Nov. 7, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 1 Stanford women's volleyball team recorded its third consecutive sweep for the first time this season, defeating Washington State, 25-19, 25-21, 25-15, Wednesday, in Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal improve to 23-2 overall, extending its winning streak to 21 matches, and remain undefeated in the Pac-12 (15-0). The Cougars drop to 12-15 overall and 2-13 in the conference.
Junior Carly Wopat tied her career high, which she set last week at Oregon State, hitting .706 (12-0-17). Junior outside hitter Rachel Williams added 11 kills on a .429 hitting percentage to go with three digs and two blocks. Freshman outside hitter Brittany Howard posted her sixth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs. Freshman middle blocker Inky Ajanaku finished with eight kills and three blocks, while senior Hayley Spelman tallied five kills and two blocks.
Freshman setter Madi Bugg was one dig shy of a double-double as she recorded 22 assists, nine digs and three kills. Senior setter Karissa Cook added 16 assists and five digs. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert and senior defensive specialist Hannah Benjamin each registered 11 digs for the Cardinal. Stanford outhit WSU, .339 to .142.
Stanford got off to a slow start in the opening set, but came back to win it 25-19. The Cardinal hit .368 in the first, while holding the Cougars to a .190 clip. The score remained close as there were five tie scores and three lead changes. However a late run, inspired by great defense, led Stanford to the win. Ajanaku paced the Cardinal with five kills and two digs. Howard added three kills and six digs for Stanford, while Spelman also tallied three kills. WSU was led by Jaicee Harris, who posted eight kills and three digs.
In another close set, the Cardinal came out on top, 25-21. The Cougars again pulled out to an early lead, forcing Stanford to come-from-behind to capture the lead. Stanford outhit WSU .289 to .205, but committed seven attack errors which kept the Cougars close. There was no stopping Wopat as she led the way with nine kills in the second. Howard and Bugg added three each for the Cardinal, while Gilbert racked up six digs. Harris and middle blocker Marcelina Glab put down four kills each to lead the Cougars.
The Cardinal sealed the victory with a 25-15 win in the third set. Stanford was clicking on all cylinders as its hit .379 in the third, while holding the Cougars to a .024 attack percentage by forcing eight attack errors. Williams led Stanford with seven kills in the set, while Howard added four. Benjamin collected six digs to lead the defense. Harriss finished with 13 kills and four digs to lead the Cougars.
Stanford plays back-to-back matches for the first time since the preseason as it plays host to No. 5 Washington on Thursday, Nov. 8. First serve is scheduled for 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.