STANFORD, Calif. – Led by Caitie Baird, No. 1 seed Stanford swept Fresno State, 25-21, 25-12, 25-15, Friday, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (27-3) improved to 42-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament first round matches. The Cardinal hit .400 as a team, while holding Fresno State (19-14) to a .128 clip. Stanford was also solid defensively, racking up 43 digs and 8.0 blocks.
Baird hit a career-high .591, registering a match-best 15 kills on 22 swings with just two miscues. The redshirt senior also tallied nine digs, a block and an ace.
Francis & @caitiebaird_ close the roof ??
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 2, 2023
?? » https://t.co/VXI8U6JTOl#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/uXVssy6N4y
Stanford, which defeated Fresno State for the first time in the postseason, improved to 14-1 all-time against the Bulldogs. It was the first Cardinal win over Fresno State since 1999.
Junior Kami Miner, the two-time Pac-12 Setter of the Year, dished out 39 assists and had six digs and a kill while directing the Cardinal offense to its fifth match of the season hitting .400 or better. Senior Elena Oglivie, the two-time Pac-12 Libero of the Year, collected a match-high 18 digs.
We love a good out-of-system play ??
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 2, 2023
?? » https://t.co/VXI8U6JTOl#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/pCVYn1XDEL
Opposite Kendall Kipp, who repeated as Pac-12 Player of the Year, recorded nine kills on .400 hitting, five blocks, five digs and two aces. Outside hitter Elia Rubin also finished with nine kills and had three digs, two assists and a block.
Middle blocker McKenna Vicini totaled six kills on a .500 attack percentage and three blocks, including one solo, while middle blocker Sami Francis tied for a match-high with five blocks to go with three kills, two digs and an assist.
Kendall Kipp finds the sweet spot @StanfordWVB ??#NCAAWVB x ?? ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/zSOtXyxliP
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 2, 2023
Freshmen Julia Blyashov and Jordyn Harvey made their postseason debuts, subbing in late in the third. Blyashov was 3-0-3 (1.000), while Harvey notched a kill on her only attempt. Sophomore setter Kelly Belardi also came in down the stretch, finishing with a pair of assists.
Fresno State, which was making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, was led by opposite Addison Haluska's seven kills on .353 hitting. Freshman libero Dionii Fraga had a team-high 14 digs.
Stanford will face (8) Houston on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.