Nov. 3, 2011
BOULDER, Colo. - The No. 3 Stanford women's volleyball team defeated Colorado, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-15, Thursday, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. Stanford improved to 18-4 overall and 12-4 in the Pac-12, while Colorado is now 5-19 overall and 0-16 in the conference.
Sophomore middle blocker Carly Wopat led the Cardinal with 14 kills, six digs and five blocks. Sophomore Rachel Williams, who leads the Pac-12 in double-doubles, finished with 13 kills, 10 digs and career high seven blocks. Junior Hayley Spelman and redshirt freshman Lydia Bai each recorded nine kills for the Cardinal, while junior middle blocker Jessica Walker had eight kills and three blocks.
Junior setter Karissa Cook controlled the offense with 48 assists. The Santa Cruz, Calif., native also registered five kills, eight digs and a block assist. Junior libero Hannah Benjamin led the defense with 13 digs. Stanford out blocked Colorado 14.5 to 4.5 and outhit the Buffaloes .259 to .120.
The Cardinal edged the Buffaloes 25-23 in the opening set. Stanford trailed 17-11, but rallied to pull within one at 20-19. A net violation by Colorado tied it up at 21-21. Spelman recorded a solo block to put Stanford on top 24-23 and then Williams sealed match-point with a solo block of her own. Neither team hit particularly well in the first as Stanford posted a .171 attack percentage to Colorado's .071. Williams and Wopat combined for eight kills, three digs and five blocks to lead the team. Colorado's Kerra Schroeder led the Buffaloes with five kills.
Stanford found itself trailing Colorado again in the second set, but this time was unable to recover. The Buffaloes edged the Cardinal 25-22 as they hit .395 in the set. Stanford hit .311 in the second. Wopat led the team with five kills, four digs and two blocks in the set. Spelman also put down five kills, while Walker added three kills. Cook racked up 13 assists and five digs for the Cardinal. Schroeder continued to lead Colorado with five kills and five digs in the second.
Stanford took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-21 win in the third. The Cardinal jumped out to an early lead, but the Buffaloes capitalized on Stanford errors to keep it close down the stretch. Stanford hit .189 in the set, while holding Colorado to a .023 clip. The Cardinal stepped up defensively, registering 18 digs and four blocks. Williams tallied four kills and five digs to lead the team. Walker added three kills and two digs, while Wopat and Cook each chipped in with two kills apiece. Schroeder and Anicia Santos each collected four kills to lead Colorado.
Stanford pulled ahead 10-2 early, but an 8-5 run by Colorado seemingly gave the Buffaloes hope. However, the Cardinal regrouped and went on to win the fourth set, 25-15. The Cardinal hit a match-high .385 in the set, while the Buffaloes hit a negative .069. Bai led Stanford with five kills, while Spelman, Williams and Wopat each registered three. Schroeder finished with 15 kills and nine digs to lead Colorado.
Stanford wraps up the road trip at Utah on Saturday, Nov. 5. First serve is schedules for 1 p.m. PT from Crimson Court in Salt Lake City.