Match Stats
- #12 Stanford def. Arizona State 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-19)
- Stanford moves to 11-5 (5-3 Pac-12); Arizona State falls to 8-12 (1-7 Pac-12)
- Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California (Stanford hosted)
After dropping 3 of their last 4 games, all against Pac-12 teams, the Stanford women corrected course on Saturday with a 3-0 sweep of the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The Cardinal started the game in a 5-1 tactic for the first time in the 2016 season, and came out with a vengeance hitting .625 in the first frame.
While the numbers would come back down to earth eventually (.441 in set 2, .250 in set 3), the Cardinals hit well all night long. Kathryn Plummer had 10 kills, freshman Audriana Fitzmorris did as well, and Inky Ajanaku scored on 9 of her 12 swings for a .750 hitting percentage – the Cardinal’s highest of the season with a minimum of 10 attacks.
For Arizona State, the story of the day was junior Halle Harker entering the program’s all-time top 10 in digs. She led the Sun Devils with 8 in the game (though Stanford let the category overall 42-31), which gives her 1,223 in her career.
Videos
Press Releases
Courtesy Stanford Athletics:
STANFORD, Calif. – Behind a season-high .422 team hitting percentage, the 12th-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team swept visiting Arizona State, 25-13, 25-17, 25-19, Saturday in Maples Pavilion.
Stanford held Arizona State to a .185 attack percentage and held a 42-31 advantage in digs and 8.0 to 3.0 in blocks. The Cardinal is now 11-5 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-12, while the Sun Devils fell to 8-12 on the season and 1-7 in conference.
Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku went 9-0-12 to hit .750, the highest mark by a Cardinal player this season (minimum 10 attacks). She also collected a match-high six blocks.
Starting in a 5-1 for the first time this season, freshman setter Jenna Gray tallied a career-high 36 assists, seven digs, three kills and a block. Freshman outside hitter Kathryn Plummer notched another double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, while tying her career-high with two aces. Freshman middle blocker Audriana Fitzmorris also registered 10 kills on .400 hitting, while redshirt junior Merete Lutz finished with nine kills on 16 errorless swings to hit .562.
Freshman libero Morgan Hentz once again led the defense, totaling a match-high 13 digs. Senior Kelsey Humphreys added six digs, while sophomore Halland McKenna posted three digs and a career-high four aces. Her four aces tied for the most by a Cardinal player this season.
Stanford jumped out to a big lead in the opening set, hitting .625 as a team with 17 kills and just two attack errors. After one lead change in the first, the Cardinal wouldn’t trail until the third set, which had 10 tie scores and four lead changes.
Arizona State was led by junior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro’s nine kills on .533 hitting. Freshman Ivana Jeremic chipped in with six kills, while junior libero Halle Harker finished with eight digs and two assists.
Stanford hits the road next week, travelling to Los Angeles to face No. 20 UCLA on Friday, Oct. 21 and USC on Sunday, Oct. 23. The Cardinal and Bruins will square off at 8 p.m. on Pac-12 Network, while Sunday’s match against the Trojans will be televised on ESPNU.
Courtesy Arizona State Athletics
STANFORD, Calif.—Arizona State volleyball’s (8-12, 1-7 Pac-12) junior Halle Harker moved into the program’s all-time digs list as the #RoadWarriors fell in three sets to No. 12 Stanford (11-5, 5-3 Pac-12), 13-25, 17-25, 19-25, on Saturday at Maples Pavilion.
“We responded better midway through the third set,” head coach Stevie Mussie said. “But it’s a matter of finding a way to play like that the entire match. Oly (Okaro) had a good night, but we can’t just rely on one person to put together a full match. We’re happy to head back home, rest up and play again in front of our fans. We know that the Washington schools are going to post a challenge that we have to be ready for.”
With eight digs on the night, Harker now has 1,223 in her career, No. 10 all-time at ASU. During the match she passed both Margie Giordano (2005-08; 1,218 digs) and Nancy Christian (1990-93; 1,221 digs) to move into the Sun Devil record. Sydney Donahue (2004-07) owns both the ASU and Pac-12 record in digs with 2,385.
Junior Oluoma Okaro led ASU with nine kills on .533 attacking, and added two service aces and a pair of blocks. Sophomore Carmen Unzue added three kills on .429 attacking with seven error-free swings.
For the Cardinal, Kathryn Plummer and Audriana Fitzmorris posted a team-high 10 kills apiece on .304 and .400 attacking, respectively. Inky Ajanaku added 9 kills on 12 error-free swings, and six blocks.
Up next, the Sun Devils return to the friendly confines of Wells Fargo Arena to host Washington State on Wednesday and Washington on Friday. The match against the Cougars is slated for 7 p.m. PT while first-serve against the Huskies is set for 8 p.m. PT. Both matches will air on the Pac-12 Network.
Match Notes
Kills: Okaro (9)
Attack Pct: Okaro (.533; 9K, 1E, 15TA), Unzue (.429; 3K, 0E, 7TA)
Assists: Peterson (14)
Digs: Harker (8)
Blocks: Okaro (2BA), McClendon (2BA)
Career Notes
Top-10 Career Digs At ASU
1. Sydney Donahue, 2004-07—2385*
2. Stephanie Preach, 2010-13—2010
3. Christy Nore, 1985-88—1597
4. Jami Coughlin, 1998-01—1528
5. Sarah Johnson, 2007-10—1439
6. Terri Cox, 1994-97—1382
7. Mindy Gowell, 1987-91—1365
8. Leanne Schuster, 1991-94—1284
9. Christine Garner, 1992-95—1253
10. Halle Harker, 2014-Present—1223
*Pac-12 Record
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