Nov. 11, 2011
SEATTLE - The No. 3 Stanford women's volleyball team fell in five set at No. 11 Washington, 18-25, 27-25, 25-19, 22-25, 10-15, Friday, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Wash. Stanford drops to 19-5 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-12, while the Huskies improve to 19-6 overall and 11-6 in the conference.
Outside hitter Rachel Williams posted her 15th double-double of the season with 20 kills and 20 digs. It marked the sixth 20-plus kills match for the sophomore this season. Senior middle blocker Stephanie Browne finished with a season-high 10 kills and six blocks, while sophomore Carly Wopat and redshirt freshman Lydia Bai each recorded 11 kills. Freshman Morgan Boukather chipped in with 10 kills and a season high seven blocks.
Junior setter Karissa Cook, who is tied with Williams for the Pac-12 lead in double-doubles, finished with a career high 54 assists and 16 digs. Junior libero Hannah Benjamin tied her career high with 19 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Mary Ellen Luck registered a career best 16 digs and two aces. As a team, Stanford outhit Washington, .215 to .193.
Stanford led early in the first, but quickly fell behind and dropped the set, 25-18. The Cardinal struggled to get into a rhythm offensively, hitting just .130 in the first. The Huskies recorded a .317 attack percentage in the first and also collected 4.5 blocks. Williams led Stanford with five kills and four digs, while Browne put down three kills. Defensively, Cook registered six digs to lead the Cardinal. Freshman Krista Vansant led Washington with four kills and a .308 attack percentage.
Stanford trailed throughout most of the second set, but managed to cut the lead to 21-20 which forced Washington head coach Jim McLaughlin to use his second timeout. The Huskies pulled ahead 24-22 out of the break, but the Cardinal answered back tying the set at 24 all. The teams traded points until Williams and Browne registered back-to-back kills to give Stanford the 27-25 second set win. Williams again led the team with five kills in the set, while Wopat and Boukather each tallied three kills apiece. Benjamin paced the defense with six digs in the set, while Boukather recorded three blocks. Sophomore Gabbi Parker posted six kills to lead Washington.
Stanford captured the pivotal third set, 25-19. The Cardinal led the entire way, holding the Huskies to a .051 attack percentage in the set. Stanford tallied seven blocks and recorded 19 digs in the set as it picked up its defensive intensity. Williams led the way with five kills and 10 digs in the set. Bai added four kills and three blocks for the Cardinal. Parker continued to lead the Huskies with four kills and a block in the third.
Washington, which trailed for much of the fourth set, rallied back to force a fifth set with a 25-22 victory. Stanford hit .279 in the fourth, while Washington posted a .211 clip. Williams and Wopat registered four kills each to lead the Cardinal, while Bai and Boukather had three apiece. Benjamin and Luck combined for 11 of the team's digs in the set. Washington's Bianca Rowland put down six kills to lead the Huskies.
The teams were tied at 3-3, but Washington utilized a 5-2 run to pull ahead early in the fifth. A kill by Williams and a block by Browne and Cook cut the lead to one. However, the Huskies outscored the Cardinal 7-3 down the stretch to seal the victory. Stanford was held to a .167 hitting percentage, while Washington recorded a .333 clip. Vansant finished with a team-high 18 kills and nine digs for the Huskies.
Stanford will play its final regular season road contest on Sunday, Nov. 13 at Washington State. The Cardinal and Cougars will square off at 12:30 p.m. in Pullman, Wash.