THIS WEEK: The No. 8 Stanford women’s volleyball team (4-2) closes out the nonconference portion of its schedule at home this week, hosting No. 24 Pacific on Friday, Sept. 18 and Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Sept. 19. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Live stats for the matches can be found on the women’s volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. Both matches will also be streamed online via pac-12.com for free.
PROMOTIONS: Prior to Saturday’s match, head coach John Dunning will host a Chalk Talk from 5-5:30 p.m. in the new VIP room on the east side of the Maples Pavilion concourse.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook.com/StanfordWVB
Twitter: @StanfordWVB
Instagram: @stanfordwvb
SCOUTING PACIFIC: Pacific has started the 2015 season with an 8-1 record with its only blemish a five-set loss to Iowa. The Tigers are hitting .290 as a team, while holding its opponents to a .192 clip. Senior setter Kimmy Whitson controls the offense with 10.75 assists per set, while sophomore libero Katrin Gotterba anchors the defense with 3.16 digs per set. Junior outside hitter Lexi Elman paces the squad with 4.97 kills and 2.88 digs per set.
THE SERIES WITH THE TIGERS: Stanford leads the all-time series against Pacific 30-22. The most recent meeting was a Cardinal sweep in its 2013 home opener.
SCOUTING SAINT MARY’S: Saint Mary’s enters the week with a 5-3 overall record. The Gaels are a young squad led by their underclassmen. Freshman outside hitter Lindsey Knudsen paces the team with 3.30 kills and 1.93 digs per set, while sophomore middle blocker Alexis Salmons adds 2.52 kills and 1.10 blocks per set. Sophomore setter Mary Hernandez runs the offense with 11.14 assists per set, while sophomore libero Madi Wilkerson collects 4.55 digs per set.
THE SERIES WITH THE GAELS: The Cardinal is 14-2 overall versus the Gaels. The teams last met in 2013, where Stanford posted a 3-1 win in Maples Pavilion.
PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12: Stanford led all Pac-12 teams with three selections to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team. Seniors Madi Bugg and Jordan Burgess are repeat selections, while redshirt sophomore Merete Lutz is being recognized for the first time in her career.
AJANAKU OUT: Senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku, the 2014 Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year, will miss the 2015 season after having surgery for an injury suffered playing with the U.S. National Team over the summer.
A BUGG’S LIFE: Senior Madi Bugg was tabbed the Pac-12 Setter of the Year for the second straight season in 2014. The Apex, N.C., native led the nation with 12.10 assists per set last season and enters this year ranked fifth on the Cardinal’s career assists list with 4,013.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB: Senior outside hitter Jordan Burgess racked up 19 double-doubles to lead the team in 2014. The human biology major became just the ninth Cardinal player to accumulate more than 1,000 career kills and digs. Burgess now has 1,080 kills and 1,159 digs.
THE HOWARD FILE: Senior outside hitter Brittany Howard, a three-year starter and all-conference selection, is looking to become just the 10th Cardinal player to reach the 1,000 career kill and dig marks. She currently has registered 937 kills and 948 digs.
TOP RECRUIT: Freshman opposite Hayley Hodson begins her career at Stanford after being tabbed the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation in 2015 by Volleyball Magazine. Hodson already has national team experience, most recently winning a gold medal at the 2015 Pan America Cup in Lima, Peru. She leads the Cardinal in kills (3.33) and points (3.90) per set this season.
HOME SWEET HOME: Stanford’s senior class is 49-1 at Maples Pavilion and is currently on a 25 match-winning streak on its home court. Traditionally, Stanford has always protected its home court. The Cardinal is 198-18 at Maples Pavilion under head coach John Dunning.
TOP SENIOR: Jordan Burgess is one of 30 candidates in the nation for the Senior CLASS Award, which is based on notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
NATIONAL POLL: Stanford dropped to No. 8 in the AVCA poll this week after losing its second consecutive three-set match at North Carolina before defeating Duke in five sets last week. It marks the Cardinal’s lowest ranking since Oct. 7, 2013 when it was also No. 8. Texas moved to No. 2, while USC, Nebraska and Florida round out the top 5. Seven Pac-12 squads are ranked in the top 25.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Stanford women’s volleyball program has won more NCAA Tournament matches (108), made more Final Four appearances (19) and been in the national championship match (14) more times than any other team in the nation. The Cardinal has captured 19 conference championships and produced 30 or more wins on 17 occasions. Stanford has six NCAA titles and has competed in all 34 NCAA Tournaments, having won all 34 of its first-round matches.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Not only does the team perform well on the court, but the Cardinal also represents in the classroom. Stanford was one of three Pac-12 teams to earn the AVCA’s Team Academic Award, while all five returning starters earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention in 2014. Additionally, senior Jordan Burgess was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American.
HEAD COACH JOHN DUNNING: Now in his 15th 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 10 Final Fours and carried six of his 14 Stanford teams to the national title match.
DUNNING BY THE NUMBERS: In 30 years as a head coach, John Dunning is 842-173 (.830), giving him a winning percentage that ranks among the top 5 all-time for Division I coaches. He is 405-71 in his 14 seasons on The Farm, leading all active coaches in the conference by winning percentage (.851).
