No. 4 Stanford Volleyball Defeats Oregon State 3-0

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State volleyball team (12-11, 4-7) had its two-match winning streak snapped as the No. 4 ranked Stanford Cardinal (20-2, 11-0) handed the Beavers a 15-8, 18-16, 15-4 loss in front of a crowd of 944 at Gill Coliseum Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinal jumped out to an 8-0 lead in game one before Oregon State would get on the board, but things took a different turn in the second game. After a 3-3 tie, the Beavers started a rally of their own and took the next nine points to edge ahead, 12-3. Oregon State was unable to hold off the Cardinal, as Stanford came back to tie the game at 13. With the score then tied at 16, Stanford senior All-America Kristin Folkl smacked two consecutive kills to give the Cardinal the 18-16 victory.

"Stanford has another gear, and that gear is Kristin Folkl," said OSU head coach Jeff Mozzochi. "It's plain and simple. When they got down in that second game, she took over. And that's why, in my mind, there's no question she's the best volleyball player in the country."

Folkl finished with a match-high 26 kills, while Oregon State senior Pia Ahlengard hit .316 to lead the Beavers with 16 kills. OSU senior Heather Lowe added 15 kills. Ahlengard also topped the Beaver defense with 14 digs, while Lowe picked up 10 digs.

The Beavers hit just .181 on the afternoon, while Stanford finished at .307, highlighted by a .479 performance in game three.

"Game three was an obvious result of game two," Mozzochi said. "When you come that close in game two, it's real hard to come back. I think Stanford had to feel a little relieved."

Stanford University Women's Volleyball