Post by bigfan on Aug 31, 2006 15:11:40 GMT -5
Cardinal open with win against UCSB
August 31, 2006
By Adrian Gaitan
Coming off of a disappointing second round upset last December at the NCAA tournament, the No. 4 Stanford women’s volleyball team (1-0) opened their 2006 season with a win against UCSB Saturday evening, 30-20, 30-26, 30-25.
Senior Kristen Richards celebrates after Stanford won the second game of their match against UCSB.
UCSB (1-1) came up short against a determined Stanford team that saw the return of sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza. Barboza, who had been out since last October after a devastating ACL tear, showed no signs of being rusty.
Stanford brought three All-Americans back to the court, including senior Kristin Richards, junior Bryn Kehoe, and last season’s Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, sophomore Foluke Akinradewo. All three contributed significantly to Stanford’s win.
But it was Barboza who led the charge against the Gauchos, helping to keep the Cardinal in the match and eventually leading them to the win. Logging 10 kills during the match, including several key kills in the third game, Barboza looked as though she had not missed a day since early last season.
The first game saw a sluggish Cardinal team come out, with UCSB grabbing an early 4-0 lead. After settling down, Stanford came back to a 9-5 with the help of two kills by Barboza. Kehoe and Richards soon helped the Cardinal cruise out to a more comfortable lead with a four-point run of their own to make the game 17-10. Kehoe had an amazing 11 assists during game one, propelling the Card to a fairly easy win.
Game two, however, was much closer than anyone might have expected. The Gauchos kept the score close throughout the early portions of the game, capitalizing on Stanford mistakes, which included running into the net and several serving errors. The last half of the game would see both teams trading off the lead until Stanford finally broke out away after a block by sophomore Erin Waller late in the game put the Card up for good. Helped in part by Richards and Akinradewo’s 21 combined kills, Stanford needed only one more win to take the match.
The start of the third game had Stanford running out to an early lead, prompting Santa Barbara to call a timeout to regroup. Following the timeout, a series of strange events led to a Santa Barbara run.
After some confusion as to who was supposed to serve, Redondo Beach standout Rebecca Saraceno served a fairly returnable ball to the Card. However, miscommunication between Richards, Akinradewo, and Kehoe led to Akinradewo just barely setting up the ball on the second hit for Barboza. On the return from senior Olivia Waldowski, Barboza managed to control the ball enough for the Stanford return. Kehoe, however, tripped over Barboza, sending Barboza to a hard fall on the court, followed by Kehoe falling on top of her after accidentally hitting the ball on the Stanford side of the net. As Maples gasped, Barboza got up with a grimace, but continued to play. UCSB then grabbed the lead with a 5-0 run, including an ace that forced Stanford coach John Dunning into a timeout.
After the timeout, and a request from Dunning that the team “have some energy,” Stanford came back to the court with more emotion and intensity than earlier in the match. Barboza could be seen hardened by the fall, aggressively attacking the net while fellow sophomores Waller and Jessica Fishburn helped lead Stanford to a 30-25 win.
With the strong showing by the team, Stanford now goes on a six-game road trip. Next weekend, the Cardinal will participate in the BYU Tournament in Utah, followed by the Waikiki Beach Marriott Volleyball Challenge the following weekend, where Stanford will meet up against No. 7 Hawaii.
NOTES...Despite classes not being in session for another month, the game was still attended by a large crowd, nearly filling the lower bowl of Maples...While the band remains suspended for July’s investigation of the Band Shak vandalism, several members were present at the game informally without uniforms or instruments, serving instead as the student section.
August 31, 2006
By Adrian Gaitan
Coming off of a disappointing second round upset last December at the NCAA tournament, the No. 4 Stanford women’s volleyball team (1-0) opened their 2006 season with a win against UCSB Saturday evening, 30-20, 30-26, 30-25.
Senior Kristen Richards celebrates after Stanford won the second game of their match against UCSB.
UCSB (1-1) came up short against a determined Stanford team that saw the return of sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza. Barboza, who had been out since last October after a devastating ACL tear, showed no signs of being rusty.
Stanford brought three All-Americans back to the court, including senior Kristin Richards, junior Bryn Kehoe, and last season’s Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, sophomore Foluke Akinradewo. All three contributed significantly to Stanford’s win.
But it was Barboza who led the charge against the Gauchos, helping to keep the Cardinal in the match and eventually leading them to the win. Logging 10 kills during the match, including several key kills in the third game, Barboza looked as though she had not missed a day since early last season.
The first game saw a sluggish Cardinal team come out, with UCSB grabbing an early 4-0 lead. After settling down, Stanford came back to a 9-5 with the help of two kills by Barboza. Kehoe and Richards soon helped the Cardinal cruise out to a more comfortable lead with a four-point run of their own to make the game 17-10. Kehoe had an amazing 11 assists during game one, propelling the Card to a fairly easy win.
Game two, however, was much closer than anyone might have expected. The Gauchos kept the score close throughout the early portions of the game, capitalizing on Stanford mistakes, which included running into the net and several serving errors. The last half of the game would see both teams trading off the lead until Stanford finally broke out away after a block by sophomore Erin Waller late in the game put the Card up for good. Helped in part by Richards and Akinradewo’s 21 combined kills, Stanford needed only one more win to take the match.
The start of the third game had Stanford running out to an early lead, prompting Santa Barbara to call a timeout to regroup. Following the timeout, a series of strange events led to a Santa Barbara run.
After some confusion as to who was supposed to serve, Redondo Beach standout Rebecca Saraceno served a fairly returnable ball to the Card. However, miscommunication between Richards, Akinradewo, and Kehoe led to Akinradewo just barely setting up the ball on the second hit for Barboza. On the return from senior Olivia Waldowski, Barboza managed to control the ball enough for the Stanford return. Kehoe, however, tripped over Barboza, sending Barboza to a hard fall on the court, followed by Kehoe falling on top of her after accidentally hitting the ball on the Stanford side of the net. As Maples gasped, Barboza got up with a grimace, but continued to play. UCSB then grabbed the lead with a 5-0 run, including an ace that forced Stanford coach John Dunning into a timeout.
After the timeout, and a request from Dunning that the team “have some energy,” Stanford came back to the court with more emotion and intensity than earlier in the match. Barboza could be seen hardened by the fall, aggressively attacking the net while fellow sophomores Waller and Jessica Fishburn helped lead Stanford to a 30-25 win.
With the strong showing by the team, Stanford now goes on a six-game road trip. Next weekend, the Cardinal will participate in the BYU Tournament in Utah, followed by the Waikiki Beach Marriott Volleyball Challenge the following weekend, where Stanford will meet up against No. 7 Hawaii.
NOTES...Despite classes not being in session for another month, the game was still attended by a large crowd, nearly filling the lower bowl of Maples...While the band remains suspended for July’s investigation of the Band Shak vandalism, several members were present at the game informally without uniforms or instruments, serving instead as the student section.
