Sept. 9, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - Junior Ogonna Nnamani had a team-high 13 kills while teammate Sara McGee chipped in 10 as the fourth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team swept St. Mary's College, 3-0, tonight in Maples Pavilion. Game scores were 30-22, 30-21, 30-21.
The Cardinal improve to 5-1 on the year while the Gaels fall to 5-3.
Stanford opened a sizeable 9-3 lead to open game one after a kill by Jennifer Harvey. The Cardinal extended the lead to 17-6 on a block by Sara McGee and Anna Robinson. The Gaels took a timeout trailing 8-21 after another Harvey kill. St. Mary's came back to pull within 10 at 16-26 after a Stanford setting error. But the Cardinal would push forward, reaching game point on a St. Mary's hitting error at 29-18. The Gaels would hold off four game points before falling 30-22 on a kill by Jennifer Hucke.
The Cardinal raced to an 8-2 lead in game two after a Gaels hitting error and were up 15-5 on a Kristin Richards service ace. St. Mary's fought back to close within seven at 11-18, forcing a Stanford timeout. The Cardinal opened the lead back up at 27-19 on a kill by Ogonna Nnamani to force a SMC timeout. A kill by Richards put SU at game point, leading 29-20. A blocking error on the Gaels gave Stanford the 30-21 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
A kill by Jennifer Hucke put the Cardinal up 9-4 in game three while a McGee/Robinson block gave SU the 11-6 edge. The Gaels would close the gap to 11-15 at the media timeout but could get no closer. With Stanford leading 18-13, the Cardinal rattled off four consecutive points to go up 22-13, forcing a SMC timeout. A dump by Anna Robinson gave SU a 25-17 advantage. A St. Mary's hitting error put the Cardinal at game and match point, leading 29-19. SMC held off two match points before falling 30-21 on a kill by Courtney Schultz.
Junior Ogonna Nnamani recorded a double-double on the night with 13 kills and 12 digs while teammate Jennifer Harvey led the match with eight blocks on the night. Senior Sara McGee chipped in 10 kills while hitting at a .714 clip (10-0-14). Sara Dukes and Leahi Hall each contributed 10 digs to the Cardinal effort. Setter Anna Robinson added five blocks and 19 assists while fellow setter Katie Goldhahn had 24 assists and eight digs.
Stanford heads to Hawaii for a tournament September 12-13 in Honolulu. They will open with Weber State on Friday and play either Utah State or No. 2 Hawaii on Saturday night.