IRVINE, Calif. – Stanford finished its first road trip of the season 2-2 after three matches on Sunday against Texas Christian, Irvine Valley College and No. 5 Hawaii at the Irvine Valley Beach Volleyball Courts.
"Competition, especially against seasoned teams, brings so much to the surface," said head coach Andrew Fuller. "The skills of calibrating our defense to new attackers and our offense to new defenses were sharpened by TCU, Irvine Valley and Hawaii, and we are looking forward to rejuvenating over the rest of spring break."
Against the Horned Frogs, the Cardinal (7-4, 1-1 Pac-12) took the early lead with a win at the No. 1 match, courtesy of Kathryn Plummer and Jenna Gray. The all-freshmen duo won in straight sets, 21-14, 23-21. No. 2 Ivana Vanjak and Payton Chang extended the lead to 2-0, winning 20-22, 21-19, 15-11.
TCU (8-6) responded with three unanswered points to finish the match, starting by defeating No. 3 Catherine Raquel and Shannon Richardson lost in three sets, 21-11, 16-21, 15-9.
No. 5 Kat Anderson and Courtney Bowen dropped a three-setter, 21-10, 19-21, 15-9, before No. 4 Morgan Hentz and Caitlin Keefe fell, 19-21, 21-11, 22-20, to make the final score 3-2 in favor of TCU.
The Cardinal bounced back with a 5-0 sweep of Irvine Valley College. Stanford was gifted a point to start the match after the Lasers (1-5) forfeited the No. 5 match. Stanford's top pair of Plummer and Gray scored the first point, winning 21-11, 21-10.
No. 4 Hentz and Keefe dominated their match, 21-8, 21-13, clinching the dual at 3-0 in favor of Stanford. No. 2 Vanjak and Chang made it 4-0 with a 21-10, 21-13 win, before No. 3 Raquel and Richardson completed the 5-0 sweep with a 21-15, 21-16 win.
The Cardinal's final matchup of the weekend came against fifth-ranked Hawaii. The Rainbows (13-2) got off to a fast start, winning the first set in all five matches. No. 3 Raquel and Richardson fell 21-19, 21-10, then No. 5 Bowen/Anderson dropped a 21-16, 21-14 decision making it 2-0 in favor of Hawaii.
The Rainbows clinched the dual when No. 4 Hentz and Keefe lost, 26-24, 21-13, followed by a 21-15, 21-19 finish over No. 2 Vanjak and Chang. A loss from No. 1 tandem Plummer and Gray made the final score 5-0.
"It was so fun for the team to hit the road together, see our families and friends in Southern California, and gain that competitive experience," added Fuller.
The Cardinal finished the road trip 2-2, having defeated CSU Northridge on Saturday, 3-2. Stanford returns to action on April 7 with matches against San Francisco at 2 p.m. PT and San Jose State at 4 p.m. at the Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium.
Full Results
TCU 3, Stanford 2
1. Plummer/Gray (STAN) def. Scheel/Hill (TCU) 21-14, 23-21
2. Vanjak/Chang (STAN) def. Neal/Greene (TCU) 20-22, 21-19, 15-11
3. Palter/Mikals (TCU) def. Raquel/Richardson (STAN) 21-11, 16-21, 15-9
4. Bergeson/Peters (TCU) def. Hentz/Keefe (STAN) 19-21, 21-11, 22-20
5. Doyle/Odmark (TCU) def. Bowen/Anderson (STAN) 21-10, 19-21, 15-9
Stanford 5, Irvine Valley College 0
1. Plummer/Gray (STAN) def. Fitzgerald/Ka'awaloa (IVC) 21-11, 21-10
2. Vanjak/Chang (STAN) def. Sassman/Tuliau (IVC) 21-10, 21-13
3. Raquel/Richardson (STAN) def. Blevins/Salaya (IVC) 21-15, 21-16
4. Hentz/Keefe (STAN) vs. Holder/Miller (IVC) 21-5, 21-13
5. Bowen/Anderson (STAN) def. IVC by forfeit.
Hawaii 5, Stanford 0
1. Tucker/Martin (UH) def. Plummer/Gray (STAN) 21-19, 21-19
2. Taylor/Schucht (UH) def. Vanjak/Chang (STAN) 21-15, 21-19
3. Maglio/Weaver (UH) def. Raquel/Richardson (STAN) 21-19, 21-10
4. Homayun/Kan (UH) def. Hentz/Keefe (STAN) 26-24, 21-13
5. Zalopany/Iosia (UH) def. Bowen/Anderson (STAN) 21-16, 21-14
