STANFORD, Calif. – Led by Jordyn Harvey, No. 5 Stanford defeated Utah Valley, 21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14, Friday, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (28-4), the No. 6 overall seed, hit .212 as a team, while holding Utah Valley (16-11) to a .086 clip. The Cardinal improved to 44-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Harvey, a Utah native, registered a match-high 14 kills on .423 hitting and had 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. The junior opposite also tallied five blocks and two aces.
Senior Elia Rubin also turned in a double-double, her team-leading 11th of the season, with 10 kills and a match-best 13 digs. Freshman middle blocker Erika Sayer had 11 kills and a match-high nine blocks in her NCAA Tournament debut.
Friday marked the first meeting between Stanford and Utah Valley. The Cardinal is now 21-2 in the postseason at Maples Pavilion under ninth-year head coach Kevin Hambly, The Montag Family Director of Women’s Volleyball.
Sophomore Taylor Yu controlled the offense with a career-high 44 assists and had 11 digs for her third double-double of the year. The setter also notched two blocks and a season-high two aces. Freshman libero Spencer Etzler collected 12 digs, five assists and put down a career-best four aces in her first postseason outing.
Middle blocker Lizzy Andrew chipped in with nine kills on a .368 attack percentage and two blocks, while outside hitter Julia Blyashov added nine kills, six digs and two blocks.
Utah Valley, which was making its third NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2021, was led by outside hitter Avery Page who finished with 12 kills, 10 digs, two aces and three blocks, including two solo.
Stanford will face Arizona in the NCAA Second Round on Saturday in Maples Pavilion. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.