BOULDER, Colo. – The sixth-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team became the first Pac-12 team to defeat Colorado in Boulder this season, defeating the Buffaloes 25-19, 25-15, 25-20, Friday, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo. The Cardinal improves to 17-5 on the season and 10-3 in the Pac-12, while the Buffaloes drop to 15-8 overall and 7-6 in the conference.
Sophomore middle blocker Inky Ajanaku hit .667 in the match, posting 10 kills on 12 attempts with just two errors. She also recorded four blocks for the Cardinal. Senior middle blocker Carly Wopat also recorded 10 kills and led the team with five blocks. Senior Rachel Williams added eight kills, four blocks and three digs, including the 700th of her career.
Sophomore setter Madi Bugg controlled the offense with 35 assists, while junior libero Kyle Gilbert tallied a match-high 15 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Jordan Burgess finished with six kills and eight digs, while sophomore Brittany Howard posted five kills and six digs.
Stanford opened the match with a 25-19 victory in the first set. Tied 9-9, the Cardinal reeled off four straight points to take the lead for good. Stanford hit .286 in the opening set, while holding Colorado to a .188 clip. The Cardinal also tallied four blocks, led by three apiece from Williams and Wopat. Offensively, Wopat led the team with five kills. Bugg added two aces in the set. Junior Taylor Simpson led the Buffaloes with seven kills.
The Cardinal dominated the second set, hitting .458 on its way to a 25-15 set win. Stanford limited Colorado to a .031 attack percentages as the Buffaloes committed eight attack errors. The Cardinal also put down three aces in the second. Ajanaku and Wopat led the team with three kill apiece, while Gilbert racked up six digs.
Stanford erased a seven-point deficit in the third set to complete the sweep, 25-20. Ajanaku fueled the comeback with four kills in the set, while Burgess and Williams added three each. The Cardinal also posted three blocks in the set, including three by Ajanaku. Simpson finished with 12 kills and five digs for the Buffaloes.
Stanford wraps-up the road trip on Sunday, Nov. 10 at Utah. The Cardinal and Utes will square off at 11 a.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.