Nov. 8, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Behind freshman Brittany Howard, the top-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team silenced No. 5 Washington with a 25-23, 25-11, 21-25, 25-22 victory, Thursday, in Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal improves to 24-2 overall and 16-0 in the Pac-12, extending its winning streak to 22 matches. The Huskies fall to 20-5 overall and 11-5 in the conference.
Howard turned in an impressive performance, registering a team-high 12 kills and 31 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. The rookie's 31 digs tied former Cardinal All-American Gabi Ailes for the third most in a single match in program history. Junior Carly Wopat chipped in with 10 kills, six blocks and for digs, while junior Rachel Williams added 10 kills and three blocks. Freshman outside hitter Jordan Burgess finished with eight kills and 13 digs.
Freshman Madi Bugg and senior Karissa Cook controlled the offense with 29 and 17 assists, respectively. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert finished one dig shy of her career-high with 24. Stanford finished with a .190 attack percentage, while the Huskies hit .133.
The Cardinal found a way to edge the Huskies, 25-23, to win the opening set. Stanford fell behind early, tying the score on eight occasions. A block by senior Hayley Spelman and freshman Inky Ajanaku gave the Cardinal the 21-20 advantage and Stanford was able to hold off the Huskies the rest of the way. Howard led the team with four kills and seven digs in the first. Spelman added three kills, while Burgess and Williams each had two. Washington was led by Kaleigh Nelson's five kills.
The second set was a different story as Stanford posted a 25-11 victory. The Cardinal led the entire way, hitting .371 while holding the Huskies to just six kills and a.000 attack percentage. However, it was the Stanford defense that spurred the offense, led by Howard and Gilbert. Howard racked up 12 digs in the set, while Gilbert tallied 10. As a team Stanford recorded 28 digs and two blocks in the second. Offensively, Burgess paced the team with five kills and Wopat added four. Nelson had three of the Huskies' six kills in the second.
Washington answered in the third set with a 25-21 win, hitting .312. The Cardinal was held to a .034 hitting percentage, committing eight attack errors. The Cardinal pulled to within two at 20-18 on kills by Burgess and Ajanaku, but the Huskies finished out the set strong to avoid the sweep. Ajanaku's three kills led Stanford, while Williams and Howard added two apiece. Howard also collected five digs in the set. Washington middle blocker Melanie Wade led the Huskies with four kills.
Stanford finished Washington off with a 25-22 win in the fourth. The Cardinal trailed for most of the set, and probably had fans thinking they were going to see a fifth set when it trailed 22-18. However, solid serving by Bugg sparked a 7-0 run for the Cardinal, which included three kills and a block by Williams, to capture the win. Neither team hit particularly well in the set as the Cardinal posted a .149 hitting percentage and the Huskies hit .077. Wopat put down five kills and collected two blocks to lead Stanford. Gilbert and Howard again anchored the defense with 11 and seven digs, respectively.
The Cardinal hits the road next week, travelling to Los Angeles to face No. 8 USC and No. 6 UCLA. Stanford will take on the Trojans on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Galen Center and the Bruins on Friday, Nov. 16 at Pauley Pavilion. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m.