Aug. 25, 2012
HONOLULU - Behind freshmen Jordan Burgess and Brittany Howard, the No. 6 Stanford women's volleyball team downed Albany, 25-14, 25-7, 25-15, Saturday, in the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Cardinal improves to 2-0, while the Great Danes drop to 0-2.
Burgess registered a double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs, while Howard finished with nine kills. Sophomores Lydia Bai and Morgan Boukather and freshman Megan McGehee, who earned her first collegiate start, all finished with four kills for Stanford. In total, 10 different Cardinal players recorded at least two kills.
Defensively, senior Hannah Benjamin racked up seven digs, while sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert totaled six digs. Stanford outhit Albany .411 to .173 in the match.
Stanford opened up with a 25-14 win in the first set. The Cardinal jumped out to an 11-3 lead and led by as many as 11 in the set. Stanford hit .394 while holding Albany to a .296 clip. Stanford was led by Burgess and Howard who each had four kills. McGehee chipped in with three kills. Sara Pope led the Great Danes with four kills.
The Cardinal handily won the second set, 25-7. Continuing to be led by Burgess, Stanford posted a .484 attack percentage while holding Albany to .061. Burgess registered six kills and eight digs in the set. Howard and sophomore Morgan Boukather added four kills each for Stanford. The Great Danes committed eight errors in the second and put down just six kills.
Stanford trailed early in the third, but utilized a 6-1 run halfway through the set to take the lead for good. Burgess, McGehee, senior Hayley Spelman and sophomore Lydia Bai all put down kills during that stretch. The Cardinal held the Great Danes to a .190 hitting percentage in the set. Pope, Traci Vandegrift and Dunja Prgomet each finished with six kills to lead Albany.
Stanford wraps up the opening weekend with a match against eighth-ranked Hawaii on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. PT.