BERKELEY, Calif. - Led by freshman Hayley Hodson and senior Brittany Howard, the eighth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team defeated rival California, 25-23, 27-25, 20-25, 25-16, Tuesday, in Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California. Stanford moves to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12, while the Golden Bears drop to 6-6 and 0-1 in the conference.
Stanford out hit Cal .283 to .226 and finished with 11.0 team blocks and six service aceslock.
Hodson registered a career high 18 kills on .343 hitting. She also tied her career-best with five blocks. Howard finished with 14 kills, six digs and two solo blocks. She hit a match-best .462.
Senior setter Madi Bugg directed the offense with 42 assists and also paced the team on defense with a match-high 17 digs. It was her third match of the season recording a double-double. Freshman libero Halland McKenna collected 13 digs and a career high eight assists. She has now tallied double-digit digs in four straight matches.
Redshirt sophomore middle blockers Merete Lutz and Ivana Vanjak combined for 11 kills and seven blocks. Senior outside hitter Jordan Burgess totaled seven kills and two digs in the win.
Christine Alftin and Lara Vukasovic led Cal with 13 kills apiece. Lillian Schonewise chipped in with 11 kills, while setter Alyssa Jensen turned in a double-double (50 assists, 10 digs) for the Golden Bears.
Up next, Stanford plays host to third-ranked USC on Sunday, Sept. 27. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT from Maples Pavilion and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.