Oct. 6, 2006
Stanford, Calif. - Sixth-ranked Stanford (13-2, 4-1) took down No. 7 Cal (14-2, 3-2) in three games to claim the Big Spike victory, 30-20, 30-22, 30-21. The Cardinal continues a 26-match winning streak at home against the Bears. Senior outside hitter Kristin Richards and sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza each contributed 13 kills, with Richards tallying a .565 hitting percentage against Cal. Sophomore middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo collected seven blocks, nearly matching her season high of eight, while junior setter Bryn Kehoe led the squad with 12 digs.
Stanford took the lead, 3-1, in game one on an ace by Akinradewo. The Cardinal later pulled out a 3-1 run on a kill by sophomore Erin Waller and another ace by Barboza, 7-4. Akinradewo ignited the crowd after she ended a long rally with a kill down the middle, 9-6. Cal pulled within three points on a kill by Natalie Smart, but Barboza answered with her own cross-court kill, 13-9. The Cardinal continued on another 3-1 streak off of a kill by junior Franci Girard, as well a block by Girard and Waller to force the Bears into a timeout, 15-10. Stanford came back out with a 5-1 run thanks to three kills by Richards. Following another timeout, Richards continued the run with a kill and a block with Akinradewo, 22-12. California fought back with its own 3-0 run on with an ace by Hana Cutura, but Stanford answered with a kill and a block, 24-15. A kill and block solo by Barboza extended the Cardinal lead to 27-19. Barboza followed with another kill to put the game within a point for Stanford, then a mishandled ball closed out the win for the Cardinal, 30-20. Stanford hit .355 in game one, holding the Bears to a .139 hitting percentage.
Cal opened game two with two blocks to take a 2-0 lead, but two quick kills by Kehoe tied the game. Stanford overtook the lead on an attacking error, 3-2, to kick off a 2-1 spurt. Cal continued to block well, leading 8-6 on another ace by Cutura. The Bears extended their lead on a kill by Smart, 10-7, but Barboza later tied the game at 10 with a powerful kill. Kehoe and Girard continued the Cardinal on a 6-2 streak with kills to force Cal into a timeout, 16-12. The Bears came back collected, ending a long rally with a kill by Smart to start a 2-0 run. Girard later collected an ace and Akinradewo and Waller registered a block to highlight a 5-0 run, 20-15. Richards continued to hound the Bears with an ace as Stanford turned in another 5-0 run, 26-18. Cal rallied with a 3-1 run on a kill by Smart, but a kill by Barboza on the left side put Stanford within a point of the win. A Cal attacking error sealed game two for the Cardinal, 30-22.
The Bears maintained a 3-1 lead to start game three on kills by Smart and Ellen Orchard. Girard collected two kills as Stanford answered with a 5-1 lead, 6-4. Another kill by Richards on the left side put Stanford up, 7-5. Cal didn't back down, collecting a kill by Orchard to tie the game at 7. A Cal serving error and massive kill by Richards put the Cardinal back in the lead at 9-7. Stanford lengthened its lead, 11-8, on Bear errors. The Bears rallied back to tie the game at 13 on Cardinal ball handling error, but Girard put Stanford back on top with a kill, sparking a 2-0 streak. Following a timeout, the Bears' Cat Dailey registered a kill as Cal tied the game again at 16. A kill by Richards, as well as a dominant block by Akinradewo and Kehoe later put Stanford back in the lead, 20-17. Barboza kept Stanford ahead, 23-19, with a cross-court kill, then followed with another kill as the Cardinal ran up a 3-0 streak, 25-19. Another 3-0 Cardinal run on kills by Richards and Barboza brought the Cardinal within two points of the match victory. Waller sealed game three with a kill, 30-21.
Kehoe recorded 30 assists as Stanford hit .354 against the Bears. In addition to 13 kills apiece from Barboza and Richards, Girard contributed seven of Stanford's 43 kills. The Cardinal collected 11 team blocks, holding the Bears to a .143 hitting percentage. Kehoe and sophomore libero Jessica Fishburn combined for 23 of Stanford's 47 digs.
Stanford hits the road next weekend to take on highly ranked USC and UCLA in Southern California. The Cardinal will face USC on Thursday, October 12 at 7:00 pm. On Friday, Stanford matches up against UCLA at 7:00 pm.
GAME SCORES123TEAM RECORDS California(0)20222114-2, 3-2 Stanford(3)30303013-2, 4-1