Nov. 16, 2006
Eugene, Ore. - Third-ranked Stanford (22-3, 13-2) downed Oregon (17-8, 7-8) tonight, 30-26, 36-34, 30-22, at McArthur Court. Senior outside hitter Kristin Richards led the Cardinal with 15 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza followed with 14 kills against the Ducks. Junior setter Bryn Kehoe led the squad with 45 assists, while sophomore libero Jessica Fishburn posted 11 of Stanford's 46 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo also tallied eight blocks as the Cardinal recorded 15 team blocks.
The Cardinal jumped to a 3-2 lead in game one with kills from Richards and Barboza on the left side. Oregon tied the match at 4 with a kill from Erin Little, then took over the lead with a kill by Neticia Enesi on the left side, 5-4. Two powerful kills from Richards reclaimed the lead for Stanford, 10-8. The Cardinal extended its lead to 14-9 on an ace by Richards and a block by Kehoe and Akinradewo, forcing Oregon into a timeout. A kill by sophomore Erin Waller on the left side brought the score to 17-12, followed by a block from Richards and senior Lizzie Suiter. Oregon's Sonja Newcombe registered a kill on the left side, as well as another kill from Kristen Bitter on the right to kick off a 3-1 Duck run, 19-15. Oregon later pulled within four points on a blocking error, 24-20. Barboza then pounded a kill from the right side to lead off a 3-0 Stanford run, 27-21. Oregon fought back, registering a 5-1 run on kills by Bitter and Little, 28-26. Richards downed a kill from the middle, then pounded another kill on the left side to cinch game one for Stanford, 30-26.
Game two opened to a 2-0 Oregon lead on a net violation and an ace by Newcombe. Kehoe and Akinradewo then registered a block, but Oregon collected kills from Little and Mira Djuric to maintain a lead, 4-2. Junior Franci Girard's kill and combined block with Waller helped Stanford tie the game at 5. Richards tallied a block solo to give Stanford the lead at 8-7. Oregon tied the game again at 10 with scrappy defense, taking over the lead on a net violation. The Cardinal overpowered the Ducks with back-to-back kills by Barboza, 12-11, later using a 6-1 run to gap Oregon, 19-14. A kill from Barboza brought the score to 21-16, but the Ducks tallied back-to-back points on a kill by Little and an attacking error to hang within three, 21-18. Kehoe answered with an ace, then Richards put Stanford ahead, 25-21, with a kill on the left side. Enesi and Newcombe notched kills to pull Oregon back within two points and force Stanford into a timeout, 26-24. Akinradewo came out with a kill in the middle, but Oregon hung tight with back-to-back kills, 29-28. The Ducks tied the game at 30 with a kill from Djuric, but Girard kept the Cardinal in the lead with a kill on the right side, 31-30. Oregon overtook the lead, 32-31, with an ace, but Stanford hung tight with kills from Richards and Akinradewo. The Cardinal claimed game two on an attacking error, 36-34.
Stanford pulled into a 2-1 lead in game three with a block by Kehoe and Akinradewo. Waller snuck a tip over the middle and Barboza nailed an ace to spark a 3-0 run, 6-3. Oregon pulled within a point on a mishandled ball, then tied the game at 8 on an attacking error. Stanford regained the lead with a 7-0 run, including a kill from Richards down the left line and an ace by Nnamani. Oregon rallied back with a 4-1 run including two kills by Newcombe, 16-13. Barboza pounded a cross-court kill, followed by a block from Suiter and Barboza, 18-14. Djuric logged a kill in a 3-0 run to put the Ducks within a point, 18-17, but a massive kill from Barboza kept the Cardinal in control with another 3-0 run. Nnamani later tallied two kills on the right side to lead Stanford on another 5-0 streak, 26-18. Two more quick kills from Akinradewo put Stanford near the win, and Barboza wrapped up the match with a cross-court kill, 30-22.
Stanford will now head up the road to Corvallis, taking on the Beavers tomorrow night at 7:00 pm.
GAME SCORES123TEAM RECORDS Stanford(3)30363022-3, 13-2 Oregon(0)26342217-8, 7-8