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They met earlier this season as the top two teams in the nation. After a few twists and turns, they will meet again with a national title on the line.

Top-seeded Vanderbilt plays No. 15 Stanford on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET in the NCAA Division I women’s championship match at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Vanderbilt Beat Georgia Tech to Reach NCAA Final
© Vanderbilt Athletics

The two powerhouse programs with elite academic reputations clinched their semifinal wins on Monday within seconds of each other. Pac-12 champion Stanford beat No. 3 Duke 4-2 and SEC champion Vanderbilt dispatched No. 4 Georgia Tech 4-2.

Stanford (23-3), which has won 19 straight matches, is making its third straight appearance in the NCAA final. The Cardinal have established a women’s tennis dynasty with 19 national championships (18 NCAA, 1 AIAW).

Vanderbilt (27-3) is trying to capture the second NCAA title in program history after winning it all in 2015. The Commodores reached the semifinals the last two years, and finally broke through again for another shot at the title.

“Stanford is one of the best sports programs in the history of college athletics. They are tremendous,” Vanderbilt head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “There is a lot of mutual respect between the programs and we get along really well. It’s why we scheduled a home-and-home series with them.”