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Stanford junior Cameron Wilson set a course record at CordeValle Resort in San Martin, firing an opening-round 10-under 61 at the eighth annual Gifford Intercollegiate Golf Championship on Monday.

Wilson opened the round by getting birdies on the first three holes and eight of the first 10, and finished just as strong while making three birdies on the final four holes. The junior fired a 30 on the front and 31 on the back.

Wilson's 61 was one stroke lower than the previous best on the Robert Trent Jones-designed course, posted by several PGA players -- most recently John Mallinger and Nick O'Hearn in the 2012 Frys.com Open in October.

"Cameron's round today was one of the best in Stanford's golf program history," said Stanford coach Conrad Ray. "Cameron seemed very comfortable from the first tee shot today. This is his third year competing in the Gifford Intercollegiate Golf Championship, and he likes the CordeValle course."

The Cardinal fired a five-man total of 2-under 353, good for second place -- two strokes behind UCLA. Patrick Rodgers and David Boote shot 1-over 72, with Dominick Francks and Steve Kearney carding rounds of 74. Shane Lebow shot 79.

Wilson missed a pair of early season events while recovering from a back injury. Carding a stroke average of 72.4 last season, the Cardinal received a big boost from his return, including a 69 in the second round of the U.S. Intercollegiate. Still, no one expected a record-setting performance.

"Cameron carried us today," said Ray. "We know what he's capable of, and he really showed that out there."

Women's volleyball
Stanford middle blocker Carly Wopat and outside hitter Brittany Howard have been selected the Pac-12 women's volleyball Offensive and Freshman Players of the Week.

Stanford (22-2) went on the road and swept Oregon State and then-No. 2 Oregon last week to remain undefeated in the Pac-12 (14-0) and extend its winning streak to 20 matches.

Wopat hit an impressive .700 over the two matches, averaging 3.67 kills, 5.00 points and 2.17 blocks per set. At OSU, she registered a career-high .706 hitting percentage, putting down 12 kills on 17 swings with no errors. She also registered four blocks, three digs and an ace against the Beavers. At second-ranked Oregon, she led the team with 10 kills and hit .692 while collecting a match-high nine blocks. Wopat now leads the Pac-12 with a .405 hitting percentage.

Howard was a key reason Stanford posted two sweeps on the road for the first time this season. A native of Los Altos, Howard posted 3.67 kills, 2.67 digs and 4.42 points per set while hitting .328 in the two matches. Against OSU, she posted a match-high and career-high 14 kills, and added 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Against the Ducks, the rookie tallied eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage and totaled four blocks and a service ace.

It is Wopat's fourth career weekly honor and her second Offensive Player of the Week award this season (Stanford's 83rd award all-time). It is the fifth time this season a Cardinal rookie has earned the award as Howard joins Madi Bugg (Sept. 10), Jordan Burgess (Sept. 24) and Inky Ajanaku (Oct. 15 and Oct. 29).

Stanford's 20-match winning streak marks its longest such streak under head coach John Dunning and the longest for the program since 1999.

The Cardinal will face Washington State on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and No. 5 Washington on Thursday (8 p.m.), both in Maples Pavilion. Both matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

Field hockey
No. 14 Stanford looks to clear its final hurdle on the way to a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, squaring off against Miami (OH) on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. PT in an NCAA Play-In game.

Riding a season-high six-game winning streak, Stanford is coming off its fifth conference tournament crown in six years after blanking Liberty 3-0 over the weekend in Farmville, Va.

The next step is familiar territory for the Cardinal. Because the NorPac Championship winner is not awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Stanford must participate in an NCAA Play-In game. This year's designated opponent is the tournament champion from MAC, so Miami (OH) gets that opportunity after defeating Kent State 2-1 in the conference final.

While the NorPac champion was originally tabbed as the host, the schools received clearance from the NCAA to play the contest in Farmville, Va., in an effort to minimize travel and expenses. It's a neutral site, but also the same field in which Stanford just outscored opponents 11-2 over a dominating three-day stretch during the NorPac Championship.

Tuesday's contest is a rematch from earlier this year, when Stanford defeated Miami (OH) 3-0 back on Sept. 1 in a neutral-site game played in East Lansing, Mich. In that game, Katie Mitchell scored a pair of goals while the Cardinal tallied a commanding 22-4 advantage in shot attempts.

Stanford is 3-1 all-time in NCAA Play-In games. In its most recent contest, the Cardinal edged Massachusetts 2-1 on the road in 2010.

Fresh off its first tournament championship in school history, Miami (OH) enters Tuesday's game on a season-best three-game winning streak. The RedHawks are 0-2 at neutral sites and 1-5 against top-25 teams, with a 2-1 victory over No. 23 Ohio State serving as their signature win of the year. Bea Dechant and Olivia Miller share the team lead with nine goals.

Stanford and Miami (OH) share three common opponents: Northwestern, Michigan State and Central Michigan. Both teams lost to Northwestern and Michigan State, while picking up wins over Central Michigan.

It's possible Stanford can qualify for the NCAA Tournament even with a loss on Tuesday, but it's also highly unlikely.

The Cardinal, which is 2-5 against top-25 teams, has navigated through an extremely challenging schedule that has featured three games played against the nation's No. 1-ranked team at the time.

Stanford's best victories have come against No. 10 Iowa (3-2) and No. 18 Drexel (2-1). The Cardinal checked in at No. 13 in the most recent edition of the RPI and has been nationally-ranked for every week of the year.

The Cardinal is seeking its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance.

— Stanford Sports Information/Palo Alto Online Sports

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