STOCKTON, Calif. – In a complete team effort, the No. 12 Stanford women's volleyball team defeated Pacific, 25-21, 25-22, 25-17, Saturday at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Stanford (6-2) hit a season-best .355 in its final tune-up before Pac-12 play starts on Tuesday. The Cardinal recorded 47 kills with just eight attack errors, while holding Pacific (6-6) to a .179 clip. Stanford also held an edge in blocks (7.0-1.0) and digs (53-47).
Redshirt junior outside hitter Ivana Vanjak led the team with 10 kills and just one error on 19 swings to hit .474. Freshman outside hitter Michaela Keefe, who earned her second straight start, finished with career-highs of eight kills and 13 digs.
Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku and redshirt junior Merete Lutz each tallied eight kills for the Cardinal while hitting .300 or better. Freshman opposite Kathryn Plummer added seven kills on .438 hitting and four blocks.
Setters Kelsey Humphreys (26 assists) and Jenna Gray (17 assists) controlled the offense, while freshman libero Morgan Hentz once again led the team in digs with 17.
Stanford opened the match with a 7-2 lead in the first before the Tigers battled back to tie it 13-13. In total, there were six tie scores and five lead changes in the first until the Cardinal outscored the Tigers 8-4 down the stretch. Stanford never trailed in the second or third sets.
Emily Baptista led Pacific with 15 kills and six digs, while Lexi Elman posted 10 kills and 15 digs. Setter Andie Shelton racked up 37 assists and eight digs.
Up next, Stanford opens Pac-12 play on the road at Bay Area rival California on Tuesday, Sept. 20. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Network.
