This weekend, WSU women’s volleyball (17-5, 7-3) kicks off the second half of their Pac-12 season against No. 17 Stanford (12-6, 6-4) and the University of California, Berkeley (8-12, 2-8).

After last week’s wins against Arizona State and Arizona, the No. 18 Cougars are traveling to California to solidify a winning streak before returning home to Bohler Gym.

The Cougars are second in the nation behind the Cardinals with 3.41 blocks per set. WSU leads the Pac-12 with a .145 opponent hitting percentage and ranks third in aces (1.19 aps). Senior outside hitter Kyra Holt leads her team with 3.74 kills, 2.37 digs, 0.28 aces, and 4.41 points per set.

Sophomore middle blocker Claire Martin holds second place in the Pac-12 with 1.56 blocks per set, while fellow sophomore middle blocker Taylor Mims is third with 1.53 blocks per set and eighth with a .351 attack percentage.

Stanford fell three spots in the AVCA top-25 this week, leaving them ranked No. 17, their lowest ranking of the season.

The Cardinal leads the country with 3.43 blocks per set. Redshirt senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku leads the Pac-12 with 1.60 blocks per set and is fourth in the nation, while freshman middle blocker Audriana Fitzmorris is fourth in the Pac-12 with 1.46 blocks per set and is ranked 14th nationally.

One of the main concerns for the Cougs this weekend is Stanford’s home court advantage. The Cardinal holds a record of 214-24 at home under Head Coach John Dunning. However, WSU beat Stanford back in September in Bohler Gym. The Cougs are confident in their defensive ability and have out-blocked some of nation’s most prestigious defensive specialists.

After two losses last week on the road, the California Bears are hoping to make a comeback against WSU. Cal’s junior outside hitter Christine Alftin recently completed the best offensive match of her career against No. 15 UCLA. Alftin had a career-high of 22 kills, hitting .450.

Cal senior libero Maddy Kerr clocked in 13 digs against UCLA, while redshirt sophomore outside hitter Ashten Smith-Gooden had three blocks, which doesn’t match the level of play the Cougs have had defensively this season.

WSU will play Stanford today at 6 p.m. and California on Saturday at 7 p.m. Friday’s match will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Reporting by Jesse Woodhead