Oct. 22, 2011
TEMPE, Ariz. - After dropping the first set, the fifth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team came back to defeat Arizona State, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-18, Saturday, at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. The Cardinal moves to 16-3 overall and 10-3 in the Pac-12, while the Sun Devils fall to 5-16 overall and 1-11 in the conference.
Sophomore middle blocker Carly Wopat led the Cardinal with a career high 18 kills to go with eight blocks in the match. Redshirt freshman Lydia Bai finished with a season-best 16 kills, eight digs and three blocks. Junior Hayley Spelman was key down the stretch for the Cardinal, totaling a season high 13 kills on 21 swings with just one error for a .571 attack percentage. Junior libero Hannah Benjamin tied her career high with 19 digs, while sophomore Mary Ellen Luck also tied her career best with 11 digs.
The opening set remained close throughout as the Sun Devils edged the Cardinal, 25-55, after seven tie scores and two lead changes. Both teams hit well in the first as Stanford posted a .324 attack percentage, while ASU registered a .359 clip. Wopat led the team with five kills, while Bai pitched in with four kills and five digs. Benjamin led the defense with six of the team's 16 digs. ASU sophomore Ashley Kastl led the Sun Devils with seven kills and four digs.
Stanford came back to tie the match 1-1 with a 25-21 win in the second set. The Cardinal outhit the Sun Devils .333 to .222 in the set. Again, the score remained close as there were 10 tie scores and three lead changes. Bai led the squad with four kills, while sophomore Rachel Williams and Spelman each put down three kills. Wopat and senior Stephanie Browne each recorded two blocks for the Cardinal. Sophomore Danica Mendivil led the Sun Devils with five kills.
The Cardinal held the Sun Devils to a .049 attack percentage in the third set as it secured a 25-20 win. Stanford hit .353 in the set in which it registered four blocks. Wopat led the team with six kills and three blocks, while Bai and Spelman each tallied four kills for the Cardinal. Defensively, Benjamin and Luck each collected six digs. Kastl led ASU with four kills.
Stanford trailed early in the fourth set, but rallied to come-from-behind to post a 25-18 win. The Cardinal hit .244 in the fourth, while holding ASU to a .024 clip. Spelman recorded six kills to lead the team, while Wopat added five and Bai chipped in with four. Kastl finished with 17 kills and 12 digs for the Sun Devils.
Stanford returns to The Farm next week to play host to No. 3 USC and No. 6 UCLA. The Cardinal will face the Trojans on Friday, Oct. 28 and the Bruins on Saturday, Oct. 29. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. from Maples Pavilion.