Again on prime: Girls’s volleyball beats Washington colleges 3-1 apiece

No. 5 girls’s volleyball (20-3, 13-1 Pac-12) celebrated one other triumphant weekend at house, with back-to-back 3-1 wins towards No. 8 Washington State (19-6, 9-5 Pac-12) on Friday night and College of Washington (14-11, 5-9 Pac-12) on Sunday afternoon. These matches marked Stanford’s final towards the Washington colleges as convention opponents — the Cardinal will compete within the ACC convention subsequent season.

Stanford vs. Washington State

Set one of many Friday sport was tight, as each groups performed tactically and maintained ties all through the set. Regardless of a number of kills by Stanford, Washington State clinched the primary set 25-21, due to a kill from the Cougars’ outdoors hitter Iman Isanovic.

Stanford responded in set two with a 25-21 win. “Once we discovered our rhythm, we hit at an excellent quantity after the primary set and did a a lot a lot better job defensively,” mentioned head coach Kevin Hambly. “They have been rolling within the first two units, however we slowly whittled them down, each with service stress and protection.”

Kills by a number of Stanford gamers balanced out the Washington State factors for a 16-16 tie, however the Cardinal rapidly started pulling forward following their 3-point run. The set ended with one other 3-point run by junior center blocker Sami Francis and sophomore outdoors hitter Elia Rubin.

Francis led Stanford with a .476 assault share, a season-high of 12 kills and 5 blocks. Junior setter Kami Miner — a drive on each side of the ball — totaled 56 assists and 10 digs, and senior libero Elena Oglivie executed a match-high of 15 digs.

Each groups held robust for set three, with Stanford pushing forward solely by a couple of factors initially. The Cardinal maintained the lead all through the set, lengthening the hole because the set neared its finish. With an assault error from Washington State and a kill from fifth-year reverse Kendall Kipp, the Cardinal received 25-20.

Set 4 was yet one more shut match with neither group letting down. After 4 ties, Stanford pulled forward with kills from redshirt senior outdoors hitter Caitie Baird, Kipp and Francis, on prime of a few assault errors from Washington State. Kills from Washington State weren’t sufficient to match Stanford, because the Cardinal held the Huskies to a .054 hitting share and pushed forward to a 23-20 lead. The ultimate 2 factors for the Stanford win have been tense, with the Cougars simply 1 level behind at 23-24. A kill by Francis, nevertheless, closed out the set with a 25-23 win for the Cardinal.

No. 5 Stanford bounced again with a four-set win over No. 9 Washington State on Friday. Sami Francis hit .476 with a season-high 12 kills because the Cardinal received its thirteenth straight over the Cougars.#GoStanfordhttps://t.co/uMC00S46nU

— Stanford Girls’s Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) November 4, 2023

The three-1 win was the ultimate convention sport between Stanford and Washington State, because the Cardinal transfer on to the ACC subsequent season.

“It is a good rivalry match for us … we’ve had some unbelievable battles with them within the Pac-12 and the NCAA match, and each single time they drive you to carry every little thing you’ve. What they’ve carried out up in Washington State is nothing in need of phenomenal, and it’s actually unhappy to see that that is the final time we’re going to play” within the convention, Hambly mentioned.

Stanford vs. Washington

Sunday afternoon recorded one other victory within the books for the Cardinal. Set one started robust, with each groups matching one another point-for-point. Stanford started to tug away with a 13-10 lead, and thru Baird and Kipp’s 16 kills and a pair of aces, the Cardinal secured a set one win.

With a reverse in scores, set two went to the Huskies 25-23. The Dubs pulled away rapidly with a 5-1 lead. Kills by Baird and Francis, an ace by freshman reverse Jordyn Harvey — her first collegiate ace — and Oglivie’s defensive consistency decreased the margin to a 2-point sport. The groups have been neck-and-neck towards the tip of the set, with seven ties from 17 apiece to 23 apiece. Two kills from Washington secured its first set level.

The Cardinal struck offensive concord in set three, as they outpaced the Huskies by 14 factors. Stanford hit at a .593 share in comparison with Washington’s .172, and the set featured an ace from Baird and 4 from Kipp. Stanford’s numerous 5-point runs secured a 25-11 victory, however the group was not carried out but.

The fourth and last set featured 19 kills from Stanford, contrasting the mere seven from Washington. Regardless of the Huskies’ makes an attempt to shut the hole, the Cardinal outpaced them all through the set. A kill from Francis solidified the 3-1 Stanford victory, because the set concluded with a 25-19 win for the Cardinal. Francis, getting back from an damage a couple of weeks in the past, had a .520 hit share with a season-high 15 kills on 25 swings.

“Just like the group, I used to be nonetheless looking for myself and I feel I felt a bit of bit higher tonight than I’ve prior to now,” Francis mentioned. “We’re all discovering ourselves once more … it’s good to have the ability to lean on my teammates and know that they’re supportive in serving to me.”

Stanford’s teamwork — on and off the court docket — is a notable high quality in each sport performed. The group’s communication and constant group effort aids in attaining numerous particular person and group successes. In opposition to UW, Miner hit .625 with 5 kills, totaled 46 assists and achieved 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Oglivie contributed a career-high 9 assists with a match excessive of 24 digs along with her ace. Kipp noticed a match-high of 15 kills and 10 digs, with 5 aces and her third double-double of the season. Rubin led Stanford in kills with 14, and redshirt senior center blocker McKenna Vicini led defensively with three blocks. Defensive specialist Anna Pringle’s success on the service line gave Stanford a mandatory edge towards the Washington groups.

After a tricky loss to No. 15 Arizona State (22-4, 10-4 Pac-12), this weekend’s wins have been what the group wanted to take care of excessive morale. “We have been all disenchanted in our efficiency final week, and I feel simply proving ourselves is one thing we’re going to proceed to do as we transfer ahead to the tip of the Pac-12,” Rubin mentioned. “When occasions get onerous, as a substitute of dividing, we’ve got to come back collectively, and moderately than enjoying as people, as one.”

The Cardinal will subsequent face No. 7 Oregon (21-4, 11-3 Pac-12) on Thursday at Maples Pavilion. The sport is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. PT.