STANFORD, Calif. – Led by freshmen Audriana Fitzmorris and Kathryn Plummer, No. 11 Stanford defeated third-ranked Minnesota, 25-23, 25-15, 25-27, 25-19, Sunday, at Maples Pavilion.
Helping the Cardinal (1-1) pick up its first win of the season, Fitzmorris and Plummer each tallied 13 kills and hit over .350. As a team, Stanford out hit Minnesota (1-1) .233 to .142 and held a 17.5 to 12.5 advantage in blocks. The Cardinal remains a perfect 7-0 all-time against the Gophers.
Redshirt junior Merete Lutz finished with 11 kills on .310 hitting and seven blocks. Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku, redshirt junior Ivana Vanjak and sophomore Hayley Hodson each finished with nine kills. Ajanaku and Fitzmorris paced the team with eight blocks each.
Freshman setter Jenna Gray registered her first career double-double with 31 assists and a team-high 15 digs. Senior Kesley Humphreys turned in 25 assists and nine digs, while freshman libero Morgan Hentz collected 14 digs. Defensive specialist Halland McKenna added 10 digs and an ace for the Cardinal.
Minnesota was led by Hannah and Paige Tapp, who recorded 17 and 13 kills, respectively. Setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson led all players with 37 assists and 17 digs.
Up next, Stanford travels to Boulder, Colorado for the BigTen/Pac-12 Challenge, featuring the Cardinal, host Colorado, No. 9 Penn State and No. 14 Illinois. Stanford faces the Fighting Illini on Saturday, Sept. 3 and the Nittany Lions on Sunday, Sept. 4.
Can you get a dig and a kill with one touch?! Fitzmorris can! Watch on @Pac12Network https://t.co/60KNyzfEIl
— Stanford Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) August 28, 2016
Out of system? No problem for @lutz_of_luv! Watch on @Pac12Network https://t.co/F2y6nfVN5m
— Stanford Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) August 28, 2016