VILLANOVA, Pa. – No. 21 Stanford opened the 2021 season with a 25-14, 25-20, 27-25 sweep at Villanova, Friday, in the first volleyball match held in Finneran Pavilion.
Stanford (1-0) had five players register eight or more kills, led by junior Kendall Kipp's 10. The Cardinal hit .302 in the match, while holding the Wildcats (0-1) to a .167 clip. Stanford applied pressure on the Wildcats from the service line, notching six aces.
Freshman setter Kami Miner registered a double-double with 39 assists and 14 digs. The Redondo Beach native also had a pair of kills and an ace in her collegiate debut.
Senior middle blocker Holly Campbell, who missed the entire spring season due to injury, returned to the lineup to hit .615 with nine kills on 13 swings with just one error. Junior middle blocker McKenna Vicini added eight kills on a career-high .533 hitting percentage.
Outside hitters Caitie Baird and Natalie Berty each notched nine kills. Baird finished with five digs and three blocks, while Berty had two digs, a solo block and an assist. Sophomore libero Elena Oglivie racked up 19 digs and matched her career-highs in assists (5) and aces (3).
Defensive specialists Alex Lougeay and Taylor Beaven both made their Stanford debuts against the Wildcats. Lougeay totaled four digs and an assists, while Beaven had a dig. Junior setter Selina Xu appeared in all three sets as a serving sub and posted a dig.
Villanova was led by Clare Delaplane's 15 kills on .577 hitting and 11 digs. Rose Crist added eight kills on a .316 attack percentage.
Stanford closes out the opening weekend on Saturday at Temple. First serve is slated for 3 p.m. PT from McGonigle Hall.