Oct. 10, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 4 Stanford women's volleyball team posted a 25-18, 25-16, 25-18 win, Wednesday over No. 6 USC, at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal, which has won 13 in a row, moves to 15-2 overall and 7-0 in the Pac-12, while the Trojans fall to 16-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference.
Stanford was led offensively by a pair of freshmen, middle blocker Inky Ajanaku and outside hitter Brittany Howard, who tallied 12 kills apiece. Ajanaku hit a match-high .529 to go with six blocks, while Howard hit a career best .414. Junior middle blocker Carly Wopat finished with seven kills on 15 attempts with just one error for a .400 hitting percentage and seven blocks. Rookie outside hitter Jordan Burgess was 7-0-15 (.467) and registered 19 digs and two blocks, while junior Rachel Williams totaled six kills and six blocks.
Senior setter Karissa Cook racked up 23 assists in the win, while freshman setter Madi Bugg added 14 assists and two digs. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert was also dominant for Stanford, collecting 22 digs and four assists. As a team, Stanford hit .350 in the match, while holding the Trojans to a .085 clip.
Stanford came out fired up on defense, posting eight blocks in the opening set on its way to a 25-18 victory. The score remained close early, but tied 16-16 Stanford went on a 6-0 run that put the set out of reach for the Trojans. The Cardinal recorded a .270 attack percentage, while holding USC to a .000 clip. Stanford was led by Wopat's four kills and five block assists. Burgess and Howard each added three kills, while Williams collected four block assists. Burgess registered nine digs, while Gilbert picked up eight. Freshman Samantha Bricio led USC with five kills.
The Cardinal dominated the second set, capturing a 25-16 win. As a team, Stanford tallied 16 kills and hit .324 in the set. USC was held to a .089 hitting percentage. The Cardinal, which led the entire way, was led by Howard and Ajanaku's five kills apiece. Wopat chipped in with three kills, while Gilbert and Burgess racked up nine and eight digs, respectively. Sara Shaw led the Trojans with four kills, while Bricio added three.
Stanford finished off USC with a 25-18 win in the third set. It was close in the beginning, but the Cardinal found its offensive rhythm, hitting .500 in the set (15-2-26). USC posted its best offensive output of the match with a .194 hitting percentage. Ajanaku and Howard combined for nine of Stanford's 15 kills. Williams and Burgess each added three kills for the Cardinal as Cook controlled the offense with 10 assists. Shaw tallied four kills to lead USC in the third.
Stanford wraps-up its four-match homestand on Friday, Oct. 12 against seventh-ranked UCLA. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. Cardinal alum and four-time Olympian Kerri Walsh will be at Maples Pavilion signing autographs for fans from 5-6 p.m.