Match Results
- #2 Stanford def. Long Beach State 3-0, (25-19, 25-21, 25-13)
- Long Beach, California
- Attendance: 786
- Match Stats
The reigning NCAA champions, #2 Stanford opened up their season with a quick three-set sweep over Long Beach State on the road.
The first set of the match was a fairly close battle until Stanford pushed ahead to a 20-15 lead. From there, they took control of the set to go up 1-0 with a 25-19 first set win. Long Beach State started the second set with a strong 9-2 lead over the Cardinals before they went on a frenzy to tie things up at 10-10. The remainder of the set was a back and forth challenge for the teams, with Stanford pulling ahead for the 25-21 win.
The final set of the match was a breakaway set for Stanford, as they took a commanding 14-8 lead, keeping this until they completed the sweep with a 25-13 third set win.
The Cardinals outhit the Beach .229 to -.010 in the match on 37 kills. Stanford was led by Kathryn Plummer‘s double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs in the match. Plummer was named as the AVCA Freshman of the Year in 2016 and is beginning her 2017 season the way she ended last year. Merete Lutz sat out of the match due to an injury she sustained earlier in the week at practice, allowing for Plummer to take control of the match.
Audriana Fitzmorris also made an impact for the national champions, putting down seven kills and seven blocks in the opening match. Jenna Gray, who is a three-sport athlete at Stanford – volleyball, beach volleyball and track & field – dished out 30 assists and the match winning kill. From the back court, Morgan Hentz picked up a match-best 18 digs.
For Long Beach State, Megan Kruidhof led with seven kills and three blocks. From the back court, Hailey Harward picked up 14 digs.
Solid start! ?✊? pic.twitter.com/Ow9FLGIgB3
— Stanford Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) August 25, 2017
Press Release
Courtesy of Stanford Athletics
Led by Kathryn Plummer‘s double-double, No. 2 Stanford opened the season with a sweep over a gritty Long Beach State team, Friday, at Walter Pyramid.
Plummer finished with a match-high 12 kills and 10 digs. The sophomore standout found herself right where she started her freshman season – playing on the right.
Redshirt senior Merete Lutz was injured in practice earlier in the week and forced first-year head coach Kevin Hambly to make some lineup adjustments. Regardless of where she was playing, Plummer was able to attack from all areas of the court, keeping the Long Beach State defenders off balance.
Sophomore libero Morgan Hentz steadied the defense with a match-best 18 digs, while sophomore setter Jenna Gray dished out 30 assists and the match-winning kill.
Sophomore middle blocker Audriana Fitzmorris also made her presence known against the 49ers, racking up seven blocks, including four solo, to go with seven kills on .357 hitting.
Making their Cardinal debuts were freshmen Meghan McClure, who earned the start at outside hitter, and defensive specialist Kate Formico. McClure recorded six kills, three blocks, three digs and an ace, while Formico collected eight digs, two assists and an ace.
Junior Tami Alade earned the start at middle blocker and turned in five kills on .333 hitting and four blocks. Redshirt freshman Michaela Keefe, who missed most of last season due to injury, returned to action with four kills, two blocks and two digs for Stanford. Twin sister, Caitlin Keefe, entered the match in the third set as a serving specialist.
As a team, Stanford hit .229 while holding LBSU to a -.010 clip. The Cardinal, which led the nation last season in blocks, finished with 12.0.
Long Beach State was led by Megan Kruidhof’s seven kills, while Emma Kirst posted six. Libero Hailey Harward totaled 14 digs.
Stanford closes out the opening weekend on Saturday with a double-header. The Cardinal will face Iowa at 10 a.m. and Wright State at 4 p.m. in the LBSU Invitational.
Press Release
Courtesy of Long Beach State Athletics
Defending national champion Stanford (1-0) topped Long Beach State (0-1) by a score of 25-19, 25-21, 25-13 on Friday afternoon at Walter Pyramid. The No. 2 ranked Cardinal won its season opener on the 10-year anniversary of Stanford’s last visit to Long Beach. After leading the nation in blocking a season ago, the visitors had 12.0 blocks and held the Beach to -.010 hitting.
Junior Megan Kruidhof led the Beach with seven kills and three blocks, senior setter Alexis Patterson posted 15 assists, nine digs and four kills and sophomore libero Hailey Harward had 14 digs. Today’s match was the head coaching debut for Long Beach State alum Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer.
Utah transfer Emma Kirst got Long Beach on the board with the first kill of the 2017 season, and the redshirt junior recorded the first two points of the afternoon for the Beach. She and Kruidhof combined for seven kills on 16 swings in the first frame, while Harward added seven digs.
Long Beach got off to a terrific start in set two, opening up a 9-2 advantage on the strength of a 7-0 run. Unfortunately, Stanford responded with eight straight points to take a 10-9 lead. There were 10 ties and three lead changes in the second frame, making it by far the most competitive of the afternoon. LBSU led 19-17 on consecutive kills from Patterson and Monika Simkova, forcing a Stanford timeout. The Cardinal responded with three consecutive points and ended the set on an 8-2 run to take a 2-0 lead.
After the break, the Cardinal hit a match-best .323 in the third set and put up five blocks to close out the win.
LBSU returns for a second match of the day on Friday evening, hosting Wright State at 7 p.m. The Raiders suffered a 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 defeat against Iowa on Friday morning at Walter Pyramid.
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