| LINESCORE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | ||
| CSU Bakersfield (16-15) | 21 | 21 | 18 | 0 | |
| Stanford (30-1) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 | |
| STAT COMPARISON | ||
|---|---|---|
| CSUB | STAN | |
| Kills | 43 | 35 |
| Attack pct. | .049 | .212 |
| Assists | 41 | 33 |
| Aces | 0 | 2 |
| Digs | 50 | 36 |
| Blocks | 8.0 | 18.0 |
STANFORD, Calif. – The top-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team posted 18 team blocks on its way to a 25-21, 25-21, 25-18 win over CSU Bakersfield, Friday, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal improved to 30-1 overall, marking the 17th 30-plus win season in school history, and to 34-0 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was not the best offensive output for the Cardinal, which hit .212 as a team, but the defense at the net forced CSUB (16-15) to hit .049. The 18 team blocks are the most in a three-set match for the Cardinal this season. The Roadrunners, who were making the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, finished with 8.0 blocks and 50 team digs.
“It’s a different game. This is a game of angles and the angles are all different,” said Coach Dunning when asked about playing a team that much shorter in height than Stanford. “They did some great things. Their coach is a very intense person, was a great player, so it doesn’t surprise me that her team has that intensity too.”
Stanford was led offensively by redshirt freshman Merete Lutz, who tallied eight kills on 15 swings with just one error to hit .467. She also collected nine blocks, one shy of her career high.
“Last year in the tournament it was a lot of standing on the sideline [for me],” said Lutz in the postmatch press conference. “I was seeing what my teammates were doing and trying to help the other middles on the team, but this year I’m the one that’s in it with my team and has to adapt. It’s exciting to be here.”
Junior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku also registered eight kills in the win and finished with eight blocks. Senior opposite Morgan Boukather added six kills and tied her season high with five blocks. Junior outside hitter Brittany Howard also tied her season best with six blocks to go with five kills and five digs.
Junior setter Madi Bugg controlled the offense with 31 assists, while junior outside hitter Jordan Burgess finished with four kills and eight digs. Senior libero Kyle Gilbert anchored the defense with 16 digs.
CSU Bakersfield was led by junior Kelsee Sawyer’s match-high 18 kills. Redshirt senior libero Mariah Alvidrez totaled a match-best 20 digs, while senior Danika Youngblood had 12 kills and six digs.
Stanford moves on to face Michigan State, who defeated Loyola Marymount in four sets earlier Friday, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Cardinal and Spartans will face off at 7 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.