Nov. 8, 2007
Seattle, Wash. - Entering a match as the underdog for the first time in 2007, the fifth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team didn't waste its chance at an upset. In front of 4,117 fans at Bank of America Arena, the Cardinal stunned No. 4 Washington on its home court, snapping a 39-match Husky home win streak dating back to November 2004. Freshman Alix Klineman led Stanford with 21 kills to carry the team to the 30-23, 24-30, 30-25, 21-30, 15-10 win, marking the first time since 2002 that the Cardinal has won in Seattle. The win moves Stanford (23-2, 12-2 Pac-10) a half game ahead of the Huskies (22-2, 11-2 Pac-10) in the Pac-10 title race.
Senior setter Bryn Kehoe matched a career-high with 70 assists and turned in 13 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Klineman's 21 kills led all players, and her double-double (21 kills, 14 digs) was the sixth of her career. Junior middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo chipped in 17 kills, while junior opposite hitter Erin Waller notched a season-high 14. Junior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza recorded 14 kills and her 15th double-double of the year (14 kills, 18 digs), and Gabi Ailes led the team with her second-best performance of the season (29 digs). Stanford out-hit Washington .267 to .177. The Huskies were led by Jessica Swarbrick's 14 kills and Stevie Mussie's 13 kills.
Going into the night, Stanford had last won in Seattle on Nov. 15, 2002, and the Huskies had last lost in Seattle on Nov. 26, 2004. Stanford's game one win marked the first time an opponent has taken a game from the Huskies at Bank of America Arena this year.
The teams traded points early in game one, pulling into four ties before Stanford finally broke the deadlock and strung together three points. Klineman and Akinradewo notched back-to-back kills, and, after a Husky error, Stanford went up 7-4. Franci Girard posted consecutive blocks to push the lead out to five at 11-6, and a Klineman kill made the margin one point larger at 13-7. Freshman Cassidy Lichtman then served her tenth career ace and four straight points to give Stanford a 19-10 advantage. Washington managed to trim the lead to seven on four occasions, before consecutive kills by Klineman and Waller finally re-established the nine-point lead. Akinradewo drilled down a pair of kills to push it to double-digits at 27-17, but the Huskies answered with their first three-point surge of the game and a 5-1 run. Akinradewo notched a kill to give Stanford game point, however, and Barboza finished things a point later at 30-23. Klineman led the Cardinal with seven kills, as Stanford handed the Huskies their first game loss of 2007 at Bank of America Arena. Stanford out-hit Washington .360 to .200 in the game, and tallied 21 kills.
Stanford charged out to a 5-2 lead in game two, but a series of Cardinal errors allowed the Huskies to come back and tie the game at five. Washington took its first lead at 9-8, and another Stanford miscue gave the Huskies a two-point lead, 10-8. The Cardinal wouldn't let the margin last, however, pulling into four ties before taking back the lead at 14-13. The Huskies answered with an 8-2 rally to put Stanford in a 21-16 hole, however, and the Cardinal could do little to chip away at the lead. Christal Morrison pounded a kill for game point at 29-24, and Jenna Hagglund finished things off with an ace a point later, 30-24. Stanford was out-hit .333 to .268 in the second game.
Stanford struggled to control the ball early in game three, and quickly found itself at a 5-1 disadvantage. Two kills by Akinradewo helped Stanford storm back into the game, however, and tie the score at six. Stanford couldn't pull ahead, and Washington finally took charge with another 5-1 run to make it 16-11. Barboza and Akinradewo fueled a four-point spurt by the Cardinal, however, that turned things around for good. A series of Cardinal kills squelched the Husky momentum and cut the lead to one, 17-16. Akinradewo served an ace to tie the game at 18, and a Girard kill gave Stanford its first lead at 19-18. Stanford allowed Washington tie at 19, but the Cardinal was on a powerful run. A trio of Husky errors turned Stanford's momentum into a 9-2 rally, which was capped by a Barboza kill at 25-20. The Cardinal earned game point on a block by Akinradewo and Kehoe at 29-25, and Girard put it away with an ensuing kill, 30-25. Akinradewo led Stanford with five kills in the game, and the Cardinal out-hit the Huskies .325 to .122.
Washington was again out in front early in game four, tallying four consecutive points to take a 7-3 lead. The Huskies held a solid lead until 14-10, when Barboza led a 4-1 Cardinal charge to pull within one, 15-14. The Huskies stretched the lead to three, but Stanford was back to tie at 18 with two Klineman kills. Two Mussie kills spurred an 8-1 Washington run, however, that put Stanford at a deficit it couldn't recover from, 26-19. A Cardinal missed serve gave the Huskies game point, 29-21, and a Stanford hitting error ended the game, 30-21. Stanford was out-hit .186 to .091 in the game, despite six kills by Klineman.
Washington took the first two points of the deciding game, but kills by Waller and Akinradewo tied the game at two. Washington took another lead at 3-2, but Akinradewo fired off back-to-back kills to lead Stanford out to a 5-3 advantage. Another kill by Akinradewo and a Husky error, pushed the lead out to 7-4, before a kill by Barboza and another Husky hitting error extended it to 9-5. The Huskies trimmed the margin to two, but three straight Husky miscues allowed the Cardinal to go ahead 12-7. The Huskies managed two straight points before Klineman and Barboza turned in kills to give Stanford game point at 14-9. Waller drilled a kill off the Washington block to complete the upset, 15-10.
Stanford heads across the state to Pullman tomorrow to meet the Washington State Cougars. The match is set for a late 8:30 p.m. start at Bohler Gym on the WSU campus. Stanford Head Coach John Dunning will be looking for his 200th win with the Stanford program.