CLEVELAND - Stanford did more than just win its third NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship on Dec. 21, 1996. It turned in one of the most dominating performances in collegiate women’s volleyball championship history.
In that championship match, Stanford defeated Hawai’i 15-7, 15-3, 15-5 in just 91 minutes before a national television audience. The 15 points scored by the Rainbow Wahine was the lowest in championship match history and the second lowest in NCAA Final Four history. Stanford finished the season with a 31-2 record, and was led by veterans Lisa Sharpley and Kristin Folkl along with freshman sensation Kerri Walsh.
Ironically, the turning point of Stanford’s season came against the Rainbow Wahine in early November. After a disappointing setback against Washington State just six days earlier, Stanford stunned top-ranked Hawai’i in its own arena, putting on a show for the sold-out crowd.
Stanford was untouchable from that point on. The Cardinal won its final 14 matches and lost just two games during that stretch, which included eight wins over ranked opponents. The Cardinal went on to finish 17-1 in the Pac-10 and claim its third-straight conference title.
The NCAA Tournament featured more of the same. Stanford lost just one game in its five postseason matches, and only one match lasted more than two hours. The Cardinal swept Colorado State, then USC and Washington State, to reach the Final Four. In the squad’s national semifinal match, it bounced back from a game one loss to top Nebraska, 3-1.
The highly-anticipated rematch with Hawai’i proved to be no contest. Hawai’i’s only lead of the match was 1-0 in the third and final game. National Freshman of the Year and Final Four MVP Kerri Walsh ended matters with a cross-court kill to clinch Stanford’s third NCAA title in five years.