Sept. 15, 2005
Stanford, Ca - Kristin Richards, Cynthia Barboza and Foluke Akinradewo combined for 39 kills to lead the third-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team to a 30-20, 30-22, 30-21 victory over 23rd ranked St. Mary's on Thursday night at the Stanford Invitational at Maples Pavilion.
Richards led the attack with 14 kills and added ten digs and three blocks.
Setter Bryn Kehoe added 44 assists.
Although Stanford hit only .175 for the match, Stanford's defense again sparkled in holding the Gaels to a .084 hitting percentage.
In game one, Stanford led from start to finish as the Cardinal gradually upped its lead throughout. Although Stanford tallied only a .170 hitting percentage, the Cardinal defense once again prevailed as it held the Gaels to a .000 hitting percentage. Stanford's biggest lead was nine points at 27-18. Akinradewo, the Pac-10 Player of the Week, ended game one (30-20) on a kill. Akinradewo collected ten kills while Richards added nine. Barboza chipped in with seven more.
In game two, St. Mary's led briefly at 3-1, but the Cardinal scored three straight points to take the lead for good. A 5-0 run made it 23-18, and Stanford eventually led by as many as seven points. Stanford ended the game (30-22) on a service ace by Kehoe.
In game three, Stanford exploded for eight straight points to take a 14-5 lead, and never looked back. The game (30-21) and match ended on a kill by Erin Waller.
Stanford won its eighth straight match to up its season record to 9-1 while St. Mary's fell to 6-2.
In the first match of the evening, Utah State upset 24th ranked UC Santa Barbara, 30-21, 25-30, 22-30, 30-25, 15-9. Utah State improved to 6-4 while the Gauchos fell to 4-4.
The Stanford Invitational continues on Friday at 5 p.m. with St. Mary's facing UC Santa Barbara, At 7 p.m, Stanford will host Utah State.
Stanford (9-1)303030
St. Mary's (6-2)2022 21
Cardinal Catalogue
All-American outside hitter Kristin Richards is nearing the 1,000 mark in kills and digs ... With 14 kills and ten digs on Thursday, Richards now has 999 kills and 949 digs in three-plus seasons at Stanford ... The Stanford women's volleyball program has announced that at the Stanford Invitational (Sept. 16-17) and matches against USC (Sept. 23) and UCLA (Sept. 24) at Maples Pavilion, monetary donations will be accepted and delivered to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund to help flood victims.
Ticket TaleWith enthusiasm for the women's volleyball program at an all-time high, season tickets for Stanford Women's Volleyball are now on sale ... The Cardinal will have a 12-game home schedule during the regular season ... The home slate includes matches against second-ranked Washington (Oct. 8, 7:00 p.m.), seventh-ranked USC (Sept. 23, 7:00 p.m.), 13th-ranked UCLA (Sept. 24, 7:00 p.m.), 15th-ranked UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 17, 5:00 p.m., Stanford Invitational), 17th ranked Arizona (Nov. 11, 7:00 p.m.), and 19th-ranked California (Nov. 18, 7:00 p.m.) ... Stanford reserved (lower) season tickets are available for as low as $80 ... General Admission (end zone and upper) are available for as low as $55 ... For more information on Stanford season tickets, go to Stanford Women's Volleyball home page at www.gostanford.com, and click on "tickets" on the left side of the page. Or call 1-800-STANFORD.
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