Pac-12 Play Opens with Cal
THIS WEEK: The top-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team (10-0) opens Pac-12 Conference play on Tuesday, Sept. 23 against Bay Area rival California at 6 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks. Stanford also plays host to Washington State on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. in the lone meeting of the season between the Cardinal and Cougars.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Tuesday’s match will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. Live stats for the match can be found on the women’s volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. A live stream will be available for Friday’s match on the schedule page. Live updates can be found on Twitter (@StanfordWVB).
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook.com/StanfordWVB
Twitter (@StanfordWVB)
Instagram (@stanfordwvb)
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS: Tuesday's match is Red Zone Night. The first 200 Stanford students will receive free Stanford volleyball dri-fit t-shirts. Friday is Camper Reunion Night. All Stanford volleyball campers will receive free admission with a voucher. Head Coach John Dunning will also be holding a pre-match chalk talk in Kissick Auditorium in the Arrillaga Family Sports Center at 5 p.m.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA: Cal went 8-2 in the nonconference portion of its schedule, including a win at Saint Mary’s last week. The Bears are outhitting their opponents .232 to .180 and rank eighth in the Pac-12 with 13.73 digs per set. Senior opposite Christina Higgins leads the team with 3.00 kills per set. Junior middle blocker Lillian Schonewise adds 2.67 kills per set and ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with 1.25 blocks per set and 10th with a .347 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Alyssa Jensen is fifth in the conference with 10.73 assists per set, while sophomore libero Maddy Kerr is eighth with 3.72 digs per set.
THE SERIES WITH THE GOLDEN BEARS: Stanford leads the all-time series against Cal, 65-11. The Cardinal swept the season series against the Golden Bears in 2013, winning in four sets in Berkeley and at Maples. The most recent win for Cal came twice during the 2011 season.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE: Washington State has opened the 2014 campaign with a 9-3 record, including wins at Notre Dame and against Virginia Tech. The Cougars are led by senior middle blocker Chelsey Bettinson and sophomore outside hitter Kyra Holt. Bettinson is third in the Pac-12 with 1.60 blocks per set, fifth with a .390 hitting percentage and eighth with 4.35 points per set. Holt leads the squad with 3.38 kills per set, ranking ninth in the conference. Sophomore setter Haley McDonald controls the offense with 11.74 assists per set, while junior libero Kate Sommer is second in the Pac-12 with 4.02 digs per set.
THE SERIES WITH THE COUGARS: Stanford is 54-3 all-time against Washington State. The Cardinal swept both matches against the Cougars last season. WSU’s last win over Stanford came during the 2002 season in Pullman. The Cougars have never defeated the Cardinal in Maples.
STARTING SIX: Stanford’s first six matches of the year were against opponents who appeared in last year’s NCAA Tournament, including 2013 champion Penn State. Five of the six were ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA poll (then-No. 1 Penn State, then-No. 7 Nebraska, then-No. 9 Illinois, then-No. 20 Duke and then-No. 19 San Diego), while Iowa State was receiving votes.
LEADING THE NATION: Stanford redshirt freshman middle blocker Merete Lutz leads the nation with a .577 hitting percentage, while junior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku is tied for third nationally (.510). The pair are the only players in the Pac-12 hitting over .500.
HOT START: Stanford has now gone undefeated in nonconference regular season matches for the seventh time since 1986. The Cardinal (10-0) is off to its best start since the 2010 season when it won its first 14 matches.
ALL-AMERICANS: Stanford returns four of its five All-Americans from last season, including AVCA first-team selection Inky Ajanaku (Jr., MB, human biology) and AVCA second-team pick Madi Bugg (Jr., S, political science). Additionally, Kyle Gilbert (Sr., L, management science & engineering) and Jordan Burgess (Jr., OH, human biology) were tabbed honorable mention by the AVCA.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Stanford women’s volleyball program has won more NCAA Tournament matches (104), made more Final Four appearances (18) and been in the national championship match (14) more times than any other program in the nation. The Cardinal has captured 18 conference championships and produced 30 or more wins on 16 occasions. Stanford, along with Penn State, has won the most NCAA titles (6) and appeared in all 33 NCAA Tournaments, having won all 33 of its first-round matches.
NATIONAL POLL: Stanford remained in the top spot in the AVCA poll this week. Texas stayed at No. 2 and Penn State at No.3, while Washington and Wisconsin flip-flopped after the Huskies defeated the Badgers in Seattle. Seven Pac-12 squads are ranked in the top 25 (No. 9 USC, No. 13 Oregon, No. 18 Arizona, No. 19 Arizona State and No. 20 UCLA).
TAKING ON THE BEST: Once again, head coach John Dunning has lined up one of the most challenging schedules in the nation for the Cardinal. Stanford is slated to play 10 regular-season matches against teams ranked in the preseason poll, and 22 against teams that appeared in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
HEAD COACH JOHN DUNNING: Now in his 14th season at the helm of the Cardinal program, head coach John Dunning is one of the most accomplished coaches in the collegiate volleyball world. Dunning has four national championships under his belt, has taken teams to nine Final Fours and carried six of his 13 Stanford teams to the national title match.
MILESTONE FOR DUNNING: John Dunning secured his 800th career win on Nov. 22, 2013 against Washington State. In 29 years as a head coach, he is 815-169 (.828), giving him a winning percentage that ranks amongst the top-5 all-time for Division I coaches. Dunning is 378-67 in his 13 seasons on The Farm, leading all active coaches in the conference by winning percentage (.849).