Sept. 10, 2006
Honolulu, Hawai`i - No. 8 Stanford (6-1) completed an undefeated weekend at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge with a 3-0 rout of host No. 9 Hawai`i (5-3), 30-10, 30-22, 30-24, in front of the largest crowd of the year. Sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza led the squad with 15 kills and four service aces, while sophomore middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo hit .500 with 13 kills and six blocks.
The Cardinal came out in force to open game one with an 8-1 run, including two kills each by Akinradewo and Barboza. The Rainbow Wahine pulled together a 2-0 streak, but Akinradewo ended a long rally with a kill down the middle to give the serve back to Stanford. The Cardinal continued to out-hit Hawai`i with another 7-0 run, including two aces by Barboza. A kill by Hawai`i's Jamie Houston brought the score to 16-5, leading the Wahine on another 3-0 spurt, but junior setter Bryn Kehoe ended the run with a tip. The Cardinal increased its lead with another 7-0 run, including three powerful kills from Barboza on the left side. Sarah Mason's kill down the left line for Hawai`i brought the score to 25-10, but senior Nji Nnamani collected a kill to continue the Cardinal momentum. Game one ended on a Rainbow Wahine attack error, 30-10. As a team, Stanford hit .424 in game one with eight kills from Barboza.
Hawai`i kept up point for point with the Cardinal to open game two, despite kills from Akinradewo and Barboza. Barboza tallied two more kills as the Cardinal edged away, 7-4. Junior Franci Girard kicked off a 3-1 run with a kill from the middle, 10-6, but Hawai`i continued to hang with a kill by Juliana Sanders to start their own 2-0 streak. Nnamani ended a wild rally with a kill, then the Cardinal pulled out a 4-0 run to gap the Wahine, 16-9. Houston and Sarah Mason combined for three kills for Hawai`i to bring the score to 18-12, but a kill by senior Kristin Richards pushed the Rainbow Wahine into timeout at 20-12. Hawai`i didn't back down, cutting down the lead with a 6-1 run, 24-18. Stanford took a timeout to regroup, succeeding with a 3-0 run. A tip from Akinradewo ended game two, 30-22.
Stanford was all business in game three, opening with a 4-1 run, including a cross-court kill by Barboza. Houston and Gregory collected kills to bring the score to 7-4, but errors from the Wahine increased the Cardinal lead to five. Hawai`i attempted another rally off of a kill by Nickie Thomas, but continued to struggle with service errors. A kill by Richards to the back row rounded out a 4-0 run to put Stanford ahead, 15-9. The Wahine then pieced together another 3-0 run, including an ace by Houston. Kehoe ended the run with a kill to spark a 4-0 streak. A quick kill by Akinradewo in the middle, followed by a tip from Kehoe, brought the score to 25-17. The Wahine continued to fight with 4-0 run, It wasn't enough, as the Cardinal claimed the match on a Wahine attack error, 30-24.
Akinradewo led the team with six of the Cardinal's 9.5 blocks, followed by Nnamani with three blocks. Kehoe collected 31 assists, while sophomore libero Jessica Fishburn led the squad with 13 digs.
Three Cardinal players were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts, including Richards, Akinradewo and Barboza. Barboza was named Most Outstanding Player of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Challenge after collecting a team-leading 46 kills in three matches for a .471 hitting percentage.
The Cardinal will return home tomorrow to host the Stanford Invitational next Thursday through Saturday, featuring Santa Clara, Georgetown, St. Mary's and UC Irvine.