Baird Powers Card Past BruinsBaird Powers Card Past Bruins
Karen Ambrose Hickey/isiphotos
Women's Volleyball

Baird Powers Card Past Bruins

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Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – Led by outside hitter Caitie Baird, No. 7 Stanford swept UCLA, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20, Friday, at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford (13-4, 8-1 Pac-12) hit .360 as a team, while UCLA (9-9, 3-6 Pac-12) posted a .241 clip. The Cardinal racked up 51 kills, 11.0 blocks and 48 digs, but did not record a service ace for the first time this season.

Baird registered a season-high 18 kills on 33 swings with just two errors to hit .485. The redshirt junior added 10 digs and three blocks for her fourth double-double of the season.
 


Middle blocker Sami Francis hit a match-high .583, tallying eight kills on 12 swings with just one miscue. The sophomore also recorded four blocks.

Setter Kami Miner controlled the offense, notching 42 assists to go with eight digs, two kills and two blocks. Libero Elena Oglivie collected a match-high 13 digs and had three assists.
 


Stanford had to come from behind in both the first and second sets to secure the wins. Trailing 19-17 in the first, Miner put the pressure on the Bruins from the service line and the Cardinal got a pair of kills from senior Kendall Kipp and a pair of blocks by redshirt junior McKenna Vicni to spark a 5-0 run.

Kipp finished with 11 kills on .310 hitting, three digs and two blocks. Vicini had a match-high seven blocks, including two solo.

The Bruins led 17-12 in the second, but the Cardinal again fought its way back. Down 20-16, Stanford freshman Kelly Belardi found her rhythm at the line, helping spur a 7-0 Cardinal run. Freshman defensive specialist Anna Pringle subbed in for freshman Elia Rubin in the back row during that stretch.

Rubin totaled 11 kills on a .391 attack percentage, six digs and two blocks, while Belardi matched her career-high with four digs and had an assist. Sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Beaven chipped in with three digs.

UCLA was led by opposite Iman Ndiaye's 15 kills on .500 hitting. Libero Mackenzie Cole had a team-best 12 digs to go with six assists.

Stanford closes out the first half of Pac-12 play on Sunday, hosting USC in a battle for the top spot in the Pac-12 Conference. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Pac-12 Insider.