Oct. 14, 2005
Tucson, Az - The 12th-ranked Arizona women's volleyball team fought back from three match points to stage a 30-24, 26-30, 29-31, 34-32, 15-8 upset victory over third-ranked Stanford in a Pacific-10 match on Thursday night at McKale Center.
Kristen Richards led Stanford with 20 kills and 19 digs, while freshmen Cynthia Barboza and Foluke Akinradewo each added 19 kills. Barboza collected eleven digs. Kim Glass led the Arizona attack with 27 kills, 13 digs and four blocks. Jennifer Abernathy added 18 kills, 18 digs and five blocks for the Wildcats.
In game one, Arizona dominated play particularly at the net as the Cardinal could not effectively run its offense. The game was tied six times early in the game, but Arizona then controlled play. An 8-4 run gave Arizona a 17-12 lead, and the Wildcat lead grew to as many as eight points at 26-18. Down 20-28, Stanford started its first rally of the game scoring three points to force Arizona into a timeout at 23-28. Stanford picked up another point, but that was all the points Stanford could muster as Arizona scored the final two points of the game (24-30).
The first game statistics were revealing. Stanford only hit .163, produced ten hitting errors, and collected zero blocks compared to eleven blocks and a .344 hitting percentage for the Wildcats.
Game two was almost a repeat of game one. With the score tied early at 7-7, Arizona again began controlling play. An 8-3 run gave the home team a 15-10 lead, and again forced Stanford into a timeout. Arizona then led 20-14, before a 5-0 run moved Stanford to within one point. The momentum was changing, and finally the Cardinal moved in front at 23-22. A block solo by Richards then gave Stanford a two point advantage at 25-23, and Arizona was now in the business of calling timeouts. Arizona pulled to within one point at 27-26, but a kill by freshman middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo, a block by Bryn Kehoe and Lizzie Suiter, and a kill by Barboza gave Stanford game two (30-26). Stanford dramatically improved its hitting percentage at .351.
Stanford continued its fine play in game three. A 6-6 tie turned into a 13-9 lead, and then 18-13 which again forced the Wildcats to call a timeout. After play resumed, the lead continued to climb for the Cardinal at 20-13. Stanford led 28-23, but Arizona managed to cut the Stanford lead to one point at 28-27. Then the Wildcats tied the game at 29-29. Both teams fought hard with several long rallies, but a kill by Barboza and Richards gave Stanford a tough 31-29 victory.
Stanford led most of game four but Arizona fought back to win (34-32). A 7-2 run gave the Cardinal a 10-5 lead, but the Wildcats continued to be a pesky bunch as the Cardinal lead dwindled to one point at 15-14. Stanford upped the lead to 22-18. Again Arizona fought back and tied the game at 24-24. The Cardinal then upped its lead back to 26-24, but again Arizona tied the game. A Richards kill made it 27-26, An Arizona hitting error made it 28-26 in favor of Stanford. Again Arizona fought back on a block solo to make it 28-27 Stanford. But then Arizona made a mistake on a service error to give Stanford match point at 29-27. Again Arizona fought back. A Stanford service error and a service ace by the Wildcats tied the match at 29-29. A kill by Arizona gave the home team a 30-29 lead, but Barboza tied the game on a kill at 30-30. A Wildcat hitting error gave Stanford match point at 31-30. A hitting error by Stanford again tied the game at 31-31. Nji Nnajami received a perfect set from Kehoe to give Stanford a 32-31 advantage. Arizona again tied the match on a kill at 32-32. A hitting error by Richards gave Arizona game point at 33-32. A kill by Glass gave Arizona a 34-32 victory to send the match into a deciding game five.
Stanford led 1-0 in game five, but from then on it was all Arizona as the Wildcats took a 10-4 lead, and the Cardinal could never recover.
Stanford continues its road trip with a Pac-10 contest at Arizona State on Friday at 7 p.m. (mt).
Stanford (16-3 overall, 5-2 Pac-10)243031328
Arizona (13-2 overall, 5-1 Pac-10)3026293415
Cardinal Chatter
Junior middle blocker Lizzie Suiter, who missed two matches last week against Washington State and Washington, returned to the starting lineup against Arizona ... Suiter was sidelined with a bruised retina in her left eye during a practice session two days before the WSU match ... Suiter is wearing protective goggles ... Nji Nnamani collected a career-high 15 kills ... Bryn Kehoe's 69 assists was one short of her career-best, and ninth-best in school history ... Arizona's victory was only the fifth in school history against Stanford in 51 meetings ... Stanford had won five straight matches against Arizona until Thursday night.
Daily Diary
It's hot outside ... Thank goodness women's volleyball is an indoor sport ... It's October 13, and the middle of Fall, but in Arizona it still feels like the heat of summer ... The temperature rose to 93 degrees in Tucson on Thursday, and the hot weather will remain when the Cardinal football team arrives in town on Saturday to play Arizona ... Needless to say, the two-hour, 150-mile bus ride after the match from Tucson to Tempe was a very quiet excursion ... Next stop, Friday night at Arizona State ... GOOD NIGHT!!!