Sept. 30, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - Led by middle blockers Carly Wopat and Jessica Walker, the No. 6 Stanford women's volleyball team swept Arizona State, 25-17, 25-19, 25-18, Friday, at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal moves to 9-3 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12, while the Sun Devils drop to 4-10 overall and 0-5 in the conference.
Wopat led the team with 12 kills on 21 attempts with just one error for a .524 hitting percentage. Walker went 9-0-18 for a season high .500 hitting percentage. She also posted a career best eight blocks in the match. Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Williams finished with seven kills, six digs and two blocks, while junior Hayley Spelman registered six kills and tied her career high with five blocks. Freshman libero Kyle Gilbert tallied 19 digs to lead the defense.
As a team, Stanford registered 13 blocks to just four by ASU. The Cardinal held the Sun Devils to a .097 hitting percentage, while posting a .235 clip.
The opening set remained close early on, but Stanford pulled away with the 25-17 victory. There were 12 tie scores and six lead changes in the set in which the Cardinal out hut the Sun Devils .211 to .042. Wopat led the team with four kills on six errorless attempts. She also posted two blocks in the set. Junior Hayley Spelman chipped in with three kills and two blocks. Gilbert led the defense with eight digs. ASU junior Erica Wilson paced the Sun Devils with five kills, while sophomore libero Stephanie Preach tallied nine digs.
The Cardinal continued to play solid defense in the second set, topping the Sun Devils 25-19. Stanford collected five blocks and 18 digs in the set as it held ASU to a .053 attack percentage. Williams and Walker each posted four kills in the set, while Wopat added three kills. Gilbert matched her set one dig total with eight in the second. Ashley Kastl had four digs to lead ASU.
Stanford completed the sweep with a 25-18 win in the third set. The Cardinal led the entire way, hitting a match-high .353. Wopat again led the team with five kills, while Walker and Williams each registered three. Stanford capitalized on eight ASU attack errors in the set.
Wilson finished with a team-high 12 kills and a .409 hitting percentage, while Preach recorded 19 digs for the Sun Devils.
Stanford returns to Maples Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 2 to take on the Arizona Wildcats. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.