GREELEY, Colo. – Led by sophomore Elia Rubin, No. 3 Stanford opened the season with a 25-22, 25-16, 32-30 sweep over Northern Colorado, Friday, at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Stanford hit .351 as a team, highlighted by a .571 clip (16-0-28) in the second set, and registered 9.0 blocks, six aces and 30 digs. Northern Colorado posted a .272 team hitting percentage, 5.0 blocks, two aces and 20 digs.
Rubin registered a match-high 12 kills on .320 hitting, six digs, three blocks and an ace. Junior middle blocker Sami Francis added 10 kills on .333 hitting, four blocks and a career-high two aces.
Textbook ??#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/zVogrrdNw0
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) August 26, 2023
Stanford improved to 6-1 in season openers under Kevin Hambly, the Montag Family Director of Women's Volleyball.
Junior setter Kami Miner controlled the offense with 39 assists and tallied two kills, five digs, an ace and a block. Senior libero Elena Oglivie finished with a match-high eight digs.
Keep an eye on Kami ??#NCAAWVB x ?? ESPN+ / @StanfordWVB pic.twitter.com/fu6RwGtjr2
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) August 26, 2023
A pair of Cardinal rookies made their debuts on Friday. Outside hitter Julia Blyashov and opposite Jordan Harvey were in the starting lineup and each notched nine kills. Harvey hit .400 and added six digs, while Blyashov posted a .353 attack percentage and had a pair of blocks.
Redshirt senior McKenna Vicini was effective in the middle, totaling six kills on nine errorless swings to hit .667 and finished with four blocks. Sophomore Kelly Belardi recorded two digs, an ace and an assist off the bench, while junior Taylor Beaven added two digs and an assist.
Stanford is back in action on Saturday at Colorado State. The Cardinal and Rams square off at 6 p.m. PT on Mountain West Network.