EUGENE, Ore. – Behind a season-best 18 blocks, the sixth-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team defeated Oregon, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15, Thursday, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. The Cardinal improves to 19-5 overall and 12-3 in the Pac-12, while the Ducks drop to 14-11 overall and 7-8 in the conference.
Senior Carly Wopat registered her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and a season-high 12 blocks. Sophomore Brittany Howard led the team offensively with 15 kills to go with six digs and four blocks. Senior Rachel Williams added nine kills and season-highs of 17 digs and six blocks. Sophomore Jordan Burgess finished with nine kills, 14 digs and three blocks, while sophomore Inky Ajanaku had seven kills and six blocks.
Sophomore setter Madi Bugg totaled 41 assists, eight digs and four blocks, including the 100th of her career. Junior libero Kyle Gilbert recorded a match-high 23 digs and moved past Cynthia Barboza and Wendy Rush for sixth all-time on Stanford’s career digs list (1,264). Stanford finished with a .268 hitting percentage, while the Ducks hit .126.
Stanford opened the match with a 25-15 win in the opening set. The Cardinal hit .250 and registered four team blocks, forcing the Ducks to hit -.050. Burgess and Williams led the team with three kills apiece. Wopat notched four blocks, while Howard and Williams had two each. Gilbert paced the defense with 11 digs.
Oregon answered in the second set, capturing a 25-20 set-win. The Ducks hit .256 in the second, while holding the Cardinal to a .194 clip. Howard led Stanford with four kills, while Burgess and Williams had three each. Bugg, Gilbert and Williams all registered four digs in the set, while Wopat tallied three blocks. Liz Brenner and Ariana Williams led Oregon with six kills apiece.
After trailing the Ducks 6-0 to start the third set, the Cardinal rallied back to edge Oregon 25-23 in the pivotal third set. Stanford outhit Oregon .282 to .209 and collected four team blocks. Howard led the team offensively with five kills, while Burgess added three. Gilbert again anchored the defense with five digs, while Burgess tallied four. Ajanaku collected three blocks in the set for the Cardinal. Ariana Williams and Martenne Bettendorf each had five kills to pace Oregon.
Stanford dominated the fourth set, capping off the match with a 25-15 victory. The Cardinal hit .343 in the set, while holding the Ducks to a .073 clip. Stanford also tallied six blocks in the set. Wopat led the team with six kills and four blocks. Howard added four kills and two blocks, while Burgess and Williams notched six digs each. Brenner and Ariana Williams finished with 15 kills apiece to lead Oregon.
Stanford concludes the road trip at Oregon State on Saturday, Nov. 16 in Corvallis. First serve between the Cardinal and Beavers is slated for 7 p.m. PT in Gill Coliseum.