STANFORD, Calif. – Behind 17 kills from Kathryn Plummer, No. 4 Stanford defeated USC, 25-12, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20, in front of more than 5,800 fans Friday at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (19-4, 13-2 Pac-12) hit .284 as a team and held USC (14-11, 8-7 Pac-12) to a .142 clip as it defeated the Trojans for the eighth straight time. The Cardinal shut down the USC offense with 16.0 blocks – matching its season-high.
Plummer had a team-high 17 kills to go with four digs, three blocks and an ace. The Aliso Viejo, California, native moved into seventh place on the Cardinal's career kills list and now has 1,760. She moved in front of Kim Oden (1982-85) and Bev Oden (1989-92) during Friday's match.
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— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) November 16, 2019
Set tied 15-15.
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Senior middle blocker Madeleine Gates finished with 11 kills on .429 hitting and seven blocks for the Cardinal. Junior outside hitter Meghan McClure totaled nine kills, seven digs, four assists, three blocks and an ace, while senior opposite Audriana Fitzmorris chipped in with eight kills and six blocks.
Setter Jenna Gray, who moved past Madi Bugg (2012-15) for second place all-time in career assists at Stanford on Friday, controlled the offense with 39 assists and added 12 digs, five kills and four blocks. The senior now has a team-best nine double-doubles on the season.
Senior Morgan Hentz put on a show in the back row, collecting 21 digs to go with nine assists and an ace. The libero is just 23 digs away from breaking Gabi Ailes's (2007-10) school record for career digs.
Morgan Hentz. That is all.#NCAAVB | @StanfordWVB pic.twitter.com/RLzQrAfBM1
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) November 16, 2019
Sophomore middle blocker Holly Campbell registered five kills on .300 hitting and had seven blocks, while junior defensive specialist Kate Formico tallied four digs and an ace. Junior serving specialist Sidney Wilson registered two aces.
The Cardinal shut down USC senior Khalia Lanier in the first two sets, forcing the outside hitter to have a negative attack percentage. The reigning AVCA National Player of the Week heated up in the third and fourth sets, and finished with a match-best 19 kills. Kalen Owes added 10 kills for the Trojans.
Stanford closes out the weekend on Sunday against UCLA. It is the Cardinal's Neurodiversity Match, aiming to raise awareness in addition to providing a sensory-friendly atmosphere for individuals within the Neurodiversity spectrum.