Oct. 12, 2006
Los Angeles, Calif. - Sixth-ranked Stanford (14-2, 5-1) upset fourth-ranked USC (17-1, 6-1) in three games tonight at the unveiling of the Galen Center. The Cardinal took down the Trojans, 30-21, 30-26, 30-28, to hand USC its first loss of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza lead the Cardinal with 18 kills, while sophomore Foluke Akinradewo followed with 12 kills against the Trojans.
USC jumped to a 5-0 lead in game one off of two kills by Diane Copenhagen and an ace by Katelyn Bishop. Following a timeout, Barboza pounded a kill from the left side to stop the Trojan streak. Barboza and senior Kristin Richards followed with a kill each as Stanford pulled out a 3-1 run, 7-4. The Cardinal pulled within three, 10-7, with a block solo from Akinradewo and kill by Richards, but the Trojans followed with another 3-1 streak to gap the Cardinal. Scrappy defense and two powerful kills from Barboza brought the game within a point, 14-13, to force USC into a timeout. The Cardinal then overtook the lead for the first time on a block solo by junior Franci Girard, 15-14. Stanford continued on a 5-2 run to increase its lead to 20-16, including kills by Akinradewo and Richards. The Trojans climbed back within two points on a kill by Copenhagen, 22-20, but Stanford answered with a 5-0 run highlighted by an ace from junior Bryn Kehoe. Barboza put the game within a point on another ace, then Girard and sophomore Erin Waller registered a block to end game one, 30-21.
The Trojans opened game two with a brief lead until kills by Akinradewo and Barboza put Stanford ahead, 2-1. The Cardinal continued on a 4-0 streak until USC's Taylor Carico registered two kills. A Trojan block tied the game at 4, then Carico gave USC the lead with another kill from the right side. Girard brought the momentum back to the Cardinal with a quick kill on the right side, leading Stanford on a 6-1 run, 10-7. USC's Asia Kaczor ended a long rally with a kill on the right side to bring the score to 12-10, eventually tying the game at 13 on a Cardinal attacking error. The Cardinal regained the lead with a 6-2 run, including two kills by Girard, 20-16. Carico brought the game back within two points with a tip, 22-20, but Akinradewo registered a kill to spur a 3-0 Stanford streak. Bethany Johansen later ended a long rally with a kill in the middle as the Trojans pulled together their own 2-0 spurt. It wasn't enough as Stanford cinched game two on a kill by Akinradewo, 30-26, putting the Trojans down two games to none for the first time all season.
In game three, Kehoe and Akinradewo put up a block as Stanford opened to a 2-0 lead. Akinradewo and Girard followed with kills as the Cardinal put an early 4-1 gap on the Trojans. Two kills by Kaczor brought the score to 6-4, but two kills by Akinradewo in the middle later spurred a 3-0 run for the Cardinal, 12-6. Following a timeout, Kaczor recorded a kill on the right side as USC rallied with back-to-back kills, 12-8. Two more kills by Kaczor kept the Trojans in the game, 16-12. USC later pulled within a point on a kill by Copenhagen, tying the game at 17 on a Cardinal attacking error. The Trojans gained the lead for the first time in game three on another error, igniting a 5-0 run, 22-17. Kehoe slammed a kill from the middle, but USC returned with another 3-0 streak, 25-19. A kill from Barboza on the left side ended the run, and Barboza collected two more kills as Stanford pulled within three points, 27-24. Following a timeout, Barboza put down an ace and Girard followed with a kill as the Cardinal pulled within one. Richards' kill tied the game at 28, and another brought the Cardinal within one point of the win. Girard cinched the game and match for the Cardinal with an ace, 30-28.
Girard led the Cardinal with five blocks, while Kehoe tied her season high of 51 assists against the Trojans. Barboza paced the squad with 14 digs, followed by sophomore libero Jessica Fishburn with 12 digs. As a team, the Cardinal tied its season high of 60 kills against USC while hitting .309.
The Cardinal now takes on third-ranked UCLA tomorrow night at 7:00 pm.
GAME SCORES123TEAM RECORDS Stanford (3)30303014-2, 5-1 USC(0)21262817-1, 6-1