA All-American in singles and doubles
• All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection
• Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year, pairing with Michaela Gordon
• Pac-12 All-Academic First Team pick Freshman Michaela Gordon
• ITA All-American in singles and doubles
• ITA National Rookie of the Year
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Stanford's first recipient since 2011
• All-Pac-12 First Team selection
• Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year, pairing with Emily Arbuthnott Sophomore Emma Higuchi
• All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection
• Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention pick Junior Caroline Lampl
• All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection
• Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention pick Junior Melissa Lord
• All-Pac-12 Second Team selection
• Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention pick Freshman Janice Shin
• All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection