#12 Stanford Dismisses In-State Rival California in Three Sets

MATCH STATS

• No. 12 Stanford Defeats California (25-15, 25-8, 25-15)
  • Box score
• Team’s Record:
  • Stanford (21-7, 15-5 PAC-12), California (9-21, 3-17 PAC-12)
• Schedules:
  • Stanford here, California here

RECAP

The Stanford Cardinals and California Golden Bears were mismatched on offense, with Stanford hitting .381 for the match, while California had a negative .046 attack percentage.

Stanford senior Inky Ajanaku finished her last regular season match with 7 kills and a match-high 6 blocks.

Although it was senior night, Stanford freshman Kathryn Plummer led her team in kills with 13. Plummer also contributed two digs, two assists and three blocks.

Redshirt junior Merete Lutz also played a solid all-around match with 9 kills and 5 blocks.

Despite the loss, California celebrated the careers of three seniors: Jenelle Jordan, Maddy Kerr and Alyssa Jensen. Jordan notched 4 kills and 2 blocks in her final match. Defensive specialist Kerr, meanwhile, tallied 7 kills, giving her to 1,775 for her career collegiate total (good for second on Cal’s all-time list). Jensen had 18 assists, totaling 3,342 for her career, which ranks her sixth on Cal’s all-time list.

Junior Christine Alftin led the Bears in kills with 6, bringing her to 320 kills for the season.

PRESS RELEASES

Courtesy of Stanford Athletics:

STANFORD, Calif. – The 12^th-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team sent its seniors, Inky Ajanaku and Kelsey Humphreys, out right with a dominating 25-15, 25-8, 25-15 sweep over California in the Big Spike, Friday, at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford (21-7, 15-5 Pac-12) hit .381 for the match, while forcing the Golden Bears into a -.046 attack percentage. Cal finishes its season at 9-21 and 3-17 in the conference.

Ajanaku hit .467, totaling seven kills on 15 errorless swings. She also collected a match-high six blocks in her final regular-season contest in Maples Pavilion. Humphreys finished with five digs and an assist for the Cardinal.

Freshman Kathryn Plummer again paced the team with 13 kills on .375 hitting, two digs, two assists and three blocks. Redshirt junior Merete Lutz finished with nine kills on a .316 attack percentage to go with five blocks. Redshirt junior Ivana Vanjak tallied six kills, while freshman Audriana Fitzmorris had three kills and three blocks.

Freshman setter Jenna Gray collected 35 assists, four digs, two blocks and an ace. She also notched three kills on three attempts, taking advantage of Cal’s defensive alignment. Freshman libero Morgan Hentz registered 15 digs and an ace in the sweep. She has now recorded double-digit digs in all 28 matches this season.

Stanford was able to go to its bench in the second and third sets. Sophomore middle blocker Tami Alade tallied a kill and two blocks, while redshirt freshman Courtney Bowen‘s first collegiate kills sealed the second-set win for Stanford. Sophomore Payton Chang and Caitlin Keefe also earned playing time off the bench, each picking up a dig.

Cal was led by Christine Alftin‘s six kills and four digs. She also put down the lone service ace for the Bears. Senior setter Alyssa Jensen totaled 18 assists, six digs and two blocks in her final collegiate match, while senior libero Maddy Kerr had seven digs in her last outing.

Stanford will find out its postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 27 as the NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on ESPNU at 6 p.m. PT. The Cardinal is one of just two teams in the nation to have appeared in all 35 previous NCAA Tournaments.

Courtesy of Cal Berkeley Athletics:

STANFORD – The Cal volleyball team closed out the 2016 season with a 25-15, 25-8, 25-15 loss at No. 12 Stanford on Friday night at Maples Pavilion.

Junior Christine Alftin had six kills to lead the Bears and finish the season as the team leader with 320. Senior Jenelle Jordan had four kills and two blocks in her final collegiate match.

Senior Maddy Kerr wrapped up her career with seven digs, giving her 1,775 during her four years in Berkeley and putting her in second place on Cal’s all-time list.

Senior Alyssa Jensen had 18 assists to finish with 3,342 in her career, good for sixth on the Bears’ all-time list.

Along with Kerr, Jensen and Jordan, defensive specialist Sabrina Blackwell and middle blocker Laura Leap played their final matches Friday for the Golden Bears.

Cal (9-21, 3-17 Pac-12) actually got off to a strong start, turning an 8-4 deficit into a 9-8 advantage in the first set. The Bears were aided by four early blocks, including three by sophomore Belen Castillo.

Cal still had the first set tied 12-12 before the Cardinal reeled off seven points in a row to take command.

The Bears made a small run early in the third set to keep things competitive, scoring three of four points to trail 14-9. But again Stanford went on a major run, scoring seven straight and eventually finishing off the match.

Cal will return four starters next season and add a recruiting class that features three prospects ranked in the top-75 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com.