THIS WEEK: The No. 8 Stanford women’s volleyball team (7-2, 1-0 Pac-12) continues Pac-12 conference play against third-ranked USC (13-0, 1-0 Pac-12) on Sunday, Sept. 27. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT from Maples Pavilion.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Live stats for the match can be found on the women’s volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. Sunday’s match will also be televised on the Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Bay Area and Pac-12 Los Angeles.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
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SCOUTING USC: USC enters the weekend with an unblemished 13-0, which includes wins over four ranked opponents. The Trojans swept UCLA on the road on Wednesday in their Pac-12 opener. USC ranks in the top 5 in all major statistical categories in the conference, including first in kills (14.83) and assists (13.78). Senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio paces the Pac-12 in kills (4.90), aces (0.83) and points (6.15) per set. Senior middle blocker Alicia Ogoms leads the conference in blocks (1.71) and is fifth in hitting percentage (.427), while junior libero Taylor Whittingham is tops in digs (4.76) per set.
THE SERIES WITH THE TROJANS: Stanford is 59-23 all-time versus USC. The Cardinal swept the season series last year. The Trojans were the last team to defeat the Cardinal on its home court, 3-2 on Oct. 30, 2013.
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 4,109.
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 1,097 kills and 1,169 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 967kills and 961 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 (3.55) and points (4.32) per set this season.
HOME SWEET HOME: Stanford’s senior class is 51-1 at Maples Pavilion and is currently on a 27 match-winning streak on its home court. Traditionally, Stanford has always protected its home court. The Cardinal is 200-18 at home 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.
DEFENDING PAC-12 CHAMPS: The Cardinal secured the Pac-12 title outright after sweeping Cal in the 2014 regular season finale for its 16th conference championship in the Pac-10/12 era, and the 19th overall for the program. Stanford has claimed seven of the past nine Pac-12 titles and eight overall under head coach John Dunning. Since 1986, the Cardinal has finished either first or second in the conference in 27 of 29 seasons.
NATIONAL POLL: Stanford remains at No. 8 in the AVCA poll this week after sweeping then-No. 24 Pacific and Saint Mary’s last week. It marks the Cardinal’s lowest ranking since Oct. 7, 2013 when it was also No. 8. Penn State, Texas, USC, Nebraska and Florida continue to make up the top 5. Seven Pac-12 squads are ranked in the top 25.
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.
TAKING ON THE BEST: Once again, head coach John Dunning has lined up one of the most challenging schedules in the nation for the Cardinal. Stanford is slated to play 17 regular-season matches against teams ranked in the preseason poll, and 21 against teams that appeared in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
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 845-173 (.830), giving him a winning percentage that ranks among the top 5 all-time for Division I coaches. He is 408-71 in his 14 seasons on The Farm, leading all active coaches in the conference by winning percentage (.851).