STANFORD, Calif. – Behind junior Inky Ajanaku and senior Morgan Boukather, the No. 1 Stanford women’s volleyball swept Bay Area rival California, 25-16, 26-24, 25-16, in the Big Spike at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal improves to 11-0, its best start since 2010, while the Golden Bears drop to 8-3.
Stanford, which hit .296 as a team, has now won five straight matches against Cal. The Cardinal held the Golden Bears to a .122 attack percentage, forcing 21 attack errors. Stanford also led the blocks column, 6.0 to 5.0, and the service aces column, 6 to 2.
Ajanaku, a human biology major from Tulsa, Okla., led all players with 14 kills on a .632 attack percentage. Boukather, also a human biology major, finished with nine kills on a .368 hitting percentage with three digs and three blocks.
Junior setter Madi Bugg controlled the offense with 36 assists and finished one dig shy of a double-double. Senior libero Kyle Gilbert tallied 13 digs to lead the team. She has racked up double-digit digs in all 11 matches this season.
Redshirt freshman Merete Lutz finished with six kills and four blocks, while junior outside hitter Jordan Burgess had eight kills and three digs. Junior Brittany Howard posted a season high three aces to go with five kills and five digs.
Stanford jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match, hitting .414 in the opening set while holding Cal to a .143 hitting percentage. The Golden Bears rallied in the second nearly tying the match, but the Cardinal came from behind to take a 2-0 advantage despite hitting just .143 in the set. Stanford got back on track in the third offensively, posting a .407 hitting percentage and limiting itself to just two attack errors.
Cal was led by Christina Higgins’ 13 kills, while sophomore libero Maddy Kerr finished with a match-high 15 digs.
Up next, Stanford plays host to Washington State on Friday, Sept. 26. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.