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The No. 4 Stanford women's volleyball team started off a very important week in Pac-12 Conference play by posting a 25-18, 25-16, 25-18 victory over No. 6 USC on Wednesday night in Maples Pavilion.

The Cardinal, which has won 13 in a row, moves to 15-2 overall and 7-0 in the Pac-12, while the Trojans fall to 16-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

Stanford was led offensively by a pair of freshmen, middle blocker Inky Ajanaku and outside hitter Brittany Howard, who tallied 12 kills apiece. Ajanaku hit a match-high .529 to go with six blocks, while Howard hit a career best .414.

Junior middle blocker Carly Wopat finished with seven kills on 15 attempts with just one error for a .400 hitting percentage and seven blocks. Freshman outside hitter Jordan Burgess had seven kills and hit .467 in addition to having 19 digs and two blocks, while junior Rachel Williams totaled six kills and six blocks.

Senior setter Karissa Cook racked up 23 assists in the win, while freshman setter Madi Bugg added 14 assists and two digs. Sophomore libero Kyle Gilbert was also dominant for Stanford, collecting 22 digs and four assists. As a team, Stanford hit .350 in the match, while holding the Trojans to a .085 clip.

Stanford came out fired up on defense, posting eight blocks in the opening set on its way to a 25-18 victory. The Cardinal recorded a .270 attack percentage, while holding USC to a .000 clip.

The Cardinal dominated the second set, capturing a 25-16 win. As a team, Stanford tallied 16 kills and hit .324. USC was held to a .089 hitting percentage.

Stanford finished off USC with a 25-18 win in the third set. It was close in the beginning, but the Cardinal found its offensive rhythm, hitting .500 in the set. USC posted its best offensive output of the match with a .194 hitting percentage. Ajanaku and Howard combined for nine of Stanford's 15 kills.

Stanford wraps-up its four-match homestand on Friday against seventh-ranked UCLA. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. Cardinal alum and four-time Olympian Kerri Walsh will be at Maples Pavilion signing autographs for fans from 5-6 p.m.

Women's golf
Stanford's women's finished third at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational Wednesday in Sammamish, Wash., persevering through inclement weather at Sahalee Golf Course to card a final-round 298 after earlier rounds of 299 and 308 (905).

Though early morning fog forced tournament organizers to implement a 10 a.m. shotgun start, the Cardinal was unaffected by the delay and posted the day's low score.

Sally Watson tied for second to lead the Cardinal. The senior carded rounds of 72-74-71-217, 1-over par in her first action of the season. She had five birdies on the day. Watson finished in the top-five in par-3 scoring, par-5 scoring and birdies.

"We had a great team effert, and as a result were able to shoot the lowest round of the day," said head coach Anne Walker. "This was a terrific event for Sally. She played smart and handled herself extraordinarily well. It was impressive to watch."

Freshman Mariah Stackhouse recovered from a second-round 78 with an even-par final round to finish tied for eighth (73-78-72- 223). The freshman from Riverdale, Ga. ranked in the top-10 in birdies and pars made for the tournament while shooting 7-over.

"Mariah really came through for us this week," said Walker. "She is a tremendous player and has already grown in the past couple weeks. I saw her hit some shots today that were tour quality."

Stanford's Mariko Tumangan tied for 28th after rounds of 79-77-78 (234). Freshman Lauren Kim finished 40th, carding rounds of 80-79-77 (236). Marissa Mar tied for 41st, shooting 75-79-83 (237).

The Cardinal returns home to host the Stanford Intercollegiate, October 19-21.

— Stanford Sports Information

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