STANFORD, Calif. - No. 4 Stanford clinched its first Pac-12 championship since 2014 with a 3-0 sweep over No. 14 USC, 25-16, 25-12, 25-14, Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (23-3, 16-1 Pac-12) remained unbeaten at home this season and earned the program's 17th Pac-12 championship and 20th conference title overall.Â
Stanford hit .461 for the match and held USC to .023 hitting percentage, its lowest of the season. The Cardinal has swept all but one of its nine home matches and has won 13 straight on The Farm.
Kathryn Plummer led the Cardinal with 11 kills, while freshman
Meghan McClure added eight with a .583 hitting percentage. Audriana Fitzmorris had a season-high 10 blocks (one shy of her career-high) and added six kills, while
Jenna Gray tallied 37 assists in the three-set victory.
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Morgan Hentz had a match-high 10 digs,
Merete Lutz contributed eight kills and seven blocks, and
Tami Alade finished with six kills and five blocks.Â
Stanford's 15.0 blocks were the most in a three-set match this season. The Cardinal held reigning AVCA National Player of the Week, USC outside hitter Khalia Lanier, to a -.111 hitting percentage with just four kills and six errors.
The Cardinal hosts No. 18 UCLA on Thursday at 8 p.m. It is Fan Appreciation Night and fans will have the chance to win various giveaways and prizes throughout the match. The Cardinal will be offering $7 discounted tickets with the donation of a canned food item as a part of its Holiday Drive. For those that can't make it, the game can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.
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