No. 3 Stanford Cardinal (25-1, 10-0 Pac-12)
vs.
No. 6 Pepperdine Waves (24-3, 9-0 WCC)
NCAA Championships Quarterfinals
Friday, May 17 • 11 a.m. PT
USTA National Campus • Orlando, Fla.
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ORLANDO - With the first three rounds of NCAA competition in the books, the focus shifts to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where the remaining eight teams will compete for a national title.
The most decorated program in college history and the winningest program on The Farm, defending NCAA champion Stanford (25-1, 10-0 Pac-12) is once again clicking at the right time. Riding a 20-match winning streak as one of the hottest teams in the country, the Cardinal is 47-5 during the month of May since 2010, a stretch that has produced four NCAA titles (2010, 2013, 2016, 2018).
Stanford, which has won 19 of the possible 37 NCAA championships, owns a 156-19 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.
In a format change introduced this season, only the tournament's final eight teams advance to the finals site at the USTA National Campus rather than 16 in previous years. The Cardinal advanced to Orlando after collecting its first three wins at home, cruising past New Mexico State and No. 31 Syracuse in the early rounds before rallying past No. 14 Kansas 4-3.
The Cardinal will likely be tested again in the quarterfinals, squaring off against No. 6 Pepperdine (24-3, 9-0 WCC) on Friday at 11 a.m. PT. It's not the seeding as much as the recent history: Stanford is 32-2 all-time against Pepperdine, however the Waves have won the last two contests: 4-3 in 2016 (at Stanford) and 5-2 in 2017 (at Malibu).
Despite Stanford's profile as the sport's gold standard, it's only the second time over the last 11 years that the Cardinal has entered NCAA's seeded higher than No. 5 (Stanford was No. 1 in 2011). Remarkably, Stanford has won its last four NCAA championships as a No. 8 seed or lower. In 2018, No. 15 Stanford duplicated its 2016 NCAA title run as the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA championship. In 2013, Stanford won it all as a No. 12 seed. In 2010, the Cardinal claimed the crown as a No. 8 seed.
Because of its superior singles depth, Stanford has routinely been able to overcome early deficits. The Cardinal has lost the doubles point four times this season before rallying to win each match. In fact, since 2016, Stanford has won 19 of its last 24 matches in which it loses the doubles point.
The Cardinal boasts six nationally-ranked singles players, led by No. 24 Michaela Gordon (22-10 overall, 14-5 duals) at the top spot of the lineup. No. 44 Emily Arbuthnott (32-5 overall, 19-2 duals) is Stanford's winningest player and leads the team with nine clinchers. That doesn't even include No. 66 Caroline Lampl (30-6 overall, 21-0 duals), who has won 23 in a row since her last loss back on Jan. 18.
In doubles, Stanford trots out three ranked duos, with the senior pairing of Lampl and Kimberly Yee (17-11 overall, 11-7 duals) ranked No. 19 in the country.