This weekend, #8 Stanford women’s volleyball will face Colorado and Utah on the road. Up first will be Colorado on Friday at 6:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks. The match at Utah will be on Sunday at 3:00 PM PT on ESPNU.
Stanford comes in at 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12. Colorado comes in at 11-3 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12 while Utah comes in at 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford defeated Washington State 3-1 (25-19, 16-25, 25-15, 25-23). Sami Francis had 9 kills and 7 blocks in her return for the Cardinal while Kendall Kipp had 13 kills and 6 service aces.
RECAP: #9 Stanford WVB takes care of business at Washington State
On Colorado: The Buffaloes are off to a strong start this season as is evident by their 11-3 record and 3-1 record in Pac-12 play. They hosted a Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge event and went 2-0, defeating Illinois and Iowa without dropping a set. Stanford will be the toughest team they’ve faced all year as none of the teams they’ve faced up this point are ranked, though Arkansas, who they lost to, did receive a lot of votes in the most recent AVCA top 25 poll.
Outside hitters Maya Tabron (3.32 kills per set) and Lexi Hadrych (3.15 kills per set) are attacking well. Defensive specialist/libero Katie Lougeay is averaging 3.42 digs per set, doing a nice job in the back. The Buffaloes are sound at the net with 3.0 blocks per set while their opponents average 2.43. Middle blocker Alexia Kuehl leads the way with 72 blocks on the season (1.44 blocks per set).
On Utah: The Utes aren’t off to as strong of a start as Colorado, but they’ve also played a tougher schedule, facing #23 Kansas at home, #11 Purdue on the road, #12 San Diego on the road, and #15 BYU at home. All of those were losses, but that’s still a pretty tough stretch. Kansas is no longer ranked, but still getting votes while Purdue (#5), San Diego (#4), and BYU (#14) have all risen in the rankings.
BYU grad transfer outside hitter Madelyn Robinson leads the way with 4.40 kills per set while sophomore outside hitter Lauren Jardine averages 2.75 kills per set. Robinson in particular is really the main offensive weapon this Utah team has. They really rely on her to get their offense rolling.
Utah averages 15.39 digs per set while their opponents average 13.91, so on average, they play better defense than their opponents. Junior defensive specialist/libero Vanessa Ramirez averages 4.40 digs per set, doing a great job defensively.
Keys to the matches: If Stanford wants to get the road sweep, they’re going to have to match or do better than their opponents in both of their strengths. That means superior net play against Colorado and better defense against Utah. If Stanford gets more blocks than Colorado and more digs than Utah, that should set them up for success to get the road sweep.
Secondly, Stanford needs to feed off the return of Sami Francis. They really benefited from having her back in the lineup, really feeding off her energy. If she gets rolling, the rest of her teammates should as well.
Finally, Stanford needs to keep up the aggression and stellar net play. That’s really the strength of this Stanford team. The average 2.83 blocks per set to their opponents' 2.28 while also averaging 1.36 service aces per set to their opponents' 1.07. Stanford on average plays better at the net while also applying more pressure on their serve. If they keep those things up, I like their chances to get the road sweep.
Prediction: It’s never easy to get a sweep on the road, especially at Colorado and Utah because of the altitude. That said, just looking at these two matchups, I think Stanford will get the sweep against both schools. As far as the score is concerned, I see Stanford beating both schools in four sets. I don’t think they’ll get a 3-0 victory in either match, but I also don’t see either match going to five sets.
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