Sept. 19, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - The sixth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team opened Pac-12 Conference play with a 25-17, 25-17, 28-26 sweep over California, Wednesday, at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The win snapped a four-match losing skid to the Golden Bears and moved the Cardinal to 9-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Cal drops to 6-5 overall and 0-1 in the Pac-12.
Freshman Jordan Burgess led the way hitting .467 with 16 kills on 30 attempts with just two errors. She also recorded 13 digs and four blocks to post her fourth double-double of the year. Junior middle blocker Carly Wopat was equally as impressive, registering 14 kills and six blocks while hitting .458. Freshman middle blocker Inky Ajanaku added 11 kills with a .562 hitting percentage to go with four blocks.
Freshman setter Madi Bugg totaled 50 assists, nine digs, four kills and two blocks in the match. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert finished with a match-high 15 digs. Stanford tallied 11 blocks, while Cal posted six blocks. The Cardinal outhit the Bears .385 to .185.
The Cardinal won the first set 25-17, hitting .406 as a team. Stanford raced out to a 14-6 lead in the opening set and never let up as it held Cal to a .214 hitting percentage. Bugg controlled the offense with 15 assists, while Gilbert tallied six digs on defense. Wopat tallied five kills, while Ajanaku recorded four to lead Stanford. Burgess and Morgan Boukather each added three kills. Cal's Adrienne Gehan led the Bears with four kills and three digs.
Stanford took a 2-0 lead in the match by winning the second set, 25-17. The Cardinal continued to roll offensively, hitting .382 in the set and committing just four attack errors. Cal was held to a .133 hitting percentage in the second. Stanford picked up its intensity on defense, posting 14 digs and five blocks. Burgess paced the Cardinal with six kills and seven digs. Ajanaku and Wopat each added three kills for Stanford. Gehan and Christina Higgins combined for seven kills to lead Cal.
The Cardinal completed the sweep by edging the Bears 28-26 in the third set. Stanford posted a .373 hitting percentage in the set, which had 15 tie scores and nine lead changes. Wopat sealed the deal with the final kill of the match. She recorded six kills and a block in the third. Burgess again led the team with seven kills, five digs and a solo block. Ajanaku chipped in with four kills and two blocks. Gehan and senior Shannon Hawari each totaled four kills to lead Cal.
Stanford wraps-up the opening weekend of conference play on the road at Utah on Friday, Sept. 21. The Cardinal and Utes will square off at the Huntsman Center at 6 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.