Nov. 21, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 2 Stanford women's volleyball team defeated Colorado, 21-25, 25-19, 25-13, 25-16, Wednesday, on Senior Night in Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal improves to 26-3 overall and 18-1 in the Pac-12, while the Buffaloes drop to 14-17 overall and 4-15 in the conference.
Stanford seniors Hannah Benjamin, Karissa Cook, Hayley Spelman and Jessica Walker were honored with their families prior to the match. Charlotte Brown, who came in with the class in the fall of 2009, was also recognized Friday after medically retiring from volleyball in the spring of 2011.
Freshman Brittany Howard led the team with 15 kills, tying her career-best, nine digs and three blocks. Freshman Jordan Burgess added 10 kills, nine digs and four blocks, while junior Carly Wopat finished with nine kills and six blocks. Junior Rachel Williams added seven kills and five blocks.
Freshman setter Madi Bugg totaled 22 assists, four digs and career high four service aces. Cook finished with 16 assists, seven digs and two kills. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert collected 16 digs and six assists. As a team, Stanford hit .308, while holding Colorado to a .182 clip.
The Cardinal started its four seniors, but dropped the opening set, 25-21. Both teams hit lights out as Stanford posted a .438 hitting percentage while Colorado hit .424. Four service errors by the Cardinal was the difference in the set. Howard put down seven kills to lead Stanford, while Spelman and Wopat each tallied three. Benjamin and Cook collected four digs each to lead the defense. Freshman Alexis Austin led Colorado with seven kills.
Stanford, playing with its usual lineup, responded by capturing the second set 25-19. The Cardinal posted a .235 hitting percentage in the set, committing just three attack errors. Colorado registered seven hitting errors and was held to a .150 attack percentage. Wopat led the way for Stanford with four kills, while Williams, Howard and Burgess each put down two. Austin continued to lead Colorado with five kills and five digs.
The Cardinal dominated the third set with a 25-13 victory. Stanford hit .500 in the set, while holding Colorado to a .167 hitting percentage. The Cardinal put down four aces in the third, two by Gilbert and two by Wopat. Burgess, Williams and Wopat all recorded three kills to lead Stanford. Austin registered five kills to lead the Buffaloes, while Neira Ortiz Ruiz totaled four.
Stanford finished off Colorado with a 25-16 win in the fourth. Neither team hit well offensively as the Cardinal posted a .103 hitting percentage and the Buffaloes hit -.034. Stanford registered four and a half blocks in the fourth with Wopat tallying four. Burgess and Howard each put down three kills, while Williams posted two kills in the set. Austin finished with 19 kills and seven digs to lead Colorado on the night.
Stanford wraps-up the Pac-12 season on Friday, Nov. 23 at California for the Big Spike. The match, which will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks, is slated for 8 p.m. from Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.