STANFORD, Calif. - (2) Stanford began its quest for a 10th national title last week, sweeping Sacramento State and (7) LMU at home. The tournament's No. 5 overall seed, Stanford has advanced to its 21st NCAA regional semifinal since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.
Thursday, Dec. 12
Match #1 - 4 p.m. PT | ESPN2
(6) Florida (23-7) vs. (2) Stanford (27-4)
Freedom Hall • Louisville, Ky.
Match #2 - 6:30 p.m. PT | ESPN2
(4) Purdue (27-6) vs. (1) Louisville (27-5)
Freedom Hall • Louisville, Ky.
Saturday, Dec. 14
Match #3 - 4:30 p.m. PT | ESPN2
Winner Match #1 vs. Winner Match #2
Freedom Hall • Louisville, Ky.
LOOKING AHEAD: Should Stanford advance past this week, the team will remain in Louisville for the Final Four, being held Dec. 19 and 22 at the KFC Yum! Center.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford opened the NCAA Tournament with a pair of sweeps at home over Sacramento State and (7) LMU. The Cardinal hit a combined .467 in the two matches - the highest hitting percentage by any team in the nation through the first two rounds. Setter Kami Miner averaged 12.17 assists per set, while outside hitter Elia Rubin paced the team with 5.00 kills and 6.00 points per set.
PREVIEWING FLORIDA: Stanford is 3-1 overall against Florida in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators won the most recent meeting - a five-set victory in the 2017 NCAA national semifinals in Kansas City. Stanford's most recent win in the postseason came in the 2014 NCAA regional final in Ames, Iowa. The Cardinal is 9-6 all-time against the Gators. (6) Florida advanced to the regional semifinals by sweeping NC State in the opening round before knocking off (3) Kansas in five sets. Kennedy Martin led the Gators during the opening weekend, ranking third nationally in kills per set (6.38) and points per set (7.19).
STANFORD VS. THE FIELD: The Cardinal has played 17 matches against this year's NCAA field, posting a 13-4 record. Stanford was 7-3 against ACC teams in the tournament and has picked up nonconference wins over (2) Wisconsin, (3) Kentucky, (3) Texas and (6) Minnesota, (7) LMU and Sacramento State.
BY THE NUMBERS: Stanford has won more NCAA titles (9), more NCAA Tournament matches (140), 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 43 of the 44 NCAA Tournaments all-time.
HOME SWEET HOME: In eight seasons under Kevin Hambly, Stanford is 100-12 at Maples Pavilion, including 20-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal won 32 in a row at home to begin Hambly's tenure at Stanford. This season, the Cardinal went 14-0 at home, dropping just three sets on The Farm. It was the first undefeated season on The Farm since 2018.
REGION HONORS: Led by AVCA Pacific Region Player of the Year Kami Miner, five Cardinal were selected to the all-region team. Joining Miner were Sami Francis, Jordyn Harvey, Elena Oglivie and Elia Rubin. Stanford has had at least four all-region players in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Stanford now boasts 131 all-region selections all-time (including honorable mention).
ACC SETTER OF THE YEAR: Kami Miner was tabbed the 2024 ACC Setter of the Year, her third time winning a major conference award. It is the ninth time a Cardinal player has been named Setter of the Year (Madi Bugg - 2013-15 and Jenna Gray - 2017-19).
ALL-ACC: Seven Cardinal were recognized with all-conference honors by the ACC. Sami Francis, Kami Miner and Elia Rubin were named to the first team, while Jordyn Harvey, Ipar Kurt and Elena Oglivie landed on the second team. Lizzy Andrew was selected to the All-ACC Freshman Team. Stanford now has 171 all-conference selections all-time, including honorable mention, and 48 all-freshman picks, including honorable mention.
MILESTONES UNLOCKED: Kami Miner recorded her 5,000th career assist on Senior Day, tying her career-high with 60 assists in a four-set win over No. 3 Louisville. She became the fifth player in school history to reach the milestone. In the rally-scoring era to 25, Miner is second with 5,087 career assists. Her 11.43 career assists per set mark would be a program record in the rally-scoring era to 25. Miner also tallied her 1,000th career dig at North Carolina on Nov. 24, becoming the 20th player in program history to accomplish that feat.
STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Stanford is third nationally with a .322 team hitting percentage, ranks sixth in assists per set (13.45) and seventh in kills per set (14.33). Individually, setter Kami Miner is 11th in the country with 11.09 assists per set, while Sami Francis is fourth in blocks per set (1.56) and 12th nationally with a .409 attack percentage.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (ACC)
Hitting percentage: Sami Francis - 3rd (.409)
Kills per set: Elia Rubin - 4th (3.94)
Assists per set: Kami Miner - 1st (11.09)
Service aces per set: Jordyn Harvey - 8th (0.37); Taylor Yu - 10th (0.36)
Digs per set: Elena Oglivie - 8th (3.93)
Blocks per set: Sami Francis - 2nd (1.56)
Points per set: Elia Rubin - 3rd (4.57)
MORE MILESTONES: Outside hitter Elia Rubin became the 23rd player in program history to register 1,000 career kills, accomplishing that feat on Oct. 16 at No. 12 SMU. Libero Elena Oglivie recorded her 2,000th career dig at No. 19 Georgia Tech, becoming the fourth player in school history to reach that milestone. The fifth year is currently third all-time in program history with 2,045 career digs.
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 198-41 (.828) in eight 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.