Aug. 26, 2012
HONOLULU - In a match-up of two top-10 teams, the No. 6 Stanford women's volleyball team fell to No. 8 Hawaii, 25-17, 23-25, 15-25, 17-25, Sunday, in the finale of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Cardinal falls to 2-1 overall, while the Rainbow Wahine remain undefeated at 3-0.
Freshman outside hitter Jordan Burgess turned in her second straight double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Junior middle blocker finished with nine kills and five blocks, while freshman middle blocker Inky Ajanaku added eight kills and four blocks. Freshman outside hitter Brittany Howard pitched in with nine kills and six digs.
Senior setter Karissa Cook tallied 37 assists, eight digs and two blocks. Junior defensive specialist Mary Ellen Luck collected 10 digs for the Cardinal. Stanford was outhit by Hawaii .311 to .244.
Stanford and Hawaii traded points early on, but a 7-2 run put the Cardinal up 19-12. Kills by Stanford's middle blockers Wopat and freshman Ajanaku and a service error by the Rainbow Wahine sealed the 25-17 first-set victory for the Cardinal. As a team, Stanford hit .500 while holding Hawaii to a .290 attack percentage. Wopat led the way going 5-for-5 with a block. Howard chipped in with three kills for the Cardinal. Sophomore Jane Croson led the Rainbow Wahine with seven kills and two digs.
Hawaii answered in the second 25-23. The Rainbow Wahine led for the majority of the set and limited the Cardinal to a .257 hitting percentage. Still, Stanford had a chance down the stretch as Burgess put down back-to-back kills to give the Cardinal the 21-20 advantage. However, Hawaii outscored Stanford 5-2 to tie the match at one set apiece. Burgess paced the Cardinal with 6 kills and two digs. Ajanaku added three kills and a block. Croson continued to lead the Rainbow Wahine with five kills and three digs in the set.
The Rainbow Wahine continued to hit well in the third, capturing the set 25-15. Hawaii jumped out to a 14-7 lead early and kept Stanford on its heels. The Cardinal managed to hit just .121 in the set and committed seven errors. Burgess, Ajanaku and sophomore Morgan Boukather each put down two kills for Stanford. Burgess posted three blocks in the set, including one solo. Emily Hartong led Hawaii with seven kills and three digs.
Hawaii sealed the win with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set. Stanford continued its slide offensively, hitting .114 in the set. Croson finished with 21 kills and 11 digs for the Rainbow Wahine, while Hartong totaled 17 kills and eight digs.
Cook and Wopat were selected to the all-tournament team after the match.
The Cardinal remains on the road next week, heading to State College, Pa., for the third annual Nike Volleyball Big Four Classic. Stanford takes on host and third-ranked Penn State on Friday, Aug. 31and No. 18 Florida on Saturday, Sept. 1.