STANFORD, Calif. – The Cal volleyball team had set point in the second set against No. 1 Stanford on Tuesday night but ultimately fell to the Cardinal, 25-16, 26-24, 25-16 in its Pac-12 opener at Maples Pavilion.

Senior opposite hitter Christina Higgins led the Bears (8-3, 0-1 Pac-12) with 13 kills and now is just nine kills shy of 1,000 for her career. Only 15 players in Cal history have reached that mark.

Freshman outside hitter Ashten Smith-Gooden added five kills for Cal while sophomore middle blocker Jenelle Jordan had four kills and two blocks. Sophomore libero Maddy Kerr had 15 digs.

After losing the first set, the Bears fell behind 12-9 in the second before scoring six in a row to take a 15-12 lead. The Cardinal (11-0, 1-0) came back to tie it at 17-17 and the teams then traded points the rest of the set.

A kill by Higgins gave Cal a 24-23 lead in the second set, but Stanford was able to score the next three points to close it out.

The Bears stayed close during the early stages of the third set before the Cardinal went on a 6-0 run to establish a 15-7 lead. Cal trailed by as many as 10 points and then cut the deficit down to seven before Stanford wrapped up the match.

Cal is back on the court Friday for its Pac-12 home opener against Washington at 8 p.m. at Haas Pavilion. The match will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.