Plummer Knocks Down 17 Kills in #5 Stanford’s Sweep of Cal

MATCH STATS

• #5 Stanford def. California 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-15)
• #5 Stanford improves to 8-2 (1-0 Pac-12); California falls to 9-3 (0-1 Pac-12)
• Palo Alto, California (Pac-12 Conference Match)
• Box Score

Palo Alto, California – #5 Stanford kicked off Pac-12 play with a sweep of rival California behind a remarkable offensive performance.

Stanford would hit .549 for the match as All-American Kathryn Plummer led that offense by hitting .519 with 17 kills. In total all six Cardinal athletes who attempted an attack hit .333 or better with Audriana Fitzmorris (.750) and Tami Alade (.857) leading the way as Jenna Gray dished out 35 assists.

Stanford also notched six aces to Cal’s two, as Kate Formico served up a pair, and owned a nine to one block advantage behind Fitzmorris’ seven block assists as they held a steady lead seemingly throughout all three sets in the match.

It wasn’t all bad for Cal though, who had bright spots on offense even in the defensive struggles. They would hit .235 for the match, not bad considering Stanford was holding opponents to a .170 mark coming into the match and that Cal was around .300 through two sets. Mima Mirkovic led the way with nine kills while hitting .375 as Preslie Anderson (.400) and Carmen Annevelink (.455) combined for 11 kills while hitting at a high clip.

Stanford’s week isn’t done, as they’ll get a road test in Boulder against an upstart Colorado squad that is ranked 20th in the latest VolleyMob Top 25. Cal on the other hand finishes up their week in Salt Lake City against #16 Utah squad on Sunday.

PRESS RELEASES:

Courtesy of Stanford:

STANFORD, Calif. – Kathryn Plummer led all players with 17 kills as No. 4 Stanford swept California in the Pac-12 opener for both teams at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford (8-2, 1-0 Pac-12) was firing on all cylinders, hitting a season-best .549 as a team, while holding Cal (9-3, 0-1 Pac-12) to a .235 clip. The Cardinal limited itself to just five hitting errors for the match.

Plummer hit .519 (17-3-27) to pace the team, while freshman outside hitter Meghan McClure tallied eight kills on 15 errorless swings to hit a career-high .533.

Sophomore setter Jenna Gray controlled the offense with 35 assists, while sophomore libero Morgan Hentz finished with a match-high 11 digs. Redshirt senior opposite Merete Lutztotaled five kills and matched her season-high with four blocks.

Junior Tami Alade contributed to Stanford’s hot-hitting, recording an .857 attack percentage. Sophomore Audriana Fitzmorris led all players with seven blocks, while notching seven kills on eight swings with just one error (.750).

Cal was led by freshman Mima Mirkovic who recorded nine kills on .375 hitting. Junior Carmen Annevelink added six kills on a .455 attack percentage.

Stanford improved to 72-11 all-time against Cal, and has now won 11 in a row.

Stanford hits the road this weekend to take on No. 25 Colorado on Sunday. First serve is slated for 11 a.m. PT on Pac-12 Network.

Courtesy of Cal:

STANFORD – Freshman Mima Mirkovic recorded nine kills at a .375 hitting percentage and opposite hitter Carmen Annevelinkadded six kills at a .455 clip but the Cal volleyball team fell to No. 4 Stanford, 25-20, 25-14, 25-14 in its Pac-12 opener on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion.

Freshman middle blocker Preslie Anderson had five kills and hit .400. Senior Christine Alftin led the Bears (9-3, 0-2 Pac-12) defensively with seven digs.

Cal went toe-to-toe with the Cardinal for most of the first set. After falling behind 8-3, the Bears scored three in a row on a kill by Anderson and a pair of Stanford hitting errors. Kills by Mirkovic and Alftin helped Cal chip away further at the deficit until it was finally tied at 10-10.

Another kill by Mirkovic kept the Bears close at 17-14 before the Cardinal four points in succession to pull away.

Cal hit .235 for the match, the fourth-highest mark Stanford has allowed this season. The Bears were hitting .345 after the first set.

“We hit very well tonight,” Cal coach Matt McShane said. “The problem was Stanford was incredibly good. Even with our struggling a little bit, we still hit for a good number. We are pleased with that.”

The Bears stay on the road this weekend when they travel to No. 16 Utah for a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m. PT. The match will air on the Pac-12 Networks.