STANFORD, Calif. – The Cardinal kicked off its final weekend of regular-season action with two victories Saturday, topping Pac-12 foes RV Washington and No.11 Cal in the first day of the Stanford Invitational II.
No. 8 Stanford's two-win day started with a sweep of Pac-12 foe Washington, led by straight-set victories on courts one, two, three, and four. Senior Jordan McKinney and freshman Emma Morris fought back from a first-set defeat to decidedly win the matchup on court five with a three-point win in set two and a six-point victory in set three.
The Cardinal then marked its second victory over Bay-Area foe No. 11 California this season to close out the day's action, besting the Bears 3-2. Wins on courts two and four from senior Charlie Ekstrom and junior Maddi Kriz and senior Maddie Dailey and sophomore Maya Harvey in the first flight gave the Cardinal an early 2-0 advantage. After falling on court 5, Stanford captured the victory with a straight-set win on court one from sophomores Xolani Hodel and Kate Reilly.
Stanford continues action tomorrow, hosting No. 7 GCU and Saint Mary's at the Beach Volleyball Courts at 1 and 5 p.m., respectively. The Cardinal's matchup with the Gaels will be preceded by a ceremony celebrating the careers of seniors Ekstrom, Dailey, and McKinney.
#8 Stanford 5, Washington 0
#1 Xolani Hodel/Kate Reilly (STAN) def. Chloe Loreen/Natalie Robinson(UW) 21-10, 21-13
#2 Charlie Ekstrom/Maddi Kriz (STAN) def. Paloma Bowman/Scarlett Dahl (UW) 21-11, 21-18
#3 Emmy Sharp/Taylor Wilson (STAN) def. Maeve Griffin/Audra Wilmes(UW) 21-15, 21-16
#4 Maddie Dailey/Maya Harvey (STAN) def. Hannah Yerex/Ashley Shook (UW) 21-18, 21-13
#5 Jordan McKinney/Emma Morris (STAN) def. Emma Calle/Kyra Petersen (UW) 18-21, 21-18, 15-9
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 1, 5
#8 Stanford 3, #11 Cal 2
#1 Xolani Hodel/Kate Reilly (STAN) def. Maya Gessner/Ana Costa (Cal) 21-17, 21-14
#2 Charlie Ekstrom/Maddi Kriz (STAN) def. Ainsley Radell/Ava Mann (Cal) 24-22, 21-15
#3 Lexi McKeown/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. Emmy Sharp/Taylor Wilson (STAN) 21-18, 21-17
#4 Maddie Dailey/Maya Harvey (STAN) def. Ashley Delgado/Brooke Buchner (Cal) 16-21, 21-8, 15-7
#5 Alex Young-Gomez/Natalie Martin (Cal) def. Emma Morris/Jordan McKinney (STAN) 21-17, 21-14
Order of finish: 2, 4, 5, 1*, 3