Recap: No. 5 Stanford Women's Volleyball takes care of business at No. 23 Missouri
On Tuesday, No. 5 Stanford women’s volleyball defeated No. 23 Missouri 3-1 (25-23, 33-31, 22-25, 25-21). Stanford senior outside hitter Elia Rubin led the way for the Cardinal with 20 kills and 12 digs while freshman middle blocker Erika Sayer had 16 kills and six blocks. Missouri senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander was the top performer for the Tigers with 15 kills and six digs. Stanford improves to 4-2 overall while Missouri falls to 3-2.
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Missouri-Tuesday, September 9th
The first set was very back and forth. It was tied 5-5 after a kil by Alexander and then it was tied 10-10 after Julia Blyashov got a service ace for Stanford. Stanford led 20-18 after a kill by Lizzy Andrew only for Missouri to go on a 3-0 run to lead 21-20. After a kill by Tyrah Ariail, Missouri tied it up 23-23. Stanford then won back-to-back points to take the first set 25-23 as Sayer got back-to-back kills.
The second set was epic. After a kill by Regan Haith, Missouri led 10-5. Stanford would slowly creep back into the set, as a kill by Blyashov got them within one point at 16-17. Then, the Tigers went on a 3-0 run to lead 20-16 as Ariail got another kill during the run while Maya Sands got a service ace. Stanford would continue to fight, tying it up 23-23 after back-to-back kills from Rubin and Sayer. It would continue to be a back and forth set as it was tied up 31-31. Stanford finally broke the tie with a kill from Sayer followed by a service ace from Sayer. She was in the zone.
The third set once again was tight as it was all knotted up 5-5 after a kill from Blyashov. Missouri led 13-8 following a kill from Haith, but Stanford quickly responded with three straight points to make it 13-11. Missouri then went on a 4-0 run to lead 17-11. After a kill by Alexander, Missouri led 24-19. Stanford went on a 3-0 run to make it 24-22, but then Missouri closed it out 25-22 thanks to a kill by Marina Crownover. It was now a 2-1 match.
In the fourth set, it was once again tied up 5-5 after a kill by Ariail. This time it was Stanford that found a way to stay in front as they would go on a 3-0 run to lead 9-6, never giving up the lead from there. After a kill by Ariail, Missouri was down 13-12 and after an attack error by Rubin, Missouri was down 15-14. Every time Stanford found a way to respond. The most critical stretch being a 5-1 run in which they went up 20-15. Jordyn Harvey would get the final two kills of the set for Stanford to close it out 25-21 and win the match 3-1.
For Stanford, this was a really good win. Missouri is a tough team and made it hard on them in each and every set. They got pushed and tested, but found a way to come out on top in the end, hitting .408 while holding Missouri to a .291 hitting percentage. Up next for Stanford is their home opener against Utah State on Friday, September 12th at 6:00 PM PT.
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