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Women's Volleyball

NCAAs Begin in Maples

TICKETS | NOTES

Friday, Dec. 2
Match #1 - 4:30 p.m. PT | Live Stream (pac-12.com)
Boise State (25-6) vs. No. 20 Western Kentucky (30-2)
Maples Pavilion | Stanford, Calif.

Match #2 - 7 p.m. PT | Live Stream (pac-12.com)
Denver (23-8) vs. No. 9 Stanford (21-7)
Maples Pavilion | Stanford, Calif.

Saturday, Dec. 3
Match #3 - 7 p.m. PT | Live Stream (pac-12.com)
Winner Match #1 vs. Winner Match #2
Maples Pavilion | Stanford, Calif.

TICKETS: NCAA First and Second round tickets are available by clicking here. 
Two-Day: Reserved - $30; Adult GA - $20; Student/Child/Senior GA - $15
Single Day: Reserved - $20; Adult GA - $15; Student/Child/Senior GA - $9; Group (10 or more) GA - $5

CLEAR BAG POLICY: Stanford has implemented a clear bag policy to provide a safer environment for the public and expedite fan entry into Maples Pavilion. This policy does not change what you can bring in, only how it can be brought into the facility. For more information visit gostanford.com/allclear.

TOURNEY TIME: The ninth-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team (21-7) begins its quest for a seventh national title this week, hosting the NCAA First and Second Rounds at Maples Pavilion. The tournament's sixth overall seed, the Cardinal will face Denver (23-8) in the opening round on Friday night.

LOOKING AHEAD: Should Stanford advance past this week, the team will likely travel to Madison, Wisconsin for the NCAA Regional matches, Dec. 9-10. Should the Cardinal advance and the 3rd-seeded Wisconsin falter in the first or second round, Stanford would be the regional site. The Final Four will be held Dec. 15-17 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.  

CATCH THE CARDINAL: Live stats for the matches can be found on the women's volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. All three matches of the first and second rounds hosted at Stanford will be streamed live for free via pac-12.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA: 
Facebook.com/StanfordWVB
Twitter: @StanfordWVB
Instagram: @stanfordwvb
Snapchat: StanfordWVB

SCOUTING DENVER: Denver (23-8) is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance after securing the Summit League championship. The Pioneers are 30-32 on the road since head coach Tom Hogan first joined the staff in
2012. This season, DU is hiting .266 as a team and averaging 1.43 aces and 2.46 blocks per set. Junior opposite Kayla Principato leads the team with 2.97 kills per set on .282 hitting. Middle blockers Ruth Okoye and Emma Willis are both averaging more than 1.00 block per set and hitting over .350. 

THE SERIES WITH THE PIONEERS: Stanford is 1-0 all-time versus Denver. The Cardinal defeated the Pioneers, 3-0, on Aug. 30, 2009 in South Bend, Indiana in the only previous meeting between the two squads.

SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY: Western Kentucky (30-2) is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past seven years and the 10th overall. The Lady Toppers are coming of their third straight Conference USA Tournament title to earn the league's automatic berth into the postseason. As a team, Western Kentucky is hitting .311  and averaging 14.53 kills and 1.50 aces per set. Junior setter Jessica Lucas controls the offense with 11.58 assists per set. Junior outside hitter Alyssa Cavanaugh paces the team with 4.38 kills per set on .343 hitting, while sophomore middle blocker posts 3.45 kills on a .411 attack percentage. 

THE SERIES WITH THE LADY TOPPERS: Stanford is 2-0 overall against Western Kentucky. The Cardinal and Lady Toppers previously met in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tourmanet, during Inky Ajanaku's freshman year, at Maples Pavilion. Stanford prevailed 3-0 in that match. The only meeting came during the regular season in 2004.

SCOUTING BOISE STATE: The Broncos (25-6) are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance and are riding a 14-match winning streak into the postseason. As a team, Boise State is hitting .259  and holding its opponents to a .176 clip. Junior outside hitter Sierra Nobley leads the squad with 4.56 kills and 2.69 digs per set. Senior middle blocker Maddy O'Donnell adds 2.79 kills on .370 hitting and 1.27 blocks per set, while junior libero Maddi Osburn tallies 4.85 digs per set.

THE SERIES WITH THE BRONCOS: Should Stanford and Boise State square off on Saturday, it would mark the first meeting between the two programs in women's volleyball.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: This marks Stanford's 36th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance. The Cardinal is one of only two programs in the nation to have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since the NCAA Championship began in 1981 (Penn State is the other). Stanford has won more NCAA Tournament matches (109), made more Final Four appearances (19) and been in the national championship match (14) more times than any other program in the nation.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Freshman outside hitter Kathryn Plummer is the 12th Cardinal player to be named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the second in as many seasons as Hayley Hodson snagged the honor in 2015. She ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in kills (3.24) and points per set (3.88), pacing Stanford. She also leads the team with eight double-doubles and posted a team-high in kills in 20 of the 28 matches.
 


PAC-12 HONORS: Five Cardinal players have been recognized by the conference this season. Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku (four-time) and redshirt junior Merete Lutz (three-time) are repeat honorees, while freshman Kathryn Plummer joined them on the 18-player all-conference team. Freshmen Audriana Fitzmorris and Morgan Hentz were both All-Pac-12 honorable mention selections. Plummer, Fitzmorris and Hentz were also tabbed to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.

PAC-12 IN THE TOURNEY: The Pac-12 earned eight berths into the 2016 NCAA Tournament, tied for the most by any league with the Big Ten. It is the 17th straight year in which the Pac-12 has sent at least six teams into the postseason, and the 25th overall. Pac-12 teams posted a 95-31 (.754) record versus other conferences during the regular season.

STANFORD VS. THE FIELD: The Cardinal has played 17 matches against the 2016 NCAA field, posting a 10-7 record. Stanford went 8-5 against Pac-12 teams in the tournament, and picked up non-conference wins over No. 2 seed Minnesota and No. 16 seed Penn State.

LAST TIME OUT: Stanford swept No. 19 Oregon and California last week to close out the regular season on a four-match winning streak (all by 3-0 margins). Freshman Kathryn Plummer led the team offensively with 3.83 kills and 4.30 points per set on .348 hitting, while Inky Ajanaku 1.83 blocks per set. Stanford won its ninth straight over the Ducks and its 10th in a row against the Golden Bears.

NATIONAL POLL: Stanford moved up to No. 9 in the AVCA top 25 this week. Minnesota collected 36 first-place votes to take over the top spot. Nebraska came in second with 27 first-place votes, while Wisonsin was third with one. Kansas and Texas, both in the Big 12, rounded out the top 5. The Cardinal  is one of six Pac-12 squads ranked, joined by No. 7 Washington, No. 8 UCLA, No. 19 Oregon, No. 22 Utah and No. 25 Washington State.

IN THE NATION: Stanford leads the country with 3.35 blocks per set, thanks in large part to its middle blockers Inky Ajanaku and Audriana Fitzmorris. Ajanaku (1.51 bps) is second in the Pac-12 and eighth in the nation, while Fitzmorris (1.42) is third in the conference and 17th in the country. 

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku began her final season on The Farm ranked ninth in program history in total blocks (435). She is currently in fourth place with 589, passing Jennifer Detmer (1997-00), Jenn Harvey (2000-03), Laura Olesen (1985-89), Kerri Walsh (1996-99) and Foluke Akinradewo (2005-08). Ajanaku's 1.31 career average is the sixth-best mark in school history.

SINGLE-SEASON MARK: Freshman libero Morgan Hentz has collected 492 digs this season, ranking eighth on the Cardinal's single season list. Her 4.64 season average is tied for the fourth-best mark in a single season in program history. Gabi Ailes (2007-10) holds the school's single season records with 617 digs and 5.23 digs per set in 2009.

PAC-12 CONFERENCE FINISHES: The Cardinal finished tied for second in the Pac-12 with UCLA with a 15-5 record. It marked the 28th top-2 standing in conference play in the past 31 seasons. Stanford has won 16 conference championships in the Pac-10/12 era, and 19 overall in program history. Stanford has claimed seven of the past 11 Pac-12 titles and eight overall under head coach John Dunning. 

TOP OF HER CLASS: Redshirt senior Inky Ajanaku is one of 10 finalists in the nation for the Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Fans can vote daily through Dec. 5 at seniorclassaward.com.
 


HOME SWEET HOME: Traditionally, Stanford has always protected its home court. The Cardinal is 219-25 at home under head coach John Dunning (16 seasons). Over the past five years, Stanford has gone 70-8 at Maples Pavilion.

HEAD COACH JOHN DUNNING: Head coach John Dunning is one of the most accomplished and decorated 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 15 Stanford teams to the national title match.

DUNNING BY THE NUMBERS: In 32 years as a head coach, John Dunning is 882-185 (.827), giving him a winning percentage that ranks among the top 5 all-time for Division I coaches. He is 445-83 in his 16 seasons on The Farm, leading all active coaches in the conference by winning percentage (.843). He also recently passed Stanford Hall of Famer Don Shaw (440) to become the winningest coach in Cardinal women's volleyball history.