Oct. 14, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - All 14 players on the roster saw action as the No. 7 Stanford women's volleyball team swept Washington State, 25-13, 25-21, 25-6, Friday night at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal improves to 13-3 overall and 7-3 in the Pac-12, while the Cougars drop to 11-8 on the season and 3-6 in the conference.
Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Williams led the team with 13 kills, nine digs and three service aces. Redshirt freshman Lydia Bai tallied a season-best 12 kills on 22 swings with just two errors for a .455 attack percentage. Four other Cardinal players chipped in with at least four kills. Junior setter Karissa Cook finished with 36 assists and six digs, while junior defensive specialist Hannah Benjamin racked up 10 digs and two aces.
Stanford came out on fire offensively, capturing a 25-13 win in the opening set. The Cardinal hit .387 as a team, while holding the Cougars to a .167 clip. Stanford put down five service aces in the set, including three by Williams. The sophomore paced the team with six kills and five digs. Bai chipped in with four kills on seven swings for a .571 attack percentage. Stanford held Washington State senior Meagan Ganzer, the Pac-12 leader in kills and points per set, to just four kills in the opening set.
Stanford secured a 25-21 win in the second to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Cardinal continued to play well offensively, hitting .312 in the set. Bai, Williams and sophomore Carly Wopat each tallied four kills to lead the Cardinal. Williams also paced the defense with three kills and a block. Washington State hit .286 in the set and was led by Ganzer's five kills.
The Cardinal jumped out to a 12-1 lead early in the third and never looked back, completing the sweep 25-6. Stanford hit a match-high .567 in the set, while the Cougars hit a -.103. Sophomore Sam Wopat entered the match in the third and put down four kills to lead the team. Junior Hayley Spelman also saw time in the third, registering two kills and three blocks. Senior setter Katherine Sebastian replaced Cook for the final points of the set.
Ganzer finished with 10 kills and eight digs for Washington State.
Stanford faces No. 2 Washington on Saturday, Oct. 15 to wrap up the first half of Pac-12 Conference play. The Cardinal and Huskies will square off at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.