MATCH STATS
- #5 Stanford def. Pacific 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-19)
- Stanford moves to 6-2; Pacific falls to 4-6
- Palo Alto, California
- Attendance: 2,056
- Box Score
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Stanford used a stout offensive effort, tough net defense and a strong service game to sweep Pacific in one of two non-conference matches against in-state foes this weekend.
The Cardinal outhit the Tigers .368 to .053, outblocked them 11-5 and outserved them 9-2 in the victory.
Redshirt senior opposite Merete Lutz paced the Stanford attack with 12 kills on a team-best .556 hitting effort, while also adding four blocks. Sophomore outside Kathryn Plummer chipped in eight kills, while three other players added four or more. Junior middle Tami Alade put up a team-leading five blocks and five kills, while sophomore middle Audriana Fitzmorris and freshman outside Meghan McClure notched four kills apiece. Fitzmorris managed four blocks, while sophomore setter Jenna Gray served up five of the team’s aces. Plummer and McClure turned in two aces apiece. Sophomore libero Morgan Hentz tallied a team-leading nine digs.
Sophomore outside Emily Baptista and sophomore middle Ashlyn Fleming managed seven kills apiece to lead Pacific. Fleming also chalked up a team-best four blocks. Senior libero Katrin Gotterba pulled up a team-leading 10 digs, while senior outside Maycie LaBass added seven.
The Cardinal hit over .400 in each of the first two sets and wrapped up the match with a .286 effort.
Pacific scored the first two points of the night, but Stanford answered with a 17-5 run capped by two Gray aces. Up just four at 10-6, the Cardinal turned it on with seven of the next eight points. Fitzmorris and Plummer turned in kills in the surge. The Tigers tallied two of the next three points, but that sparked a final 7-2 run, which ended on a Fitzmorris putaway.
Set 2 saw the Cardinal jump ahead 8-2 and never look back. Pacific narrowed the gap to three at 10-7 on a block by Janie Feldsher and Kaitlyn Lines. Stanford wrapped up the set on a 15-6 run. Back-to-back stuffs by Alade, teaming up with Plummer and Gray, sealed the 25-13 victory.
Stanford looked like it would run away with the third set as well, building a 10-point lead at 19-9, but the Tigers fought back with six straight points. Kills by Baptista, Fleming and Shelton and an ace by Skylar Wine contributed to the rally. With a 20-16 lead, the Cardinal pulled away for good with a 4-1 run, including two Plummer putaways. A service error and a kill by Wine thwarted a pair of match point tries to keep things going, before a Lutz kill ended the night.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
Jenna Gray served a career-high five aces as No. 4 Stanford swept Pacific, Friday, in its home opener at Maples Pavilion.
As a team, Stanford (6-2) tied its season-high with nine services aces. The Cardinal also recorded 11.0 blocks with junior Tami Alade pacing the squad with five.
Stanford was clicking offensively, hitting .368 while holding Pacific (4-6) to a .053 attack percentage. Redshirt senior opposite Merete Lutz led all players with 12 kills on a .556 hitting to go with four blocks.
Gray controlled the offense with 30 assists, while sophomore libero Morgan Hentz held down the defense with nine digs. Sophomore outside hitter Kathryn Plummer finished with eight kills, three digs, three blocks and two aces.
Middle blockers Audriana Fitzmorris and Alade each totaled five kills for Stanford, while freshman Meghan McClure chipped in with four kills, six digs and two aces.
In total, 12 of Stanford’s 15 players took the court on Friday, including junior Alexis Froistad who registered her first career kill in the third set and junior Payton Chang who collected two digs.
Sophomores Emily Baptista and Ashlyn Fleming led Pacific with seven kills apiece. Fleming also notched four blocks, while senior libero Katrin Gotterba had a match-high 10 digs.
Stanford closes out the weekend on Saturday at Saint Mary’s. The Cardinal and Gaels will square off at 7 p.m. on TheW.tv.
Courtesy: Pacific Athletics
The University of the Pacific women’s volleyball team fell to defending National Champion and fourth-ranked Stanford in Friday night’s West Coast Conference/Pac-12 Showdown match. Pacific (4-6) was overmatched by Stanford (6-2) throughout the night and was defeated by scores of 11-25, 13-25, and 19-25.
Although Pacific has been a primarily offensive squad, the Cardinal were able to hold all Tiger players to less than 10 kills. Emily Baptista and Ashlyn Fleming led the offensive effort with seven kills a piece. Fleming, who hit .333 on the night, was also strong defensively with four blocks.
The Tigers finished just short of Stanford in digs (24-26) and in blocks (10-16), but struggled in serve receive, allowing nine service aces in the match. Libero Katrin Gotterba had 10 digs. At the net, setter Andie Shelton contributed with three block assists, while Janie Feldsher, Baptista, and Kaitlyn Lines each had a single block.
Tomorrow Pacific will return to the Alex G. Spanos Center for the program’s 2017 home opener against California. First serve is at 7:00 pm.
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