Hello Sandy Cardinal fans!
We finally returned home for good after two weekends in Arizona to end the season with a program-record 13 wins. We had two tough losses in the desert to wrap up the regular season, one of them being a 3-2 heartbreaker to Arizona in which Ivana and I played the deciding match – it call came down to the third set, which ended up going all the way to 21-19 in favor of Arizona.
We had a chance to redeem ourselves in the Pac-12?Championships and beat Arizona, but we came up short. Ivana and I did win our match at No. 2, a three-set comeback, but the team lost to Arizona 3-2, which eliminated us from the team tournament and ended the 2017 season.
Both weekends were filled with lots of volleyball, driving through fields of cacti, watching the women's golf team at their Pac-12 Championships (also in Tucson), studying for midterms, laying by the pool and big debates amongst the team and coaches about where to eat after our matches.
I constantly proposed In-n-Out Burger, while Jenna kept pushing for QuikTrip, a gas station in the Midwest that serves "Rooster Boosters," her favorite type of slushie. In the end, we split time between Whole Foods and an popular local taco spot. That made me wonder what our team, especially the out of state players, think about In-n-Out -- do they think it's the best burger chain in America like most Californians believe, or do they prefer a different chain? The Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships were comprised of two days of team competition, and then a pairs competition for each school's top two pairs. Our No. 1's had a great showing in the pairs bracket, finishing 3rd -- half of that pair is freshman Kathryn Plummer from Aliso Viejo, California.
Kathryn made an immediate impact on both the indoor and beach teams this year. She guided the indoor team to a national championship, earning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and first team All-America honors while playing outside hitter, a position she had never played before October. Then, just two days after the NCAA finals, Kathryn won the USA Beach Volleyball U-21 World Championships Trials at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. We call her "Plumdawg Millionaire" and she will be the last person featured this season in "10 Questions with Pay10."
How has beach helped your indoor game and vice versa?
KP: Beach has helped my indoor game with the serve receive aspect. I also have to be good at every skill on the beach and that translates to indoor. I also think that I have some shots that I can use in indoor. On the beach, I usually handset and I like to hit with power, which is a crossover from indoor.
What is the difference between playing in the Pac-12 Tournament and USA World Championships, Qualifiers, etc.?
KP: Playing in the Pac 12 tournament was different because I had my whole team behind me. They were constantly supporting. The coaching staff just let us figure it out for the most part. Having my teammates behind me, especially when we were still playing in the pairs, was awesome and doesn't usually happen at the World Championships. There was a lot more comradery instead of being on your own. The set-up was also different because once we lost, we had the opportunity to fight our way back. At Worlds, once you lose, you are done, so it was cool to be able to come back and play.
Who is your celebrity crush and what would your dream date entail?
KP: My celebrity crush is the young Channing Tatum. My dream date would be to go to the beach and swim in the ocean and then have a nice dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.
Favorite thing to watch on Netflix?
KP: Either One Tree Hill or Grey's Anatomy.
What is your favorite thing about playing with Jenna?
KP: She makes me laugh when I need it most. She doesn't take herself too seriously and I think that we both play better when we are goofy and laugh at ourselves.
Any superstitions before or during your games?
KP: I have to wear the same hair ties for every game. I also have to take my sunglasses off on every side switch.
Favorite memory thus far at Stanford?
KP: My favorite memories at Stanford are when some of the freshmen have movie nights in the locker room and watch movies like Super Bad and Napoleon Dynamite.
What do you order from Starbucks?
KP: Venti iced chai tea latte, usually with a cake pop
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
KP: Hopefully I will be playing overseas volleyball and starting my career. I would like to think that I will be married, starting a family in about 10 years but I don't know (lol). I will have a Stanford degree so I think I will have a lot of opportunities to do what I want to accomplish.
One more fun fact about yourself?
KP: I threw the shot out and discus in high school and was the Orange County champion. I also played the violin for 7 years.
Thank you so much to everyone who followed our team this season through the BeachBlog, Twitter updates, Instagram stories, and on Pac-12 Networks. I cannot believe how fast this season went, and I am so proud of how much the program has progressed over the past year.
I want to give a shout out to my partner for all of this season and part of last year, Ivana Vanjak. Ivana represented Stanford for the final time this past weekend, and has been a vital part of Stanford volleyball for the last 4 years (she also finished with a program-record 35 career wins!). We wish her the best going forward!
I also want to thank all of my teammates, who made this season so much fun and gave their all regardless of how much or how little beach experience they had coming into this season, and our coaches who have pushed us all season long.
Signing out for the season,
Pay10