On Wednesday at 4:00 PM PT on ACC Network, No. 5 Stanford women’s volleyball will travel to Dallas to face No. 12 SMU. Stanford comes in at 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the ACC while SMU comes in at 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the ACC.
Last time out: Stanford swept Boston College on Saturday 3-0. Ipar Kurt led the way for the Cardinal with 12 kills.
RECAP: No. 5 Stanford WVB sweeps Boston College
On SMU: The Mustangs started the season unranked and now they are ranked No. 12 in the nation. They’ve been the surprise team of the season and are playing fantastic notching a win at home over No. 1 Pittsburgh in their most recent outing.
The Mustangs are led by graduate student opposite Naya Shime (3.48 kills per set) and graduate student outside hitter Maya Tabron (3.08 kills per set). The two of them form a really dynamic duo along with graduate student middle blocker Nnedi Okammor, who averages 1.23 blocks per set.
As a team, the Mustangs average 12.79 kills, 11.82 assists, 1.89 service aces, 11.97 digs, and 2.61 blocks per set while hitting .276. Their opponents average 10.45 kills, 9.79 assists, 1.31 service aces, 10.76 digs, and 2.05 blocks per set while hitting .166.
Keys to the match: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is win the battle at the net. SMU is used to winning the battle at the net while Stanford is even, averaging 1.98 blocks to their opponents’ 1.98. Sami Francis will need to have a big match as her 1.36 blocks per set exceeds the average of Okammor.
The second thing Stanford needs to do keep up their stellar serving. They’re used to winning that battle decisively averaging 1.70 service aces to their opponents’ 1.02. If Stanford wins the service battle, I like their odds to win this one.
Finally, Stanford needs to keep spreading the ball around. They play their best volleyball when multiple players like Elia Rubin, Sami Francis, Ipar Kurt, Jordyn Harvey, and Lizzy Andrew are all in a good rhythm. If that stays the same in this match, Stanford should be fine.
Prediction: This is a tough one to call. An SMU victory wouldn’t surprise me at all. Given that Stanford is ranked higher, I’ll give them the nod, but I’ll say this match goes to a fifth set. Stanford in five is how I see this one shaking out.
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