FORT COLLINS, Colo.—The anticipated matchup between Stanford and Hawaii has been set.
Stanford assured its part by defeating Florida, 25-14, 25-21, 25-21, in the second match of the NCAA Fort Collins volleyball regional Friday night.
Earlier, Hawaii ousted Purdue, 18-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20.
“We are happy to be where we are. I am happy to go to the next day, and that’s good enough for me,” Stanford coach John Dunning said. “I’m looking forward to our match with Hawaii.”
Stanford (29-3), runner-up to Penn State in the NCAA championship match a year ago, played like a tournament-tested team playing a Florida team that started five freshmen.
The first set was tied 3-3, when the Cardinal unleashed its talented corps of players led by Foluke Akinradewo and Alix Klineman, and pulled ahead 16-5.
“A little bit of our nerves got to us in the beginning,” said Florida junior Elyse Cusack. “We don’t see too many players like her. She is a one-of-a-kind player.”
Surprisingly, Florida (27-4) settled down and made a run at the Cardinal. The Gators even led 12-9 in the second set, before losing 25-21.
“I thought we played real strong in the first set, but we knew they weren’t going to back down,” Akinradewo said. “They brought up their intensity. We struggled a bit, but when it came down to it, we were able to play through it.”
Florida were just as competitive in the third set and trailed only 22-21. Akinradewo settled the set with a block and a kill for two of Stanford’s final three points.
“When you play Stanford, there is so little margin for error,” Florida coach Mary Wise said. “We were right there in sets two and three, but we just didn’t have an answer for Foluke. Obviously, no one else in the country has either.”
Hawaii (31-3) had to overcome a slow start in disposing of Purdue. Were they unraveled by losing the first set and falling behind in the next two?
“No. You never want to be down, but we hadn’t played our game yet,” Hawaii junior Amber Kaufman said. “I admit I was rattled, but once we started playing our game, I knew things would pick up for us.”
They did.
“It was looking a little bleak, but we rebounded,” Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. “Our players were determined to win the match, and somehow we turned the match around in Game 3.”
Purdue (26-9) appeared in complete command at outset. They never trailed in winning the first set.
“Everything was going our way,” Purdue middle hitter Stephanie Lynch said. “We made some mistakes, and in this game, every point makes a difference.”
An unforced error helped Purdue build a 17-12 lead in the second set.
The Rainbow Wahine responded by running off 10 of the next 11 points to take a 22-18 lead. Jamie Houston’s kill completed the set with a win for Hawaii.
“Maybe we were a bit nervous, playing in a different gym,” Houston said. “Once we calmed down, though, we knew we weren’t going to lose many matches when we are calm and collective.”
The third set followed the same script. Purdue dominated play early and led 17-11 only to see the momentum and the set swing in Hawaii’s favor.
“The one big adjustment we made was not hitting into their seams,” Shoji said. “They were such good blockers that knew where we like to hit. That was key and the play of our outside hitters.”
The Rainbow Wahine tied the third set at 22-22 and put it away, 25-23, on another kill by Houston. Hawaii maintain the momentum to win the fourth set.
“I thought we played well tonight,” Purdue coach Dave Shondell said. “I thought we played well enough in the third set to get it to five sets, but that didn’t happen.
While making their 27th NCAA appearance, the Rainbow Wahine improved their record to 17-7 in regional semifinal matches.
Purdue is winless in four meetings with Hawaii. The Rainbow Wahine defeated the Boilermakers in three sets in a 2004 NCAA second-round match in Fort Collins.
