BERKELEY, Calif. – Behind Kathryn Plummer's 22 kills, No. 1 Stanford held off No. 21 California, 20-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-19, Thursday, in the Pac-12 opener for both teams at Haas Pavilion.
Stanford (7-2, 1-0 Pac-12) won its 15th straight match against California (10-1, 0-1 Pac-12), and its 26th consecutive match over a Pac-12 opponent dating back to 2017.
Plummer hit .298 and totaled seven digs and match-high 23 points. Senior opposite Audriana Fitzmorris added 11 kills and four blocks.
A hot start propelled the Bears to a 25-20 win in the opening set. Stanford was held to a .179 hitting percentage in the set. Middle blockers Holly Campbell and Madeleine Gates tallied four kills apiece to lead the team.
Stanford bounced back in the second, evening the match with a 25-17 victory. The Cardinal hit .333 in the set – its highest of the match.
Senior setter Jenna Gray controlled the offense with 48 assists and had 12 digs. Senior libero Morgan Hentz also registered a double-double with 21 digs and a career-high 10 assists.
Gates posted nine kills on .368 hitting and five blocks, while freshman Kendall Kipp had eight kills. Junior Meghan McClure was solid defensively with nine digs, while junior Sidney Wilson recorded a season-high two aces.
Freshman Mckenna Vicini subbed into the match in the third set for Campbell. The middle blocker finished with three kills and three blocks.
Cal was led by Preslie Anderson's 11 kills on .455 hitting and four blocks, while Maddie Haynes had 10 kills.
Stanford returns to The Farm on Sunday to host No. 8 Washington. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.