Sept. 24, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - The second-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match at No. 12 USC, 25-23, 26-24, 25-23, Saturday, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The Cardinal falls to 8-3 overall and 2-3 in the Pac-12, while the Trojans improve to 9-3 and 4-1 in the conference.
Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Williams registered her seventh double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Carly Wopat went 10-2-24 (.333) on the night with seven blocks. Junior setter Karissa Cook posted 32 assists, six digs and five blocks. Freshman Kyle Gilbert, who earned her first start at libero, finished with 18 digs.
The first set was close throughout with 11 tie scores and three lead changes, but USC came out on top, 25-23. The teams were tied at 19-19 when the Trojans used a 4-0 run to pull ahead for good. Stanford out hit USC .294 to .239 in the opening set and was led by Williams' five kills. Gilbert led the defense with seven digs. Junior outside hitter Katie Fuller led USC with six kills and three digs.
The Cardinal led 13-10 in the second set, but a 4-1 run by USC gave the Trojans the one-point edge. Stanford came back to tie the score up at 18-18, but a 3-1 run by USC forced head coach John Dunning to call timeout. The Cardinal again tied the score at 24-24, but two straight points for the Trojans gave USC the 2-0 lead in the match. Williams and Wopat each tallied four kills to lead the Cardinal. Stanford, which collected six blocks in the set, was held to a .143 hitting percentage. USC senior outside hitter Alex Jupiter recorded six kills in the set to lead the Trojans.
USC led 16-13, but three straight Cardinal points, including an ace by sophomore Mary Ellen Luck, tied the score. USC pulled ahead once again, but Stanford fought back to cut the Trojan lead to 24-23. However, an attack error by Williams completed the sweep for USC. Redshirt freshman Lydia Bai led the Cardinal with four kills in the third. Jupiter collected five kills to lead the Trojans.
It marked the first time Stanford had been swept in a match since a 3-0 loss at Washington during the 2009 season.
Up next, Stanford returns to The Farm to play host to Arizona State and Arizona. The Cardinal will take on the Sun Devils on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. and the Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. The match against ASU will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on Fox Sports Net.