Nov. 13, 2011
PULLMAN, Wash. - The third-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team registered a 25-23, 25-11, 19-25, 25-15, Sunday, at Bohler Gym in Pullman, Wash. It marked the 20th win of the season for the Cardinal (20-5), which improves to 14-5 in the Pac-12. The Cougars drop to 12-16 overall and 4-14 in the conference.
Sophomore Rachel Williams led the way with 16 kills and 13 digs for her Pac-12 leading 16th double-double of the year. The outside hitter posted a season-best .455 attack percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Carly Wopat tallied 13 kills on a .545 hitting percentage with seven blocks. Redshirt freshman Lydia Bai chipped in with nine kills, while freshman Morgan Boukather finished with seven kills and two blocks.
Junior setter Karissa Cook recorded 47 assists and 10 digs to remain atop the Pac-12 standings in double-doubles with Williams. Junior libero Hannah Benjamin finished with 10 digs. As a team, Stanford hit .363, while holding WSU to a .171 clip.
Stanford edged WSU in the opening set, 25-23. There were 19 tie scores and seven lead changes in the back-and-forth set. The Cardinal hit well offensively, posting a .406 attack percentage. The Cougars his just .154, committing seven attack errors. Cook controlled the offense with 14 assists as Bai and Wopat each tallied four kills to lead the team. Wopat also collected four block assists as the Cardinal registered five as a team. WSU senior Meagan Ganzer, who leads the Pac-12 in kills and points per set, led the Cougars with three kills and two digs.
It was all Stanford in the second set as the Cardinal posted a 25-11 victory. The team posted a .522 attack percentage in the set, while holding the Cougars to a .065 clip. Williams put down six kills to lead the Cardinal, while Wopat chipped in with three and Browne tallied two. Cook racked up 11 assists and three digs. Ganzer continued to lead WSU with five kills in the second.
Washington State avoided the sweep with a 25-19 win in the third. The Cougars outhit the Cardinal .342 to .216 in the set and registered five blocks. Stanford committed 11 errors in the set, including six attack errors. Williams led the team with four kills, while Bai, Boukather and Wopat each recorded three. Freshman Kyle Gilbert led the defense with five digs, while Cook and Williams each tallied four. Ganzer registered six kills and four digs to lead the Cougars.
Stanford jumped out to an early 12-5 lead in the fourth set. The Cougars rallied back, but were only unable to pull within four points of the Cardinal. Stanford went on to win the set, 25-15. Williams and Wopat each posted three kills to lead the team. Stanford hit .381 in the set, while the Cougars hit .088. Ganzer finished with 18 kills and 11 digs for WSU.
Stanford returns to The Farm next weekend to play host to Oregon and Oregon State. The Cardinal will face the Ducks on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. and the Beavers on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. Both matches will be played in Maples Pavilion.