Sept. 23, 2004
Stanford, Calif. - Ogonna Nnamani had a match-high 17 kills to lead the 12th-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of No. 14 Arizona tonight in Burnham Pavilion. Game scores were 30-23, 30-26, 30-22. The Cardinal improve to 8-2 overall, 1-0 in the Pac-10 while the Wildcats fall to 8-3, 0-1 in league play.
The two teams remained close early in game one until the Cardinal strung together four consecutive points to go up 20-16 on a kill by Ogonna Nnamani, forcing a Wildcat timeout. Stanford continued to lead, going up 25-21 on a Arizona service error. The `Cats took their final timeout trailing 28-23 after O. Nnamani notched another kill. A block by Bryn Kehoe and Lizzie Suiter closed out the game, 30-23 as the Cardinal ended on a four-point streak.
Stanford opened a 5-2 lead in game two on a kill by Jennifer Hucke. Arizona called a timeout at 2-6 after O. Nnamani put down an overpass for her 11th kill of the match. The Wildcats called their final timeout trailing 2-8 to try and stop a three-point Cardinal run. Arizona closed the gap to 9-12 on a Stanford hitting error as the Cardinal called their first timeout. Stanford rolled off five straight points to increase their lead to 17-9. The Cardinal went up 20-13 on a block by Suiter and Hucke. An Arizona service ace forced a Stanford timeout at 26-22. The Cardinal reached game point at 29-26 on a kill by Hucke. Lizzie Suiter took care of an overpass to close out the game, 30-26, as Stanford went up two games to none.
Game three remained close early with neither team able to open more than a two-point lead, until the Cardinal took an 8-4 lead on a Kristin Richards' service ace. Arizona closed the gap, rattling off four-consecutive points, to pull within one. But Stanford would hold the lead, opening a five-point gap after back-to-back blocks, forcing a final Wildcat timeout at 16-11. The Cardinal went up 20-13 on a Richards' kill but Stanford would call a timeout at 21-16 after two consecutive Arizona points. The Cardinal took a 27-19 lead on back-to-back Arizona hitting errors. Stanford reached game and match point on another `Cat hitting error at 29-21 and closed out the match, 30-22, with a Hucke cross-court kill.
Ogonna Nnamani now had 1,826 career kills surpassing Cal's Tiffany Rochelle for ninth place in the Pac-10. She needs just eight kills to pass Cardinal Kristin Folkl for third place on The Farm.
Lizzie Suiter tied her career high with nine blocks on the night, chipping in four kills as well. Kristin Richards tallied nine kills and seven digs while Jennifer Hucke added seven kills and eight digs.
Kim Glass led Arizona with 10 kills while libero Kelli Mulvany had a team-high nine digs.
Stanford plays Arizona State tomorrow night with a 7 p.m. start time at Burnham Pavilion.