STANFORD, Calif. – Led by opposite Kendall Kipp, No. 1 seed Stanford defeated No. 5 seed Arizona State, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21, Thursday, in the Stanford Regional semifinal at Maples Pavilion.
In the rubber match between the Cardinal (29-3) and Sun Devils (28-7), Stanford out hit ASU, .217 to .190. The Cardinal matched its season-high with 70 digs (its most in a four-set match) and had 12.0 blocks and seven aces.
Kipp finished with a season-best 23 kills, one shy of her career-high, to go with 10 digs, four blocks and an ace for her sixth double-double of the year.
Setter Kami Miner controlled the offense with 53 assists and had 10 digs, a kill, a block and an ace. Outside hitter Elia Rubin turned in 19 kills on .341 hitting, 15 digs, three blocks and two aces. Miner and Rubin lead the team with 13 double-doubles each.
Outside hitter Caitie Baird finished with a team and season-high 17 digs to go with 10 kills, three blocks and three aces for her second double-double of the year. Middle blocker Sami Francis added six kills and six blocks, while libero Elena Oglivie totaled 15 digs and three assists.
Redshirt senior middle blocker McKenna Vicini also had six blocks, including the 500th of her career. The Lexington, Kentucky, native is the 10th Cardinal to register 500 career blocks, moving past Kerri Walsh (1996-99) to tie Merete Lutz (2014-17) with 504 and counting.
Arizona State was led by opposite Marta Levinska's 17 kills, six digs and two blocks. Libero Mary Shroll had a match-high 30 digs for the Sun Devils.
Stanford improves to 79-9 all-time against Arizona State, including 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
Stanford has advanced to a regional final for the 17th 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.
No. 1 seed Stanford will face No. 2 seed Texas on Saturday with a spot in the Final Four on the line. Frist serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.