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TULSA, Okla. - The biggest reason No. 15 Stanford finds itself on the verge of an 18th NCAA championship?

At some point this season, everyone on the roster has clinched a pressure-filled match when the spotlight is on. Nobody has done it more than freshman Caroline Lampl.

Improving to 10-4 in three-setters while providing her team-high seventh clincher, Lampl outlasted Fernanda Contreras 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 at the No. 5 spot to propel Stanford to a 4-2 victory over No. 6 Vanderbilt in the NCAA semifinals on Monday afternoon.

Long regarded as the sport's gold standard but equally comfortable thriving as an underdog, Stanford (19-5, 9-1 Pac-12) is once again, surprisingly (or not), defying the odds. The Cardinal has now won 13 of its last 15 NCAA matches when seeded lower than its opponent. That includes winning it all as a No. 12 seed three years ago and taking home the hardware in 2010 as a No. 8 seed.

Standing in the way of Stanford's 19th national title (18 NCAA, 1 AIAW) on Tuesday (10 a.m. PT) will be No. 12 Oklahoma State, an up-and-coming program appearing in its first NCAA final but riding an 18-match winning streak. The Cowgirls (29-4, 9-0 Big 12) have lost the doubles point only once this season and will essentially be playing a home match after approximately 600 fans made the short trek from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to witness their 4-3 upset of No. 1 California.

For that matchup to happen, Stanford first needed to avenge a 4-1 road loss to defending NCAA champion Vanderbilt back on Jan. 30. Stanford stood at 1-2 overall following that loss. Hardly a pivotal juncture three matches into the season, but it represented the first time at any point in program history that the Cardinal owned a losing record – a streak spanning 1,032 total matches.

Giving the Cardinal a boost was that it played the match without Lampl and junior Carol Zhao, and both made a noticeable impact on Monday.

It all started when Stanford bucked a recent trend by winning the doubles point for only the second time in seven matches. The Cardinal grabbed a 1-0 lead thanks to convincing wins at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots. Stanford is now 12-3 when winning the doubles point and 6-2 when losing the early edge.

Zhao, who missed the first meeting during her absence competing with the Canadian Fed Cup team and participating in pro tournaments, quickly made it 2-0 following a decisive 6-4, 6-3 win over Sydney Campbell at the top spot of the lineup. Stanford is 13-1 with Zhao in the lineup and 6-4 without.

2010: won NCAA's as an 8️⃣ seed.



2013: won NCAA's as a 1️⃣2️⃣ seed.



2016: ? as a 1️⃣5️⃣ seed.



Find out tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/7lWDdssW7s — StanfordWTennis (@StanfordWTennis) May 23, 2016

Vanderbilt crept to within 2-1 after Astra Sharma defeated Caroline Doyle 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 3 position.

Stanford moved in front 3-1 when freshman Melissa Lord outlasted Georgina Sellyn 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 on court six. It was Lord's fifth straight postseason victory and her ninth win in 10 matches overall.

The Commodores trimmed the deficit to 3-2 when Courtney Colton bested senior Krista Hardebeck 7-6 (2), 6-4 at the No. 4 spot.

Two matches remained at that point, with Lampl and junior Taylor Davidson both headed to a third set.

After falling behind 2-0, Lampl aggressively made her move. Blistering groundstrokes and overwhelming Contreras with her all-court power, Lampl ripped off the next four games and held on for the 6-3 third-set victory.

Stanford owns a 141-18 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982.

No. 15 Stanford 4, No. 6 Vanderbilt 2

DOUBLES

1) No. 5 Davidson/Doyle (STAN) vs. No. 14 Campbell/Colton (VANDY) 5-5, susp.

2) No. 31 Lord/Zhao (STAN) d. Altick/Sharma (VANDY) 6-2

3) Hardebeck/Lampl (STAN) d. Contreras/Sellyn (VANDY) 6-3

Order of Finish: 2, 3