Sept. 1, 2012
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The ninth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team defeated No. 18 Florida, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25- 16, Saturday, in the Nike Volleyball Big Four Classic at Rec Hall in State College, Pa. The Cardinal improves to 3-2 overall, while the Gators drop to 3-2.
Junior middle blocker Carly Wopat recorded a season high 17 kills to go with eight digs and seven blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Boukather tallied 11 kills on 21 swings with just one error for a .476 attack percentage. Freshman middle blocker Inky Ajanaku added 10 kills and two blocks. Freshman setter Madi Bugg controlled the offense with a career high 53 assists. She also tallied 10 digs for her second straight double-double. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert led the defense with 15 digs.
Florida opened with a 25-22 win in the first set. The Gators jumped ahead 10-5 early and led the entire way. Stanford was held to a .222 attack percentage, while Florida hit .333. Wopat paced the Cardinal with six kills and four digs, while Boukather added three kills on six swings. Ziva Recek and Tangerine Wiggs combined for nine of Florida's 16 kills in the first.
Stanford evened the match at one set apiece, taking the second 25-22. The Cardinal hit .333 in the set, while holding the Gators to a .175 clip. Stanford ramped up its defense, posting 12 digs and five blocks in the second. Wopat continued to lead Stanford with five kills and three blocks, while Ajanaku added four kills and two blocks. Wiggs led the Gators with five kills.
The Cardinal went ahead two sets to one, capturing a 25-20 win in the third. The teams traded points until Stanford pulled ahead 15-12, leading by as many as five points down the stretch. The Cardinal again hit .333 in the set, which had six tie scores and two lead changes. Freshman Jordan Burgess put down five kills to lead Stanford. Simone Antwi paced the Gators with four kills.
Stanford sealed the win with a 25-16 win in the fourth. The Cardinal hit a match-best .441 in the set, while limiting the Gators to a .176 hitting percentage. Boukather registered six kills, while freshman Brittany Howard tallied five kills to lead Stanford. Recek finished with 15 kills, while Wiggs and Chloe Mann recorded 13 kills each.
The Cardinal returns to The Farm for its home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 5, an exhibition match against Jiangsu, a team from China. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be televised live by the Pac-12 Networks.