Sept. 26, 2008
Stanford, Calif. - Cynthia Barboza came out with another outstanding performance, helping the No. 6 Cardinal women's volleyball team begin its defense of two Pac-10 titles on the right note tonight at Maples Pavilion. In front of more than 2,000 fans, the senior ripped 15 kills, posted a .462 hitting percentage and led Stanford to a 25-16, 25-16, 25-23 victory over Oregon State. Stanford (10-2, 1-0 Pac-10) hit above .300 for the fifth consecutive match, and handed the Beavers just their third loss of the year (11-3, 0-1 Pac-10).
In addition to her hot hitting, Barboza added to her impressive night by joining Stanford's all-time top-10 servers with her 104th career ace. Barboza tied Kim Oden '86 and Cary Wendell '96 for tenth place on the career list.
Sophomore Alix Klineman also had a solid outing, turning in 11 kills. Senior middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo added eight kills and three blocks and sophomore setter Cassidy Lichtman tallied 25 assists over the three sets.
Junior outside hitter Bree Knitter led Oregon State with 10 kills and a .474 hitting percentage on the night. The Cardinal outhit Oregon State .371 to .133, marking the sixth match in a row that Stanford has held an opponent below .200.
Stanford is now 47-0 against Oregon State all-time.
Stanford took the first three points of set one, and with the help of Barboza's initial kills, the team soon had a 9-3 lead. The Beavers cut the lead to three on a Lexie Rathgeber kill at 10-7, but could come no closer. Senior opposite Erin Waller and Klineman each had two kills to help Stanford take six of the next eight points to make it 16-9, and Akinradewo and Lichtman teamed up for their second block of the night at 19-10. Stanford forged ahead, and the Beavers could do nothing but fight to keep the lead in single digits. Junior middle blocker Janet Okogbaa picked up two kills and a solo block for the final three points of the opening set, sealing the win, 25-16. Barboza led all players with four set-one kills, and Stanford hit .452 while holding Oregon State to just six kills and a .000 hitting percentage.
Two more Barboza kills and more OSU hitting errors made for an 8-2 Stanford run early in the second set, and the Cardinal took a quick 10-5 lead. At 12-7, Barboza served the 104th service ace of her career. The Beavers crept back within two at 12-10, but Stanford would have nothing of a close set. By 15-10, the Cardinal had its five-point lead back, and after another Oregon State hitting error capped a 4-0 Cardinal run, the margin was 20-12. Barboza slammed her ninth kill of the night to give Stanford set point at 24-15, and Alex Fisher entered the match and chipped in the winning point, 25-16. Barboza added five kills to her tally in the second set, and Stanford led in the set-two hitting column, .500 to .269.
Akinradewo drove two kills to the floor to set the tone for set three, and the Cardinal jumped out to another early lead, 8-3. Stanford held onto the margin and a Beaver error sent the set to the media break at 15-9. Oregon State had a productive timeout, however, and took seven consecutive points out of the break to take over the lead. Incensed by the comeback, Barboza demolished an overpass to stop the run and tie at 16. The senior then pounded kills for the next two Cardinal points, giving the team the energy to race ahead. A Beaver service error and a Klineman kill helped Stanford build back a three-point lead at 21-18, but Oregon State wouldn't let down. The Beavers battled back to tie at 23 on a kill by Lauren Rinderknecht, forcing Stanford to take a timeout. Lichtman finished a long rally with her fifth kill to take set point at 24-23, and a Beaver attempt sailed deep to end things in Stanford's favor, 25-23. Barboza had six kills in the final set.
The Cardinal returns to the court tomorrow night, taking on No. 11 Oregon to conclude its first weekend of Pac-10 play. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion.