Inky Ajanaku Leads Stanford To A Five Set Comeback Over Wisconsin

Match Stats

• No. 6 Stanford def. No. 3 Wisconsin 3-2, (18-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 15-9)
• Elite Eight NCAA Tournament
• Stanford will take on the winner of the UCLA/Minnesota match on December 15

This year’s NCAA Tournament has been full of five setters and lower seeded teams taking the victory. Tonight was no different. No. 6 Stanford fought back from an 0-2 deficit to take a five set battle over No. 3 Wisconsin.

Wisconsin jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first set, but Stanford fought to stay with them, tying the set at 9-9. The Badgers took a three point lead and kept it the remainder of the set before they pulled away late, taking the set 25-18.

Stanford began the second set with a 6-3 lead over the Badgers, keeping a small lead until Wisconsin came back to tie the match at 18-18. The Badgers fought back to take a small two point lead, until Stanford tied the match at 24 a piece. A Stanford attack error and Haleigh Nelson kill ended the second 26-24 in favor of Wisconsin.

The Cardinals took the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-21.

In the fifth and deciding set, Stanford raced to a 4-1 lead over the Badgers, only letting them come within two points of them. The Cardinals punched their ticket to the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio with two Inky Ajanaku and one Kathryn Plummer kill, ending the match with a fifth set victory 15-9.

To lead the Stanford’s offense was Ajanaku with 20 kills on a .447 hitting percentage and put down a career-best 11 blocks. Merete Lutz and Plummer each added 12 kills with Plummer picking up 10 digs for a double-double. Morgan Hentz picked up a match-best 30 digs.

Lauren Gillis and Haleigh Nelson each put down 15 kills for Wisconsin, with Nelson hitting for .560. In the back court, Molly Haggerty picked up 15 digs and Kelli Bates with 24 digs. Setter Lauren Carlini ended her career with 57 assists, seven kills and seven digs in the effort.

.@StanfordWVB is headed to its 20th national semifinal! #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/UsLqvKsy55

— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 11, 2016