Slideshow Brittany Howard had nine kills and 14 digs in Stanford's four-set victory over visiting USC on Friday. Kyle Gilbert (in the background) recorded a season-best 26 digs. Photo by Hector Garcia Molina/stanfordphoto.com Previous Next

The top-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team continues to add to its legacy, matching the 1994 team for the second-most consecutive wins to open a season.

The Cardinal would be the first to say its been a long, arduous journey to get to this point and that there's still another four weeks left in the Pac-12 Conference season.

Stanford beat No. 19 USC, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19, as the midway point of the conference season was reached on Sunday. The Cardinal (10-0 in Pac-12 play) won its 20th consecutive match and remained undefeated on the year.

Only the 1991 team, at 27-0, had a better start. That team did not win a national title.

Stanford (.233) hit under .250 for just the third time this season and the Trojans (5-5, 12-8) to a .171hitting percentage.