PULLMAN, Wash. – For the first time since 2002, Washington State defeated the Stanford in women's volleyball. The 17th-ranked Cougars pulled out a 25-15, 17-25, 26-24, 26-28, 15-8 win over the No. 9 Cardinal, Friday, in front of a packed Bohler Gym.
Washington State improves to 13-2 overall and remains undefeated in the Pac-12 at 3-0. The Cardinal drops to 9-3 on the year and 3-1 in the conference. Stanford, which is the only Pac-12 team to have yet to play a home conference match, is now 3-3 in five-set matches in 2016.
It was a poor offensive outing for both teams, which combined for 73 attack errors. Washington State out hit Stanford .133 to .117, while the Cardinal held a 17.0 to 16.0 edge in blocks. It was the first time this season the Cardinal hit under .200 in a match.
Freshman opposite Kathryn Plummer finished with a team-high 13 kills and seven blocks, while redshirt senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku added 12 kills and nine blocks. Freshman middle blocker Audriana Fitzmorris registered 11 kills on .400 hitting, six blocks and an ace. Redshirt junior Merete Lutz also tallied 11 kills and six blocks.
Freshman setter Jenna Gray totaled 26 assists and six digs for the Cardinal, while senior setter Kelsey Humphreys tallied 24 assists and an ace. Gray and Plummer earned their first starts of their careers. Freshman libero Morgan Hentz racked-up 20 digs, while freshman Michaela Keefe totaled 13.
After evening the match at one apiece, the Cardinal appeared in the driver's seat leading the third 23-18. However, an 8-1 run by the Cougars gave them the set and the momentum. Stanford held on late in the fourth to force the final frame, but it was all Washington State in the fifth. The Cougars hit .529, notching nine kills on 17 errorless swings in the set.
Despite committing 19 attack errors, Washington State senior Kyra Holt led the Cougars with 17 kills, seven digs and five blocks. Three other Cougars turned in double-digit kills, while freshman libero Alexis Dirige had a match-high 26 digs.
Stanford returns to The Farm next week for its first home match in nearly a month as it hosts No. 20 Colorado and Utah. The Cardinal and Buffaloes square-off on Friday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Network, while the Utes come to Maples on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
