Nov. 20, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - Sophomores Rachel Williams and Carly Wopat led the fifth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team to a 25-19, 25-23, 24-26, 25-5 win over Oregon State, Sunday, at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal now stands at 21-6 overall and 15-6 in the Pac-12, while the Beavers drop to 15-15 overall and 7-13 in the conference.
Williams registered her conference-leading 18th double-double of the season with 21 kills and 13 digs. It marks her eighth 20-plus kills performance of the year and second in as many matches. Wopat also posted a double-double with 12 kills and a career high 11 blocks. Redshirt freshman Lydia Bai added 12 kills, six digs and five blocks, while junior Hayley Spelman was 11-1-21 for a .476 hitting percentage.
Junior setter Karissa Cook also recorded a double-double, her 17th of the season, with 53 assists and 17 digs. Junior libero Hannah Benjamin and freshman Kyle Gilbert anchored the defense with 17 digs and 10 digs, respectively. As a team, Stanford hit .298, while OSU posted a .210 clip.
Stanford won the first set against OSU, 25-19. Both teams hit well offensively with the Cardinal posting a .432 attack percentage, while the Beavers hit .343. Five Cardinal players registered at least three kills in the set with Williams and Wopat leading the way with five apiece. Cook racked up 15 assists and five digs in the opening set. Oregon State senior Dre Shaw led the Beavers with seven kills, four digs and a .778 attack percentage.
The Cardinal escaped with a 25-23 win in the second set. There were eight tie scores and two lead changes in the set in which Stanford hit .255. Oregon State posted a .220 attack percentage and registered four blocks in the second. Williams led the team with seven kills, while Wopat and Bai each put down three. Defensively, Cook led the team with four digs. Shaw continued to lead OSU with seven kills and three digs in the set.
Oregon State avoided the sweep with a 26-24 win in the third set. The Beavers hit .250 in the set, while holding the Cardinal to a .190 clip. OSU also recorded five blocks in the set, which had seven tie scores and five lead changes. Williams paced Stanford with six kills and three digs. Bai and Spelman each chipped in with three kills. Freshman Arica Nassar registered three kills and two solo blocks for Oregon State.
The Cardinal closed it out in the fourth set, winning 25-15. Stanford hit .316 in the set, while holding OSU to a .065 attack percentage. The Cardinal also registered six blocks in the fourth with senior middle blocker Stephanie Browne picking up four block assists. Spelman led the way offensively with four kills. Williams and Bai each had three kills apiece. Benjamin and Cook combined for 14 of the team's 24 digs in the set. Shaw finished with 24 kills and 15 digs to lead the Beavers.
Stanford closes out the regular season on Friday, Nov. 25 when it plays host to Bay Area rival California in the Big Spike. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Maples Pavilion. The match will be televised by Fox Sports Net on a tape-delayed basis.