Sept. 6, 2007
Stanford, Calif. - Freshman Alix Klineman put up another career-best performance and the Stanford women's volleyball team cruised to its fifth win of the season with a 30-21, 30-28, 30-23 sweep of Saint Mary's tonight in the team's home-opener at Maples Pavilion. Klineman recorded 18 kills, two aces and two blocks and helped the team improve to 5-0 on the year. The Gaels were handed their first loss of the season and fall to 5-1.
Klineman's 18 kills led three Stanford players in double-figures. Junior Cynthia Barboza notched her third double-double of the season, with 10 kills and 12 digs, while junior Foluke Akinradewo posted 11 kills and five blocks on the night. Freshman Gabi Ailes led the team with 16 digs, while Bryn Kehoe moved 48 assists closer to second place on the Stanford career assists chart with her second double-double of the season (48 assists, 12 digs). The senior setter now needs just 15 to take that second place spot. Saint Mary's was led by the 14 kills of freshman Megan York. Stanford hit .275 to the Gaels' .112.
In her first match at Maples Pavilion, Klineman quickly showed the home crowd her talent, notching five kills in Stanford's first 12 points of game one. Saint Mary's held leads in the first part of the game, but Klineman kept the Cardinal close and eventually jumpstarted a 4-0 Stanford run that would give the team the lead at 9-7. From that point, Stanford held a small advantage, relinquishing it just once when Saint Mary's rattled off four straight points to take the lead at 17-15. The Cardinal quickly turned things around however, taking the lead back when Barboza pounded down an overpass, and ran away from there. Stanford went on a 15-4 run, which included back-to-back kills and a pair of blocks by senior middle blocker Franci Girard, and took the last five points of the game. Girard's solo block ended things at 30-21. Klineman recorded seven kills in game one alone, and Stanford held the Gaels to a .047 hitting percentage while hitting .289.
Where Klineman carried the Cardinal in game one, it was Akinradewo who stepped up with a big game the second time around. The teams traded points early, and were deadlocked at 7-7 when the junior middle blocker caught fire. Akinradewo pounded a ball down to give Stanford an 8-7 lead, but Saint Mary's rattled off five consecutive points to take what would be their largest lead of the match, 12-8. Akinradewo was only getting started, however, and took things into her own hands to get the Cardinal back on top. The Plantation, Fla. native ripped five kills in the next seven points, and led the charge on a 7-1 Cardinal run that gave Stanford a 15-13 advantage. Four points later, Klineman served back-to back aces to spur a 6-2 rally by the Cardinal that extended the lead to 22-19. Saint Mary's fought back to tie three times, but an attack error by the Gaels gave Stanford game point at 29-27 and Barboza sent a ball to the floor to finish the game, 30-28. Klineman added six more kills in the game, while Akinradewo posted seven of her 11 in the game.
In game three, Saint Mary's once again took a few early leads, but Klineman delivered consecutive kills to give Stanford a lead it would hold onto at 6-5. The Gaels came up with three straight points to pull into the match's last tie at 12-12, and from there it was all Cardinal. Outside hitter Alex Fisher led the charge with an ace and an kill in a 6-1 run that put the Cardinal up five at 18-13, and the team maintained that lead for the better part of the final game. Saint Mary's narrowed the gap to three at 23-20, but Stanford took seven of the final nine points to seal the game and another sweep, 30-23.
In the first match of the Stanford Invitational, Cal Poly defeated BYU 22-30, 30-26, 30-21, 30-24.
The tournament continues tomorrow, when BYU takes on Saint Mary's at 4:30 p.m. Stanford will meet No. 17 Cal Poly in the day's second game at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.