STANFORD, Calif. – The 12th-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team sent its seniors, Inky Ajanaku and Kelsey Humphreys, out right with a dominating 25-15, 25-8, 25-15 sweep over California in the Big Spike, Friday, at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (21-7, 15-5 Pac-12) hit .381 for the match, while forcing the Golden Bears into a -.046 attack percentage. Cal finishes its season at 9-21 and 3-17 in the conference.
Ajanaku hit .467, totaling seven kills on 15 errorless swings. She also collected a match-high six blocks in her final regular-season contest in Maples Pavilion. Humphreys finished with five digs and an assist for the Cardinal.
A photo posted by Stanford Women's Volleyball (@stanfordwvb) on Nov 25, 2016 at 8:04pm PST
Freshman Kathryn Plummer again paced the team with 13 kills on .375 hitting, two digs, two assists and three blocks. Redshirt junior Merete Lutz finished with nine kills on a .316 attack percentage to go with five blocks. Redshirt junior Ivana Vanjak tallied six kills, while freshman Audriana Fitzmorris had three kills and three blocks.
Freshman setter Jenna Gray collected 35 assists, four digs, two blocks and an ace. She also notched three kills on three attempts, taking advantage of Cal's defensive alignment. Freshman libero Morgan Hentz registered 15 digs and an ace in the sweep. She has now recorded double-digit digs in all 28 matches this season.
Stanford was able to go to its bench in the second and third sets. Sophomore middle blocker Tami Alade tallied a kill and two blocks, while redshirt freshman Courtney Bowen's first collegiate kills sealed the second-set win for Stanford. Sophomore Payton Chang and Caitlin Keefe also earned playing time off the bench, each picking up a dig.
Cal was led by Christine Alftin's six kills and four digs. She also put down the lone service ace for the Bears. Senior setter Alyssa Jensen totaled 18 assists, six digs and two blocks in her final collegiate match, while senior libero Maddy Kerr had seven digs in her last outing.
Stanford will find out its postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 27 as the NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on ESPNU at 6 p.m. PT. The Cardinal is one of just two teams in the nation to have appeared in all 35 previous NCAA Tournaments.