Sept. 30, 2005
Eugene, Or - It wasn't easy but the third-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team scored a tough 30-28, 30-15, 30-23 victory over the Oregon Ducks in a Pacific-10 match Friday night at McArthur Court.
Junior outside hitter Kristin Richards led the Cardinal attack with 19 kills (.529) and six digs while freshman middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo added 16 kills (.444) and seven blocks. Senior libero Courtney Schultz collected a match-high 16 digs.
Although the Cardinal jumped to a 5-1 lead (game one) over a Duck team that had won only two conferfence matches in the last four years, Oregon played tough against the nationally-ranked Cardinal. The Ducks tied the game at 10-10, and even led by as many as three points at 16-13. The Ducks continued to give Stanford problems until the Cardinal received kills from Franci Girard and Richards to give Stanford the lead at 23-21. Stanford maintained the lead and even expanded the margin to three points, 25-22, but the pesky Ducks would not give in. The Ducks tied the game at 27-27. A Girard kill gave Stanford a 28-27 lead, but the Ducks tied the match at 28-28. A service error gave Stanford a 29-28 lead, and Richards ended a tense first game (30-28) with a kill.
Stanford jumped to a 7-1 lead in game two, and held the lead at 12-5. A 17-10 run gave Stanford its largest lead of the game at 29-15, and finished the game (30-15) on a kill by freshman outside hitter Erin Waller.
Stanford led throughout game three building a 6-1 lead while the Ducks were never able to cut the Cardinal to margin to less than two points. The Cardinal led by as many as nine points (24-15), but Oregon managed a minor comeback to cut the Stanford lead to five points (28-23). But the Ducks collapsed on the final two points with a service error and a hitting error to give Stanford the game (30-23) and the match.
Stanford hit .357 while the Ducks tallied a .179 hitting percentage. In the final two games, Stanford held the Ducks to a hitting percentage of .026 and .029, respectively.
The victory was Stanford's 14th straight decision, and raised the team record to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the Pac-10. Oregon fell to 10-5 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Stanford now returns home to Maples Pavilion on Oct. 7 to face Washington State, and then a Pac-10 matchup against second-ranked and unbeaten Washington.
Stanford (15-1, 4-0)303030
Oregon (10-5, 0-4)281523
Promotion Potpourri
Stanford is enjoying another outstanding women's volleyball season, and there are seven more matches on the home schedule at Maples Pavilion including an Oct. 8 Pac-10 match against second-ranked and unbeaten Washington (10-0) ... A Block Plan for the remaining seven home matches is being offered for $65 ... All Block Plan seats are reserved, and that includes matches against second-ranked and unbeaten Washington (Oct. 8, 7:00 p.m.) and Bay Area rival California (Nov. 18, 7:0 p.m.) ... For more information, call 1-800-STANFORD, or go to the Stanford website at www.gostanford.com, and link to the women's volleyball page ... On the right side of the page under Cardinal Clips, look for Seven-Match Block Plan Ticket Special.
Daily Diary
When you're on the road, the Stanford women's volleyball team eats at many excellent restaurants and perhaps their favorite is a long time place that specializes in pancakes near the University of Oregon campus ... So it is no surprise that the 15-woman team, four coaches, and three athletic department staffers march in as one large group for a second straight day on Friday morning to a restaurant that offers a wide variety of pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit, omelettes, etc ... As one staffer suggested, I could eat here ALL the time ... That would be tough especially since the restaurant is only open from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ... Once back at the hotel, the team gets together with the coaching staff for an extensive video session to go over the match strategy against tonight's opponent, the Oregon Ducks, and to review Thursday night's match at Oregon State ... After the meeting, there is time for the team to either relax in their rooms, study, or do a little shopping at the nearby mall ... The mall is popular for several reasons ... There are always sales at several stores, and in the state of Oregon, there is NO SALES TAX ... The free time also gives a couple staffers an opportunity to exercise, go for a long walk along the Williamette River or go for a short bike ride ... The rain that was expected on Friday stayed away until the evening hours ... Everywhere Stanford plays there is a small contingent of avid Cardinal fans ... Tonight's fan base includes former Cardinal Emily Lawrence (1998-2001), former Cardinal All-American golfer Joel Kribel, the parents of former Cardinal star Lindsay Yamasaki (1999-02), Katie Goldhahn's father, Alan, and her aunt, Stacey Mitchell, who lives in Portland, and the parents of senior libero Courtney Schultz, Gregory and Christine ... Both parents have traveled the past several years from their home in the Los Angeles area to see Courtney play both at home at Maples Pavilion and on the road ... The road trip to the Pacific Northwest seems short compared to the seven-match, eleven-day excursion to the East Coast and the Midwest last month ... The Cardinal will fly home early Saturday morning, and be back on campus before noon ... That will give the team a chance to attend the Stanford-Oregon football game at Stanford Stadium, relax, and of course, study!!! ... GOOD NIGHT.