STANFORD, Calif. – The second-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team was dominant in its home opener against Pacific, Wednesday, sweeping the Tigers (25-14, 25-11, 25-14) at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal improves to 2-0 on the season, while the Tigers drop to 3-2.
For the second straight match, the Cardinal did not register a reception error. The solid passing has been a key part of its success in its first two matches. Overall, Stanford hit .368 (47-8-106) as a team, while Pacific finished at .000 (23-23-122). The Cardinal also posted 12 blocks in the match to just three by the Tigers.
Senior Rachel Williams and sophomore Brittany Howard posted identical 11-1-24 (.417) stat lines to lead the team. Williams finished with a double-double adding 11 digs and four blocks, while Howard tallied nine digs in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Inky Ajanaku pitched in with eight kills on a career-best .727 hitting percentage to go with five blocks.
Sophomore setter Madi Bugg controlled the offense, posting a double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs. Junior libero Kyle Gilbert posted a match-high 17 digs.
Stanford posted a 25-14 win in the opening set, hitting .361 as a team. The Cardinal forced the Tigers to a -.029 attack percentage in the set, racking up five blocks in the process. Williams, Howard and Ajanaku paced the team with four kills apiece, while Bugg collected 12 assists and six digs. Megan Birch and Jennifer Sanders had two kills each to lead the Tigers.
In the second set, the Cardinal continued to dominate on both sides of the ball. Stanford hit .333 as a team and forced Pacific into 10 attack errors. Howard led the squad with five kills and four digs, while Bugg again tallied 12 assists in the 25-11 rout of the Tigers. Sophomore Kat Schulz put down five kills to lead Pacific in the second.
Stanford completed the sweep with a 25-14 third-set win. The Cardinal limited itself to just one attack error in the set, posting a .405 hitting percentage. Williams totaled five kills and two blocks in the set, while four different players tallied two kills each.
After utilizing just one sub in the season opener at UC Santa Barbara, 12 of the 15 players on the Cardinal roster saw action against Pacific on Wednesday. Among them was freshman Grace Kennedy, who finished with two digs in her collegiate debut.
Stanford hits the road this weekend, traveling to Austin, Texas for the Nike Volleyball Big Four Classic. The Cardinal will face No. 8 Florida on Saturday, Sept. 7 and No. 6 Texas on Sunday, Sept. 8. Both matches will be aired on the Longhorn Network.