COLUMBIA, Mo. – Led by Elia Rubin and Erika Sayer, No. 5 Stanford defeated No. 23 Missouri, 25-23, 33-31, 22-25, 25-21, Tuesday, in the Showdown at the Net in Hearnes Center.
Stanford (4-2) hit a season-best .408 as a team, registering 71 kills with just 11 errors. The Cardinal held the Tigers (3-2) to a .291 clip, posting 9.0 blocks and seven aces.
The Showdown at the Net pits the ACC versus the SEC on Tuesday and Wednesday. After the first night, the ACC holds a 5-3 advantage in the challenge.
Rubin turned in a season-high 20 kills on a season-best .425 attack percentage. The senior also tallied 12 digs for her second double-double of the season, and finished with two aces, a block and three assists.
Sayer, a freshman from Colorado Springs, had a career night, registering 16 kills on .583 hitting, six blocks – all career-highs. The middle blocker also put down an ace on set-point in the marathon 33-31 second frame.
Stanford hit .405 or higher in each of the sets it won on Tuesday. Freshman Logan Parks set the offense with a career-best 58 assists to go with two kills. She also had eight digs and five blocks – both career-highs. For the match, there were 31 tie scores and 11 lead changes.
Freshman Spencer Etzler finished with 12 digs and three assists. The libero carried the load on serve receive with zero errors on 44 total attempts. Opposite Jordyn Harvey recorded a season-high 13 kills on a season-best .440 attack percentage. The junior matched her season-high with three aces to go with four digs, two blocks and an assist.
Redshirt sophomore Julia Blyashov started at outside hitter and recorded a career-best 14 kills, four digs a block and an ace. Sophomore Lizzy Andrew chipped in with six errorless kills, hitting .545 and had three blocks.
Missouri was led by Caylen Alexander’s 15 kills and six digs, while Tyrah Ariail hit .7850 with 13 kills on 16 swings with just one miscue. Libero Maya Sands finished with a match-high 16 digs.
Stanford returns to The Farm on Friday as it hosts Utah State for its home opener at 6 p.m. The Cardinal will also take on UC Davis on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.