On Saturday, #8 Stanford women’s volleyball defeated UCLA 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-19) on the road at Pauley Pavilion. Caitie Baird led the way for Stanford with 14 kills and 5 digs while Kendall Kipp had 11 kills. Anna Dodson was the top performer for UCLA with 14 kills. Stanford improves to 20-4 overall and 15-1 in the Pac-12 while UCLA falls to 14-11 overall and 8-8 in the Pac-12.
Stanford came out guns blazing in the first set, winning the first six points. McKenna Vicini and Kendall Kipp each had a couple of kills. After Stanford got up 8-3, UCLA went on a 4-0 run to make it 8-7 after a couple of kills from Dodson, an attack error from Stanford, and a service ace from Charitie Luper.
Stanford would then slowly work their lead back up, leading 15-9 after a kill from Baird. After it was a 16-11 lead for Stanford, UCLA would go off on an 8-0 run to lead 19-16. During that stretch, Dodson had three kills. Stanford called for time as they were now down by three points, hoping to gain momentum back in their favor.
UCLA would stay in front for a bit longer as they led 23-21 after a kill from Dodson. It was at this point that Stanford turned on the jets, winning four straight points to win the set 25-23. Kipp got a kill, Annabelle Smith got a kill, Elia Rubin got a service ace, and UCLA committed an attack error to finish things off. It was a grueling set, but Stanford pulled it out.
The second set was very similar to the first set in that Stanford got off to another hot start, leading 4-1. Baird got a kill and also a service ace during that stretch. But once again, UCLA came back to tie things up 8-8 as they were currently on a 4-0 run aided by two Stanford attack errors. The set remained a back and forth affair as they were tied 13-13, 16-16, and eventually 20-20. UCLA got up 18-16 and 20-18, but Stanford found a way to keep it tight. Stanford would take a 22-20 lead as they were on a 4-0 run, forcing UCLA to call for time.
After Rubin made an attack error to make it 22-21, Stanford won two straight points to lead 24-21 after a kill and service ace from Kipp. From there, Stanford won the set 25-23 as Rubin got the set-clinching kill.
The third set was once again tight at the start as it was tied 7-7 as neither team could pull ahead of the other. After Stanford held a 13-11 lead, UCLA went on a 3-0 run to lead 14-13, putting some pressure on Stanford. After a kill from Kipp and an attack error from UCLA, Stanford led 15-14 entering the media timeout.
After a kill from elan McCall, UCLA cut it to two points (19-17) before Stanford went on a 2-0 run lead 21-17. McCall committed a service error after which Baird got a kill. From there, Stanford cruised to a 25-19 set victory as Vicini got the set and match-clinching kill.
For Stanford, this is a really nice win. They could have easily given up a set or two, but instead, they found a way to dig deep and win the match in straight sets. They knew they were going to get the best from UCLA and found a way to rise to the occasion. It’s par for the course for this Stanford team, but still impressive.
Up next for Stanford is a home match against Arizona State on Thursday. That will be at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area.
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