GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 12 Stanford found a way when it mattered most, defeating No. 13 Florida, 31-29, 25-22, 16-25, 22-25, 15-10, Tuesday, in front of more than 3,800 fans in Exactech Arena.
Stanford (3-0) is now 9-5 all-time against Florida (3-1) having won three in a row. The Cardinal out hit the Gators, .206 to .174 and held a 16.0 to 13.0 edge in blocks.
Opposite Kendall Kipp led all players with a season-high 19 kills to go with six digs and six blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Sami Francis hit .500 with 12 kills and a career-best nine blocks.
Stanford trailed Florida, 22-19 in the opening set before reeling off three straight points to tie it up. The Cardinal then fended off seven match-points before redshirt junior Caitie Baird registered a kill and teamed up with redshirt junior McKenna Vicini on a block to make it match point for Stanford. Kipp finished it off with her eighth kill of the opening set.
Baird finished with a season-high 15 kills, seven digs and four blocks. Vicini added five kills and a season-best seven blocks. Freshman outside hitter Elia Rubin registered a career-high 10 kills, seven digs, three assists and two blocks.
Blocks on blocks on blocks ??@mlvicini @KippKendall #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/Cndw8ZAT03
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) August 31, 2022
Rubin posted back-to-back kills to close out the second set and give Stanford a 2-0 lead. Down but not out, Florida dominated the third set and came-from-behind to win the fourth.
Setter Kami Miner controlled the offense with a season-high 47 assists. The sophomore also recorded seven digs, three blocks, three kills and an ace. Junior libero Elena Oglivie anchored the defense with a match and season-high 16 digs.
The Gators opened the decisive fifth set on a 5-1 run, including a stretch of four straight aces. Trailing 8-5, Stanford went on a run of its own, outscoring Florida 10-2 down the stretch.
Not the way we drew up match point but ???????#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/VrSonG4kAU
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) August 31, 2022
Florida was led by sophomore Merritt Beason's 13 kills, nine digs and five blocks. Middle blocker Bre Kelley finished with a match-high 10 blocks and eight kills.
Up next, Stanford returns to The Farm for its home opener, welcoming No. 1 Texas to Maples Pavilion on Sunday. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.