Sept. 3, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - Sophomores Rachel Williams and Carly Wopat both registered career nights as the No. 6 Stanford women's volleyball team topped No. 18 Duke, 25-20, 19-25, 25-17, 25-15, Saturday, in the Stanford Invitational at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal is now 4-0 overall, while the Blue Devils fall to 4-2.
Williams led all players with 24 kills on 60 attempts with just one error for a .383 attack percentage, while tallying 22 digs and three blocks. Her 24 kills and 22 digs, both career highs, marked her first career double-double. Wopat also posted her first career double-double with 14 kills on 33 attempts with no errors, 12 digs and six blocks. Junior setter Karissa Cook controlled the offense with a career-best 51 assists and a career-high tying 20 digs. All three players were selected to the all-tournament team with Williams being named the MVP.
Stanford came out and won the opening set, 25-20. Williams led the way with seven kills and 12 digs in the set. Wopat added five kills, while junior libero Hannah Benjamin collected six digs. Middle blocker Amanda Rovertson led the Blue Devils with four kills and three digs. Stanford held Duke to a .113 attack percentage in the set.
The Blue Devils answered back in the second, tying the match with a 25-19 victory. Duke out hit Stanford .326 to .250 and held Williams to just two kills. Duke's Megan Hendrickson had six kills in the set to lead all players, while Stanford's Jessica Walker put down four kills to lead the Cardinal.
Stanford went on to win the third and fourth sets by eight and 10 points, respectively. Williams tallied eight kills in the fourth to lead the team, while Cook racked up 15 assists in the set. Overall, the Cardinal posted 104 digs in the match and 11 blocks.
In the second match of the night, Saint Mary's swept Notre Dame. The Gaels' Lauren Corp and Missy White were named to the all-tournament team, along with Notre Dame's Jeni Houser and Duke's Ali McCurdy.
Up next, Stanford hosts the second annual Nike Volleyball Big Four Classic, featuring four-time defending national champion Penn State, Florida and Texas. The Cardinal will face the Nittany Lions on Friday, Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m. The Gators and Longhorns will square-off in the second match at 8 p.m.