On Labor Day, No. 5 Stanford women’s volleyball defeated No. 6 Wisconsin 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-22, 25-22) in their second match of the Women’s College Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stanford junior outside hitter Elia Rubin led the way for the Cardinal with 20 kills and 15 digs while redshirt freshman outside hitter Ipar Kurt had 16 kills. Wisconsin outside hitter Sarah Franklin was the top performer for the Badgers with 18 kills and 11 digs. Stanford improves to 3-0 overall while Wisconsin falls to 0-3.
BOX SCORE: Stanford vs. Wisconsin-Monday, September 2nd
Wisconsin got off to an early lead in the opening set as they were up 5-1 after Jordyn Harvey hit an attack error for Stanford. Stanford would then win three out of the next four points with Elia Rubin getting a pair of kills to make it a 6-4 lead for Wisconsin. After a kill by Devyn Robinson, Wisconsin led 13-10. Stanford then bounced back to win four of the next five points to tie it up 14-14. Ipar Kurt got a pair of kills of her own during that stretch while Kami Miner and Elia Rubin each had a kill.
It would continue to be a back and forth set with Wisconsin eventually getting a set point to lead 24-21 after Sami Francis had an attack error for Stanford. Rather than fold up like cheap tents, Stanford went on a 5-0 run to take the set 26-24, shocking the pro-Wisconsin crowd. Three of those five points came from a kill by Ipar Kurt while the set-clinching point came from a service ace by Taylor Yu.
In the second set, Wisconsin came out strong, jumping out to a 5-0 lead, the last two points of that run coming from a kill by Sarah Franklin and a service ace by Julia Orzol. This set was never in doubt as Wisconsin led 13-4 after a kill by Devyn Robinson. It was one way traffic for the Badgers as they went on to win the set 25-18, evening up the match at one set apiece.
The third set was tight early as it was tied up 6-6 after a kill by Sami Francis and a service error by Elia Rubin. After an attack error by Jordyn Harvey, Stanford was only up by one point as it was 13-12. Stanford would then go on a 3-0 run to lead 16-12 as Rubin got two service aces and a kill. Wisconsin would crawl back into the set as it would be tied 21-21 after back-to-back kills from Franklin and Robinson. From there, it would be all Stanford as the Cardinal took the set 25-22. Stanford won four of the final five points as Harvey got a service ace and Rubin got a kill while Wisconsin committed two service errors. Stanford was now just one set away from taking the match.
The fourth set was back and forth early as it was tied up 6-6 and later 10-10. After it was tied 10-10, Stanford went on a 6-0 run to lead 16-10. Three of those six points came from Jordyn Harvey getting three straight service aces. She was really heating up with her serve. After Stanford led 19-15, Wisconsin would win three straight points to make it 19-18 thanks to an attack error from Ipar Kurt as well as a kill by Julia Orzol and a service ace by Devyn Robinson.
After a kill by Rubin, Stanford led 21-19 as they had little breathing room. Stanford then got a bit more of a cushion after a bad set by Charlie Fuerbringer. This made it a 22-19 lead for Stanford. From there it was pretty much back and forth. After a service error from Jordyn Harvey to make it 24-22, Sami Francis responded for Stanford with the match-clinching kill off an assist from Kami Miner. Stanford took the match in four sets, not having to even worry about dealing with a fifth set.
For Stanford, this is a huge win. After beating a top-20 Minnesota team, they defeat a top-ten Wisconsin team who was essentially playing on their home floor. This trip to Wisconsin has been stacked with quality opponents and so to leave the Fiserv Forum with a 3-0 record to start the season has to feel good for Stanford. There were some questions coming into the season whether or not Stanford deserved to be ranked top five in the nation. I think they have proven that they are worthy of such a ranking. At least so far.
One thing that does appear to be an early strength of this year’s Cardinal squad is their defense. They seem to be defending better than last year. Elia Rubin is all over the place and playing fantastic defense on top of her stellar offense and then Ipar Kurt is out there hustling, diving for balls, and making plays. The whole team really is playing extremely well on defense and that seems to be what’s making the difference.
Up next for Stanford is one more match in Milwaukee as they will face No. 24 Marquette on Wednesday. That will begin at 5:00 PM PT on FloSports.
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