STANFORD, Calif. – Outside hitter Elia Rubin had a career-high 23 kills to lead No. 1 seed Stanford in a 25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-7, win over No. 8 seed Houston, Saturday, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion.
As a team, Stanford (28-3) hit .401 and registered a season-high 78 kills to go with 12.0 blocks 60 digs and four aces. Houston (19-10) posted a .252 attack percentage and totaled 44 digs, eight aces and 11.0 blocks – all coming in the final three sets.
Rubin hit .415 for the match and recorded 12 digs, two blocks, three assists and an ace for 12th double-double of the season. The sophomore paces the team with 4.00 kills on .333 hitting and 4.31 points per set in the Cardinal's first two NCAA Tournament matches.
Setter Kami Miner matched her career-high with 60 assists, and added 12 digs, three blocks, three kills and an ace. The junior is tied with Rubin for a team-best 12 double-doubles on the season.
Stanford was on fire offensively in the first two sets. The Cardinal posted 20 kills on .562 hitting in the first and 24 kills on a .524 attack percentage in the second, siding out at 80 percent or better in both.
?????? @caitiebaird_
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 3, 2023
?? » https://t.co/VXI8U6JTOl#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/YxGWLx7dVu
Outside hitter Caitie Baird turned in 16 kills on .412 hitting, five digs, three assists and a block, while opposite Kendall Kipp also recorded 16 kills to go with eight digs, six blocks and an ace.
Stanford received formidable production from its middles. Junior Sami Francis hit .588 with 12 kills, four blocks and three digs, while redshirt senior McKenna Vicini had a match-high eight blocks to go with eight kills on 16 errorless swings to hit .500.
UP AND OVER ??#NCAAWVB x ?? ESPN+ / @StanfordWVB pic.twitter.com/cBuUhww2aQ
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 3, 2023
Senior libero Elena Oglivie collected a match-best 19 digs and finished with five assists. In the decisive fifth set, sophomore defensive specialist Anna Pringle registered an ace to give the Cardinal an early 4-1 lead.
Houston was led by outside hitter Kenna Sauer who had a match-high 24 kills, nine digs, a block and an ace. Abbie Jackson added 15 kills, three blocks, two digs and an ace for the Cougars.
For the second straight year, Stanford ended Houston's season having defeated the Cougars in the regional semifinals in 2022. The Cardinal is now 9-0 all-time against Houston.
Working the slide early tonight ??
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 3, 2023
?? » https://t.co/VXI8U6JTOl#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/WVU8O0RTUm
The Cardinal will host the Stanford Regional on Dec. 7-9 at Maples Pavilion. (1) Stanford takes on Pac-12 foe (5) Arizona State on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU following (2) Texas versus (3) Tennessee at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Stanford has advanced to the regional semifinals for a 20th time since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. The Cardinal is hosting a regional for the fifth time in seven seasons under Kevin Hambly, The Montag Family Director of Women's Volleyball.
All-session tickets for the Stanford Regional go on sale on Monday at 10 a.m. PT with single match tickets available starting Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT.