Stanford's Morgan Hentz named Pac-12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO  - STANFORD senior Morgan Hentz was named the 2019 Pac-12 Women’s Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced today. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes who are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

A psychology major with emphasis in health and development, Hentz (Lakeside Park, Ky.) boasts a 3.596 grade point average while simultaneously regarded as arguably the best libero in the country, helping Stanford to a pair of NCAA titles after her freshman (2016) and junior (2018) campaigns. A two-time first team AVCA All-American, she has was voted the Pac-12 Libero of the Year three times and was selected the NCAA Tournament’s co-Most Outstanding Player after the Cardinal won the title last year. This season, she broke Stanford’s all-time digs mark and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 record book with 2,233 heading into the regional semifinal this week. Hentz is a nine-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and two-time AVCA All-Pacific North Region honoree, while helping Stanford claim the Pac-12 crown three-straight years.

Also a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic team member and a top-10 finalist for the Senior CLASS Award this season, Hentz traveled abroad to Vietnam in the summer of 2018 with the ACE program, which provides one-time funding for accepted Stanford and Duke student-athletes to participate in a three-week, immersive summer service experience with an international community partner. A member of Kids with Dreams a student-run organization that pairs a Stanford student with a child with a disability to help improve the lives of individuals with special needs. Through its weekly programs, the organization networks Stanford volunteers with community organizations and to connect them with children and young adults with special needs. Hentz future plans include working with children with disabilities

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2007-08 academic year.

The Cardinal are one of three Pac-12 volleyball teams still competing in the NCAA Tournament. It hosts UTAH for its regional semifinal match on Friday, Dec. 13. The regional final is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, where the winner of the Stanford-Utah clash faces the winner of the No. 11-seed Penn State and Cincinnati matchup.

Also Nominated: Julia Patterson, ARIZ; Callie Jones, ASU; Rachel Whipple, COLO; Ronika Stone, ORE; Kory Cheshire, OSU; Savvy Simo, UCLA; Berkeley Oblad, UTAH; Kara Bajema, WASH; Alexis Dirige, WSU.

Previous Volleyball Scholar-Athletes of the Year