Oct. 22, 2005
Berkeley, Ca - A highly entertaining women's volleyball match in a hostile environment on the road resulted in a Stanford victory at California, but a costly one as well.
The fifth-ranked Cardinal scored a dramatic 30-26, 30-20, 28-30, 32-30 victory over 14th-ranked California before a boisterous crowd of 2,204 in a Pac-10 match on Friday night at Haas Pavilion, but in process star freshman outside hitter Cynthia Barboza suffered a left knee injury during the first point of game three. Barboza was carried off the court after lying on the ground for several minutes while medical personnel tried to determine the extent of the injury. Barboza, who leads the Pac-10 in kills, was later examined by two doctors at Haas Pavilion. Barboza, on crutches and wearing a knee brace, was scheduled to be examined by a Stanford team doctor late Friday night.
Stanford lost game three, 30-28, but the Cardinal fought back to take game four (32-30) and score its first win over the Golden Bears in Berkeley in three years.
"There are so many emotions," said junior outside hitter Kristin Richards, who led the Cardinal attack with 16 kills, 16 digs and five blocks. "I am so proud of this team. This was a team effort and we showed great courage. Hopefully, Cynthia will be OK."
Freshman middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo added 14 kills (.393) along with six blocks. Stanford's defense held the Golden Bears to a .128 hitting percentage.
Subbing for an injured Barboza, junior outside hitter Jennifer Wilson tallied three kills (.429) in seven attempts. Sophomore setter Bryn Kehoe collected 48 assists and 16 digs.
In the early portions of game one, both teams traded punches with the game tied five times. At 8-8, the Golden Bears scored five of the next six points to take a 13-9 lead which forced the Cardinal to call its first timeout of the match. The timeout didn't stop Cal's momentum as the Golden Bears then advanced to margin to six points at 17-11. Then the momentum quickly changed as the Cardinal scored five straight points to cut the Cal margin to one point at 17-16. Finally Stanford tied the match for a sixth time at 25-25 on a Courtney Schultz service ace, and went ahead since early in the match at 26-25 on a kill by Richards. A Stanford block, and two hitting errors by Cal gave the Cardinal a 29-25 advantage. A Golden Bear kill was followed by a game-winning kill by Akinradewo that gave the Cardinal a 30-26 decision. Neither team distinguished itself on the attack. Stanford hit .079, but the Cardinal defense looked sharp in holding the Golden Bears to a .000 hitting percentage.
Like game one, the second game saw both teams slug it out early with the game tied four times. Then Stanford's dominance on the attack took over. A 7-2 run gave Stanford a 12-7 lead and Cal never recovered. The lead grew to as many as ten points (28-18), and the Golden Bears could never get any closer than five points. Then at 29-20, Barboza collected a kill that bounced off to two Cal blockers to give Stanford the game victory (30-20). Stanford's offense picked up the pace with a .326 hitting percentage in game two while the Cardinal defense continued to give the Golden Bears problems at .128.
Neither team could gain a sizable advantage in game three. Thirty-eight points into the game, neither team could gain more than a two point advantage. Stanford seemingly had the game and match in hand with the score 28-24. But the Golden Bears never gave up, and scored six straight points to take the game (30-28).
Cal's momentum and the large, hostile crowd gave the Golden Bears a 9-6 advantage in game four. But a 6-3 Stanford run tied the game at 12-12. Then a 4-2 run gave Stanford a 16-14 lead. Then the situation really got interesting. The Golden Bears tied the match at 16-16. But then Stanford scored two straight points followed by two straight points from California. The match was tied at 18-18, and then California went on a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 lead. Stanford broke the streak on one of the longest and most dramatic rallies this season. Stanford earned the point on a kill by Nji Nnnamani that left both teams exhausted for the moment. Now down 24-19, Stanford fought back to within one point at 24-23, 25-24, 26-25 and 27-26. Then a hitting error by the Golden Bears tied the game at 27-27. Cal called timeout to regroup, and the Golden Bears took the lead at 28-27. But back came Stanford to tie it at 28-28. Again Cal went in front at 29-28. Again Stanford tied the game at 29-29 on a service error by the Golden Bears. A service ace by Bryn Kehoe pushed the Cardinal to match point, but a Cal kill tied the game at 30-30. A net violation by Cal gave Stanford its second match point at 31-30. The game (32-30) and match (2 hours, 24 minutes) finally ended on a kill by Richards.
The Cardinal team stormed onto the court after the match to celebrate, and then each player hugged Barboza near the sidelines for her efforts in helping Stanford win in Berkeley. The victory upped Stanford's record to 18-3 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-10. California fell to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in the conference.
Stanford returns to action at Maples Pavilion against Oregon (Oct. 27, 7:00 p.m.) and Oregon State (Oct. 28, 7:00 p.m.)
Stanford (18-3 overall, 7-2 Pac-10)30302832
California (13-5 overall, 6-3 Pac-10)2620 3030
Cardinal Chatter
Stanford head coach John Dunning coached his 700th match on Friday night against California ... Stanford now leads the series with California, 54-5 ... Nji Nnamani tallied a career-high 39 hitting attempts.