Women's Volleyball
Cardinal to play four matches in the Badger State
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STANFORD, Calif. - No. 5 Stanford begins the 2024 season on Friday at Milwaukee at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The Cardinal will then take part in the State Farm® Women’s College Volleyball Showcase over Labor Day weekend at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. Stanford faces No. 18 Minnesota on Sunday at Noon PT on FS1 and No. 3 Wisconsin on Monday at 2 p.m. on FOX. The Cardinal closes out the trip at No. 24 Marquette on Wednesday.
SERIES AGAINST THE OPPONENTS: Friday will be the first meeting between Stanford and Milwaukee. The Cardinal is 12-3 all-time versus Minnesota, defeating the Gophers in four sets last season at Maples Pavilion. Stanford is 5-0 against the Badgers, most recently sweeping Wisconsin for the 2019 NCAA Championship in Pittsburgh. The Cardinal is 2-0 all-time against Marquette with the most recent meeting coming in 2010 at the Stanford Invitational.
2023 SEASON IN REVIEW: Stanford closed out the 2023 season with a 29-4 overall record and a 24th conference championship with a 19-1 mark in the Pac-12. The Cardinal made its 42nd NCAA postseason appearance in 43 seasons, advancing to its 17th regional final since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.
STACKED SCHEDULE: Stanford is slated to play 12 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll, including seven against top-10 opponents. The Cardinal will take on No. 1 Texas (Sept. 15), No. 2 Nebraska (Sept. 18), No. 3 Wisconsin (Sept. 2), No. 9 Kentucky (Sept. 21), No. 18 Minnesota (Sept. 1) and No. 24 Marquette (Sept. 4) in the nonconference. Stanford will meet No. 4 Pittsburgh (Oct. 20), No. 6 Louisville (Sept. 29 & Nov. 30), No. 14 Georgia Tech (Nov. 9 & Nov. 27) and No. 20 Florida (Nov. 3) in ACC play.
COACHES' PICK: In its inaugural ACC season, Stanford was picked to finish second by the league's coaches. The Cardinal captured three first-place votes and placed four on the Preseason All-ACC squad - middle blocker Sami Francis, setter Kami Miner, libero Elena Oglivie and outside hitter Elia Rubin.
MILESTONE ON THE HORIZON: Kami Miner is 66 assists away from 4,000 for her career. She will become the seventh player in school history to reach the milestone. In the rally-scoring era to 25, Miner is third behind Jenna Gray (5,485) and Madi Bugg (5,014) going into her final season on The Farm. Her 11.54 career assists per set mark would be a program record in the rally-scoring era to 25.
OLYMPIC TRADITION: Stanford alumna Kathryn Plummer ('20) captured a silver medal with the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Plummer, who won three national titles on The Farm (2016, 2018, 2019), is the 11th Olympian in program history. Her spot on the roster extended Stanford’s streak of having at least one former Cardinal player on each indoor U.S. Olympic Team since 1988. A school-record 59 Stanford-affiliated athletes qualified to compete in Paris, capturing a combined 39 medals (also a record). For the third consecutive edition of the Games, Stanford boasted more Team USA selections (37) than any other school.
BY THE NUMBERS: Stanford has won more NCAA titles (9), more NCAA Tournament matches (138), made more Final Four appearances (23) and been in the national championship match (17) more times than any other program in the nation. The Cardinal has qualified for 42 of the 43 NCAA Tournaments all-time.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Stanford clinched its 21st Pac-12 title, and its 24th conference championship overall in 2023. Stanford won 12 of the last 18 Pac-12 championships. The Cardinal finished in the top 4 in the Pac-12 in 37 of 38 seasons, and the top 3 in 35 of 38 campaigns.
AVCA ALL-AMERICANS: Kendall Kipp and Kami Miner were tabbed First Team All-Americans by the AVCA in 2023, while Caitie Baird and Elia Rubin earned second-team accolades. Elena Oglivie landed on the honorable mention list for a second straight season. The selections brought Stanford's total AVCA All-America award count to 115 honors spread over 47 players. The Cardinal has produced multiple All-Americans in the same season in 18 of the past 19 seasons.
HOME SWEET HOME: In seven seasons under Kevin Hambly, Stanford is 85-12 at Maples Pavilion, including 18-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal won 32 in a row at home to begin Hambly's tenure at Stanford.
COACHING EXCELLENCE: Kevin Hambly became the seventh head coach in Division I women’s volleyball to lead a school to back-to-back NCAA titles. Hambly is now 171-37 (.822) in seven seasons on The Farm, mentoring 13 AVCA All-Americans to 26 awards and six Academic All-Americans (eight awards).
THE HAMBLY FILE: Kevin Hambly coached 12 AVCA All-Americans to 19 honors during his time at Illinois and has now mentored 25 All-Americans to 45 awards. He is the third head coach to lead Stanford to a national championship. The two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year became the first Cardinal head coach (any sport) to win an NCAA title in one of his first two seasons on The Farm since 2005.
