Nov. 4, 2005
Pullman, Wa - Junior outside hitter Kristin Richards collected a career-high 31 kills and became the tenth all-time school leader in career kills to power the fourth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team to a 26-30, 30-22, 30-22, 30-25 victory over Washington State in a Pacific-10 match Friday night in Bohler Gym.
Richards simply dominated play against a Washington State team which fell to 8-18 overall and 1-12 in the conference. Twenty of Richards' 31 kills came in the last two games. Richards hit .426 in 54 attempts along with 16 digs.
Richards now has 1,238 career kills in two-plus seasons at Stanford, and moved ahead of Nancy Reno (1984-87, 1,221) into tenth place on all-time career kills list. Senior libero Courtney Schultz collected 20 digs, and now has 1,018 digs in her four-year Stanford career.
It was also a career night for senior setter Katie Goldhahn with 68 assists and six kills.
Freshman middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo tallied 16 kills (.467) while Nji Nnamani added 14 kills (.385) and ten digs. Stanford hit .395.
A tough five-game loss to California the night before didn't deter Washington State from coming out strong in game one. Stanford led early at 2-1, but an 8-2 run gave the Cougars a 9-4 advantage. Stanford then mounted its own comeback. Down 15-12, the Cardinal scored five straight points to take a 17-15 lead. WSU tied the game at 17-17, and at that point both teams tried to control the momentum the rest of of the game. The game was tied seven times after that. At 25-25, a couple defensive lapses by the Cardinal and a couple WSU points gave the home team a 29-25 lead. Stanford could not comeback, and eventually the Cougars hit the game winner to take the first game (30-26). Both teams hit .333. Schultz tallied six digs to push her career digs total over 1,000.
The Cardinal led from start to finish in game two. Stanford led early at 4-1, and gradually extended the lead to as many as seven points (18-11, 24-17, 25-18) before Nji Nnamani ended the game (30-22) in Stanford's favor. Only once did WSU come close to catching Stanford and that was early at 7-6. Stanford hit .533.
Richards dominated play in the early going of game three. Seven of Stanford's first 14 points were the result of kills by Richards. That gave Stanford an unsurmountable 14-6 lead. Five more points gave Stanford a 19-6 advantage and the vocal crowd the became quiet. Washington State could get no closer than six points (25-19, 28-22). At 29-22, Stanford ended the suspense (30-22) on a kill by Richards to give the Cardinal a two games to one advantage. In all, Richards accounted for eleven of Stanford's 30 points in game two.
Stanford led throughout game four but the margin was tight throughout. Stanford gained its biggest advantage at 23-18, and eventually ended the game (30-25) and match on a net violation by WSU. Stanford, which raised its record to 21-4 overall and 10-3 in the Pac-10, hosts Arizona State (Nov. 10, 7:00 p.m.) and nationally-ranked Arizona (Nov. 11, 7:00 p.m.) at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (21-4 overall, 10-3 Pac-10) 26 30 30 30
Wash. St (8-18 overall, 1-12 Pac-10) 30 22 22 25
Daily Diary
If you think traveling on the road is easy, guess again ... Nearly every Division I collegiate football team charters its flights on road games ... Pac-10 men's and women's basketball teams play on Thursday and Saturday with Friday as a day to travel, practice, prepare and rest for their next game ... Not so for Pac-10 women's volleyball teams who have to play on consecutive nights during the conference season ... And if you're traveling from Seattle to Pullman, Washington, the travel can get a bit stressful ... On this trip to the Pacific Northwest, the Stanford women's volleyball group consists of 14 players, four coaches, two administrators, an athletic trainer and a radio announcer ... Factor in the cost of air and ground transportation, plus food, and it adds up to an expensive trip ... There is no need to advise the team that road trips are not vacations, but business trips ... This Stanford team is a very responsible group that understands they are representing Stanford University from the time they leave campus to the time they arrive back home ... Luckily, on this trip, the weather is cooperating ... Many times the weather in the Pacific Northwest can make traveling a bit difficult with heavy rain, cold and sometimes snow ... After playing a Thursday night match at the University of Washington in Seattle, the Cardinal spent all day on Friday traveling, preparing for Washington State, and then playing the Cougars that night in Pullman ... Here is a part of what transpired from early morning to late at night.
6:30 a.m. - The alarm clock wakes you up to the music of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra playing the music of Vivaldi ... Sorry, but please turn off the alarm clock.
7:00 a.m. - The walk from the hotel room to the restaurant in the cold and drizzle of a Seattle morning helps wake you up. A good, hearty breakfast definitely puts everybody in a better mood.
7:30 a.m. - On this rather cold, rainy morning, the team quickly places its luggage on the bus and departs for the short ride to the Seattle airport.
8:00 a.m. - Many parts of the Seattle airport have been renovated, and thus when you enter the terminal, you feel like you're in a mall ... You can buy expensive clothes, the latest best sellers, the latest computer equipment, and if you so desire, have a full course meal at several trendy-type restaurants ... Yes, you can order a hearty Mexican combination plate with a beverage or a fancy fish or steak dish at 8 a.m. ... The team, although weary from a tough match the night before at Washington, opts to either study, listen to their IPods or just read the morning newspaper ... Several staff members huddle around cups of coffee (there are no shortages of places to buy a cup of coffee including Tully's, Seattle's Best, and of course Starbucks).
9:06 a.m. - The plane ride from Seattle to Spokane is only 45 minutes and the short jaunt offers the team a chance to study, read, listen to music, work on a crossword puzzle, enjoy a little conversation with a teammate or just SLEEP. Some staffers can't sleep (too much coffee).
10:30 a.m. - The weather is partly cloudy in Spokane which is a welcome relief from the rainy weather in Seattle ... However, a brisk, cold wind bites through you while waiting for the bus that will take the team from the airport to the hotel.
11:00 a.m. - Head coach John Dunning decides the team will leave Spokane for Pullman a half hour later (1:30 p.m.) than scheduled which gives the team added time to get some much needed rest or to study. His decision is greeted with approval.
1:30 p.m. - The 90 minute bus ride from Spokane to Pullman gives the coaches the opportunity to prepare for Washington State, and have the team watch a video tape of Washington State.
3:00 p.m. - Stanford arrives on Main Street, downtown Pullman. Not much activity going on his dark, cloudy Friday afternoon. An Italian pre-game meal awaits the team as it arrives at Basilio's Cafe.
7:00 p.m. - A pretty good crowd turn outs on this Friday night considering Washington State is 8-17 overall and in ninth place in the Pac-10.
9:30 p.m. - Back on the bus after the win at Washington State, the team sings Happy Birthday to head coach John Dunning who celebreates his 55th birthday on Sunday ... They also present him with a couple gifts, Michael Jordan's book, Driven from Within, and a seven CD collection of the greatest hits of Ray Charles.
11:15 p.m. - The day is finally over ... A team that arose at 6:30 a.m. Friday morning is back at the team hotel after the bus ride from Pullman to Spokane ... The final journey takes place early Saturday morning when the team flies home from Spokane to San Franicisco via Portland ... It has been a long day but a successful one.
GOOD NIGHT!!!