Oct. 7, 2011
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The No. 7 Stanford women's volleyball team denied Oregon State its first win over the Cardinal with a 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-16 victory, Friday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. The Cardinal improves to 11-3 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-12, while the Beavers drop to 11-6 and 3-4 in the conference.
Sophomore Rachel Williams produced her fifth 20-plus kill match of her career, finishing with 22 kills and 18 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Sophomore middle blocker Carly Wopat added 11 kills and four blocks, while junior setter Karissa Cook registered her ninth double-double of the year with 47 assists and 14 digs. Williams and Cook lead the Pac-12 in double-doubles this season.
Sophomore defensive specialist Mary Ellen Luck put down a career high four service aces and tied her career best with 11 digs. Junior defensive specialist Hannah Benjamin also tied her career high with 19 digs, which led the team. Freshman libero Kyle Gilbert finished with 18 digs.
The Cardinal led 22-18 in the opening set, but allowed the Beavers to go on a 7-0 run late to capture the first set 25-22. Oregon State held Stanford to a .044 hitting percentage and collected four blocks to just two by the Cardinal. There were 11 tie scores and six lead changes in the set as both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm early on. Williams was the only Cardinal to register more than one kill as she put down seven to lead the team. Gilbert led the team with six digs, while Williams and Cook each tallied five. OSU's Camille Saxton led the Beavers with seven kills, three digs and three blocks.
Stanford tied the match with a 25-23 win in the second set. Again, the Cardinal held a lead, but allowed the Beavers to get right back into the set. Stanford maintained the advantage on the scoreboard until OSU tied it at 23-23, forcing head coach John Dunning to use his final timeout. However, out of the break redshirt freshman Lydia Bai registered a kill and then Cook and junior Jessica Walker recorded a block to secure the win. Williams again paced the team with four kills and 11 digs. Freshman Morgan Boukather entered the match for the first time and registered three kills and a block. Saxton continued to lead the Beavers with seven kills, while sophomore Becky Defoe anchored the OSU defense with 10 digs.
The Cardinal trailed the Beavers early in the third, but picked up its intensity to secure a 25-17 victory. Luck put down consecutive aces to score the final points and put Stanford up 2-1 in the match. The Cardinal held the Beavers to a .050 hitting percentage in the set, while recording a .206 clip. Williams tallied six kills, while Wopat added three to lead Stanford. Saxton had four kills to lead OSU.
Stanford sealed the victory with a 25-16 win in the fourth set. The Cardinal hit a match-high .256 in the set, while holding the Beavers to a .000 attack percentage. Stanford captured an early lead and never trailed in the set. Williams tallied five kills, while Wopat put down four. Boukather added three kills and Bai chipped in with two in the set. Saxton finished with 22 kills, 12 digs and five blocks to lead OSU.
Stanford wraps up the weekend at No. 15 Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 8. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Matt Arena in Eugene, Ore. The Ducks were swept by No. 4 California earlier in the evening.