Slideshow Stanford senior Carly Wopat led the Cardinal to a season-opening win over host UC Santa Barbara on Friday. Photo by Don Feria/isiphotos.com. Previous Next

It was a sweet homecoming for senior Carly Wopat as the third-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team swept UC Santa Barbara, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19, Friday, at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara. It was the 2013 season opener for both teams.

Wopat, a Santa Barbara native, paced the Cardinal on both sides of the ball, tallying 13 kills on a .545 attack percentage to go with eight blocks and two digs. Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Howard added 12 kills, hitting .409 in the match, while sophomore middle blocker Inky Ajanaku finished with seven kills and five blocks.

"It was really exciting for me to play at UCSB," Wopat said after the match. "It is always really nice to come home. I grew up watching sporting events in the Thunderdome. The last time I played in this gym was during high school and we lost in the CIF Championship match my junior. So getting the win today was really nice and it was fun to have a lot of family and friends in the stands."

Stanford sophomore setter Madi Bugg controlled the offense, notching 40 assists to go with five digs and two kills. Junior libero Kyle Gilbert registered 17 digs to lead the defense. As a team, the Cardinal hit .305 and limited the Gauchos to a .088 attack percentage. Stanford also notched 13 blocks in the match, compared to just four by UCSB.

The Cardinal started out slowly in the opening set, trailing by as many four points early on, but settled in and won. Stanford hit .333 as a team, while holding UCSB to a .028 clip. An 8-0 run in the middle of the set, sparked by back-to-back blocks from Wopat and sophomore Jordan Burgess, gave the Cardinal the momentum it needed. Ajanaku paced the team with four kills and a solo block in the set. Wopat and Howard finished with three kills apiece, while Gilbert tallied five digs. Freshman Ali Spindt from Menlo-Atherton High led the Gauchos with four kills.