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The nationally No. 13-ranked (by GolfWeek) Stanford men's golf, behind a third-place finish from freshman David Boote, finished eighth at the 2012 Pac-12 Preview at Pumpkin Ridge's Witch Hollow Course on Tuesday. The Cardinal carded rounds of 295-285-287 (867, +3) to finish 32 strokes behind first-place California.

Boote, who tied for seventh last week at his first collegiate competition at Olympia Fields, fired rounds of 69-69-70 (208, -8) to tie for third, three shots behind Trevor Simsby of Washington. Boote demonstrated consistent play throughout the event, making 14 birdies to only six bogeys and utilizing his short game and amateur experience to lower his stroke average to 70.3 on the season.

Patrick Rodgers shot 73-71-71 (215, -1), good for a share of 22nd. Rodgers, fresh off a successful defense of his title at Olympia Fields, totaled 11 birdies for the tournament.

Freshman Dominick Francks showcased his potential in the first collegiate tournament of his Stanford career. A late starter to competitive golf, Francks rebounded from an opening round 76 with rounds of 71-73 (220, +4) to tie for 33rd. Francks made the team's only eagle in the second round on the par-5, 623-yard seventh hole.

Andre DeDecker tied for 48th after shooting 77-77-73 (227, +11). DeDecker improved his position by five spots in the third round, having started the day tied for 53rd.

Patrick Grimes finished 59th. The sophomore carded rounds of 87-74-83 (244, +28).

The Cardinal competes next at U.S. Collegiate Championships in Alpharetta, Ga., October 19-21.

Women's volleyball
The No. 4 Stanford women's volleyball team (14-2, 6-0 Pac-12) plays host to No. 6 USC (16-2, 4-2 Pac-12) and No. 7 UCLA (12-3, 4-2 Pac-12) this week at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal and Trojans will meet on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., while Stanford takes on the defending national champion Bruins on Friday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.

Wednesday's match against the Trojans is Breast Cancer Awareness Night and fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support. Friday's match is the 1982 Reunion night. Help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the program's first Final Four as the 1982 team returns for a special tribute.
Three-time gold medalist and Stanford alum Kerri Walsh Jennings will be in attendance at Friday's match as the Cardinal takes on defending national champion UCLA. She will be available before the match to sign autographs for fans from 5-6 p.m. on the Maples concourse.

The Cardinal moved up to No. 1 in the latest RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) poll this week. Stanford is facing two teams this week ranked in the top 15 as UCLA is No. 4 and USC is No. 12.

Women's golf
The Stanford women's golf team put forth a strong performance for the second consecutive day, carding a second-round 308 after an opening round 299 (607, +31). The Cardinal sit in fourth place, 21 strokes behind first-place Washington.

Sally Watson led the team, carding a 74 on the day. The senior is tied for sixth after an opening round 72 (146, +2). Watson has played particularly well on par-5's this week, making birdie four times in eight attempts.

Mariah Stackhouse is tied for 19th with rounds of 73-78 (151, +7). The freshman settled down after scoring seven on the fourth hole to play the remainder of the round at three-over par.

Cross country
The Stanford cross-country teams will compete Friday at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational. The meet is expected to be the most competitive regular season meet of the year with 46 men's team and 49 women's teams scheduled to compete.

The women's 6,000-meter race will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the men's 8,000-meter race immediately following at 10:40 a.m.

The No. 7 women's team will have its hands full as six of the top-10 teams in the country are scheduled to compete. This includes conference foes No. 2 Arizona and No. 3 Washington, as once again the Pac-12 is arguably the top league in the nation in 2012.

Other contenders include No. 5 Iowa State, No. 9 Cornell and No. 10 Michigan State. Overall, 20 ranked teams will make the trip to Wisconsin.

The Cardinal women will be led by Kathy Kroeger who is a threat for the individual title. Kroeger already has a meet title to her name this season as she won the Stanford Invitational for the third-straight season.

Other top returners include, Aisling Cuffe, Jessica Tonn and Emilie Amaro, but this race will mark the first major collegiate race for several Cardinal women, including Cayla Hatton who was the runner-up at the Stanford Invitational.

On the men's side the competition is equally formidable. Top-ranked Wisconsin is the host, but six of the top-10 teams, including No. 8 Stanford are set to compete. No. 4 Oklahoma, T-No. 5 Portland, T-No.5 Iona and No. 10 Syracuse will also factor into the race at the front.

In all, 19 ranked teams will compete, although Stanford will be the lone ranked team from the Pac-12.

Individually, it remains to be seen who from the men's team is ready to step up and run at the front of races. Joe Rosa led the Cardinal at the Stanford Invitational, while Benjamin Johnson, Erik Olson and Miles Unterreiner have the most experience in big races.

Thomas Graham and Billy Orman are also scheduled to debut in the Stanford singlet.

— Stanford Sports Information

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