Merete Lutz Hits Two Milestones in #3 Stanford’s Sweep of Arizona State

MATCH STATS

• #3 Stanford def. Arizona State 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 26-24)
• #3 Stanford improves to 10-2 (3-0 Pac-12); Arizona State falls to 10-5 (0-3 Pac-12)
• Palo Alto, California (Pac-12 Match)
• Attendance: 1,311
• Box Score

Palo Alto, California – #3 Stanford utilized an ultra-efficient offense and an aggressively strong serving match to lead a sweep of Arizona State and a 3-0 start in Pac-12 play.

Stanford’s lone senior on the roster, Merete Lutz, cleared two milestones in the match as she logged her 425th career block in the first set to put her in the top-10 all-time list for the Cardinal. Another benchmark came a set later as Lutz became the 18th Cardinal since 1986 to reach 1,000 kills. She would total seven kills and three blocks for the match.

Overall, Stanford hit .432 while Arizona State hit .227. Beyond Stanford’s attack, their serving (out-acing Arizona State six to one) led to some easier opportunities as they also out-blocked the Sun Devils eight to five. Neither team dug out many balls, as in the offensive and error filled match (12 service errors and 10 attack errors for Stanford vs. six service errors and 14 attack errors for Arizona State) led to just 22 digs for the Sun Devils and 19 for the Cardinal.

Things were far apart in the first behind Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer, who led the match with 13 kills. Tami Alade had a big second set as things were tighter, but the combination of Alade (nine kills on 12 attempts and no errors, six blocks for the match) and Meghan McClure (eight kills on 12 attempts with no errors, five digs for the match) was too much. Peyton Grahovac, who led Arizona State with eight kills and an .889 hitting percentage, helped the Sun Devils push the third to extra points behind a late comeback, but Stanford setter Jenna Gray (36 assists, four aces for the match) would find McClure then Plummer to finish off the match.

Stanford rounds out the week with another school from the Grand Canyon state as they will face Arizona at home on Friday night. Arizona State meanwhile stays in Northern California for a tilt with Cal in Berkeley as they look for Pac-12 win number one.

PRESS RELEASES:

Courtesy of Stanford:

STANFORD, Calif. – Redshirt senior Merete Lutz became just the 18th Stanford player since 1986 to reach 1,000 kills in a 25-12, 25-18, 26-24 sweep of Arizona State at Maples Pavilion on Wednesday night.

The second-ranked Cardinal (10-2, 3-0) has won five straight matches, and has swept all three of its home matches this season.

Sophomore Kathryn Plummer led Stanford with 13 kills as the Cardinal hit .432 as a team. Sophomore setter Jenna Gray finished with 36 assists, Tami Alade had a team-high six blocks, and freshman Meghan McClure led the way with five digs.

Lutz hit the milestone in the second set. She also moved into Stanford’s all-time top 10 with her 425th career block early in the first set.

The Sun Devils (10-5, 0-3 Pac-12), who finished with a .227 hitting percentage, threatened to extend the match when they tied the third set at 24-24, but back-to-back kills from McClure and Plummer sealed Stanford’s seventh straight home win.

Stanford is set to host Arizona on Friday night at 7 p.m. The match can also be seen on Pac-12 Networks.

Courtesy of Arizona State:

PALO ALTO — The Arizona State volleyball team (10-5, 0-3 Pac-12) fell in three sets to No. 2 Stanford (10-2, 3-0 Pac-12), 12-25, 18-25, 24-26, Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion.

Junior Peyton Grahovac led the Sun Devils with eight kills, while senior Oluoma Okaro added seven kills and four digs. Grahovac’s team-best effort came courtesy of an efficient attack percentage of .889 (8-0-9). Junior Carmen Unzue paced the Sun Devils on the block, finishing the match with four to her credit.

“We unfortunately were slow out of the gate and struggled to catch our footing in that opening set,” said Sun Devil head coach Sanja Tomasevic.”I felt like we progressed and improved as the match wore on. Credit to Stanford, as they are a well-coached, high caliber team. Ultimately, we plan on learning from our mistakes in tonight’s outing and incorporating that in our preparation for California on Friday.”

Sophomore setter Nicole Peterson logged her sixth-consecutive and seventh overall start on the season, recording 23 assists. Peterson, senior Halle Harker and the aforementioned Okaro buoyed the Arizona State defensive effort, each logging four digs.

Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer paced the Cardinal finishing the match with 13 kills, while the team’s sophomore setter Jenn Gray tallied 36 assists.

After falling in the contest’s opening frame, 25-12, the Maroon and Gold would go on to drop set two, 25-18. The Sun Devils battled tough in the night’s third and final set, at one point bringing the frame to a 24-24 tie. The Cardinal would ultimately take the set, 26-24, to seal the Arizona State loss.

Up next, the Sun Devils cap the road trip with a visit to California on Friday, Sep. 29. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion. A live stream of the match will be available via CalBears.com.

How To Follow The Action:
California | Sep. 29: Watch | Live Stats

Match Notes:
Kills: Grahovac (8), Okaro (7)

Top Attack %: Grahovac (.889/8-0-9)

Blocks: Unzue (4)

Career Note:
ASU Career Digs Leaders
–Sydney Donahue, 2004-07– 2385
–Stephanie Preach, 2010-2013—2010
—Halle Harker, 2014-present—1681
–Christy Nore, 1985-88 –1597
–Jami Coughlin, 1998-2001—1528