Sept. 28, 2012
TUCSON, Ariz. - The seventh-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team defeated Arizona, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-18, Friday, at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. The Cardinal moves to 11-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference, while the Wildcats drop to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in the Pac-12.
The Cardinal was led by junior middle blocker Carly Wopat, who was 15-0-24 for a .625 hitting percentage. The Santa Barbara, Calif., native also tallied five blocks to finish with 19 points. Freshman outside hitter Jordan Burgess registered her sixth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 17 digs to go with three service aces. Freshman middle blocker Inky Ajanaku added 10 kills and tied her career high with seven blocks. Junior Rachel Williams, sophomore Lydia Bai and freshman Brittany Howard each finished with six kills.
Playing for the first time in almost a month, senior Karissa Cook split time at setter with freshman Madi Bugg. Cook totaled 17 assists and four digs, while Bugg had 34 assists and 12 digs for her team-best seventh double-double of the year. Stanford posted a .255 hitting percentage, while Arizona hit .158.
Stanford opened with a 25-20 win in the first set. The Cardinal fell behind early, but took the lead for good at 11-10. The Wildcats pulled within one (19-18), but Stanford closed out the set with a 6-2 run. The Cardinal hit .318 in the set, while holding the Wildcats to a .184 clip. Both teams tallied 21 digs, while Stanford held a 3-2 advantage in blocks. Burgess and Wopat paced Stanford with four kills each. Ajanaku and Howard added three kills apiece. Outside hitter Madi Kingdon led Arizona with five kills and five digs.
Arizona answered with a 25-22 win in the second set to even the match at one set apiece. The Cardinal trailed the entire set and was unable to recover from its errors. The Wildcats outhit the Cardinal .235 to .206. Down 21-15, Stanford outscored Arizona 6-2, but ultimately it wasn't enough as the Wildcats held on late. Ajanaku, Wopat and Williams each had three kills to lead the Cardinal. Taylor Arizobal led Arizona with six kills.
The Cardinal responded with a 25-22 victory in the third set to take the lead in the match. Stanford improved on its attack percentage from the second set, posting a .289 clip. The Wildcats were held to a .125 hitting percentage. The Cardinal also collected four blocks in the set, which had 11 tie scores and four lead changes. Wopat led the way with five kills, while Ajanaku had two kills and three blocks. Bai added three kills for Stanford. Kingdon paced the Wildcats with six kills and three digs.
Stanford finished off Arizona with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. The Cardinal led the entire set, hitting .195 to .095 by the Wildcats. Stanford continued to spread around its offense as Bai, Burgess and Wopat each tallied three kills in the set. Ajanaku and Williams added two kills each. Kingdon again had six kills to lead Arizona.
Stanford closes out the road trip on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Arizona State. The Cardinal and Sun Devils will square off at 6 p.m. in Tempe on the Pac-12 Networks.