STANFORD, Calif. — No. 2 Stanford opened the Stanford Invitational on the front foot on Friday, winning all 20 sets en route to 5-0 wins over Houston Christian and No. 18 Washington.
Stanford (14-2) opens the two-day invitational unblemished and earns its eighth ranked win of the season.
The Cardinal opened Friday’s afternoon slate in dominant fashion at the No. 2 pairing with Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra downing Houston Christian’s Paige Palmer and Grace Melnick with identical 21-13 set wins. At No. 4, Stanford’s Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher put the Cardinal near the clinch by holding Houston Christian’s Sophia Sabol and Emma Chappel under 13 points, winning the match in straight sets 21-12, 21-9. Stanford continued the perfect start as Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell took down HCU’s Alexa Landmark and Lauren Vickery to clinch the dual with straight set wins 21-13, 21-12. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman wore down HCU’s Dariya Tlevlessova and Allie Patton 21-11, 21-9 on court five while the Cardinal snagged the sweep with Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson teaming up for their first win as a pair this season, grabbing a 21-17, 21-16 win over HCU’s Olivia Zeigler and Hannah Foor to clinch the 5-0 win.
The dominance continued into the evening as the Cardinal went back-to-back matches without dropping a set. Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher earned the first point of the evening, beating Washington’s Hay/Wimmer in straight sets 21-9, 21-18. At court two, Stanford took the second point of the duel with the pairing of Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson earning a 21-14, 12-9 (Forfeit) win over Washington’s Egan/Tomasova. Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra clinched the match for Stanford on court one with a back-and-forth straight set win over Washington’s Hohenauer/Pantovic 21-19, 21-18 before the Cardinal earned the sweep in quick succession on courts five and three. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman grabbed 21-13, 21-17 straight-set wins over Washington’s Towne/Urzue on court five while the Cardinal got the brooms for the sweep on court three with Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell snagging 21-13, 21-15 set wins over Washington’s Tyus/Wilcock to grab the 5-0 scoreline.
Stanford is back in action to conclude the Stanford Invitational on Saturday, March 14. The Cardinal take on No. 17 North Florida at noon before closing the weekend against No. 11 Long Beach State. All matches at the Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium will be streamed on B1G+.
#2 Stanford 5, Houston Christian 0
- Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson (Stanford) def. Olivia Zeigler and Hannah Foor (HCU) 21-17, 21-16
- Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra (Stanford) def. Paige Palmer and Grace Melnick (HCU) 21-14, 21-14
- Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (Stanford) def. Alexa Landmark and Lauren Vickery (HCU) 21-13, 21-12
- Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (Stanford) def. Sophia Sabol and Emma Chappell (HCU) 21-12, 21-9
- Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (Stanford) def. Dariya Tlevlessova and Allie Patton (HCU) 21-11, 21-9
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
#2 Stanford 5, #18 Washington 0
- Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra (Stanford) def. Emma Hohenauer and Katarina Pantovic (Washington) 21-19, 21-18
- Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson (Stanford) def. Niki Egan and Mariana Tomasova (Washington) 21-14, 12-9 (Forfeit)
- Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (Stanford) def. Ella Tyus and Sarah Wilcock (Washington) 21-13, 21-15
- Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (Stanford) def. Ellis Hay and Ella Wimmer (Washington) 21-9, 21-18
- Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (Stanford) def. Avery Towne and Alina Urzua (Washington) 21-13, 21-17
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 5, 3