Women’s volleyball takes two from Illinois and Penn State

Sophomore outside hitter Hayley Hodson has continued her dominant play so far this season. Hodson recorded a career-high 4 aces against Penn State on Sunday, accounting for half of Stanford's impressive total of 8 aces on the night. (RAHIM ULLAH/The Stanford Daily)
By Olivia Hummer
Sept. 4, 2016, 7:34 p.m.

No. 9 Stanford women’s volleyball (3-1) continued its upswing in Colorado this weekend, defeating No. 17 Illinois (2-2) and No. 13 Penn State (2-3) in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. Despite falling in their season opener, the Cardinal has looked strong so far, utilizing both consistent veterans and young talent to take a five-set affair against the Illini and complete a dominant sweep of the Nittany Lions.

Freshman middle blocker Audriana Fitzmorris shined against Illinois on Saturday, tallying a career-high 20 kills along with 7 blocks and a service ace. However, the team as a whole combined to defeat the Illini 25-22, 19-25, 25-12, 20-25, 15-12, with fifth-year senior Inky Ajanaku tacking on another 13 kills and freshman libero Morgan Hentz recording a career-high 19 digs.

After eking out a first-set win, Stanford faltered in the second and Illinois took advantage, slowly mounting a commanding lead. The Cardinal roared back in the third, hitting .467 as a team. The Illini were able to force a fifth set, capitalizing on Stanford’s 7 attack errors in the fourth, but the Cardinal decisively won the fifth-set, spearheaded by 5 kills from Ajanaku.

On Sunday, Stanford came out swinging. The match hinged on service, as sophomore Hayley Hodson registered a career-high 4 service aces, and the Cardinal had 8 aces as a team. The Nittany Lions, for their part, suffered from 9 service errors. Ajanaku was once again dominant at the net, tallying a team-leading 11 kills along with 3 blocks. Fitzmorris hit .438 as the Cardinal outhit the Lions .232 to .227. The 26-24, 25-18, 25-22 win marked the first sweep for Stanford this season.

Up next, the Cardinal will return home to host the Stanford Invitational. They’ll take on No. 24 Purdue on Friday, Sept. 9, before facing Cal Poly on Sunday, Sept. 11. Stanford is traditionally dominant at Maples Pavilion and defends its home court seriously, so expect some high-caliber performances. Friday’s match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks at 8 p.m.

 

Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

Olivia Hummer '17 is a managing editor of The Daily's sports section and writes about volleyball, football and baseball. When she's not filling in as an emergency copy editor, she can be found curled up in a ball bemoaning the misfortunes of her beloved Seattle Mariners or cursing the misuse of the Stanford Athletics logo. Olivia is a senior majoring in history from Covina, California, and can be reached at ohummer 'at' stanford.edu.

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