STANFORD, Calif. – Head coach Kevin Hambly has announced the four freshmen who will join the women's volleyball team this fall and help it contend for a Pac-12 championship and the program's eighth NCAA title.
The class consists of Kate Formico (Saratoga, California), Meghan McClure (Rancho Santa Margarita, California), Blake Sharp (Orinda, California) and Sidney Wilson (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
"We are excited to have this group join our program," said Hambly, who begins his first season with the Cardinal this fall. "They will add depth to our roster and bring an energy to practice each and every day. The thing that impresses me the most about the group is their serve receive and ability to play defense at a high level. I am looking forward to getting them in the mix with the returning players."
Formico is a 5-9 defensive specialist out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California. Winning three state titles with the Monarchs, Formico earned first team all-state as a senior. She was also recognized as a PrepVolleyball.com, FloVolleyball and MaxPreps All-American in 2016. A captain and team MVP, Formico was named the Archbishop Mitty Fall Female Scholar-Athlete last season. She competed for Vision Volleyball and Encore Volleyball Clubs, while also earning her AAA beach rating in 2015. Formico is the younger cousin of current volunteer assistant coach, Taylor Formico, and four-time Olympic medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, who is a member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.
McClure is a 6-0 outside hitter who played her prep career at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Her squad captured three consecutive Trinity League championships, while also winning the CIF-SS Division I title in 2016. McClure also helped guide the Eagles to a runner-up finish at the 2016 Open Division California State championships. A high school All-American as a sophomore, junior and senior, McClure was the 2016 CIF SS 1AA Player of the Year and Trinity League Female Athlete of the Year. She also competed for Laguna Beach Volleyball Club, earning a silver medal at the junior national championships in 2016 and bronze in 2012.
Sharp is a 5-11 outside hitter from Orinda, California. She attended Miramonte High School and as a team captain, led the Matadors to second place in the North Coast Section and a third-place finish in the CIF NorCal Division III championship. She was a first team all-league performer as a senior and a four-time NCS 4.0 Scholar-Athlete. Additionally, Sharp played for Absolute Volleyball Club. Her squad qualified for junior Olympics in 2015 and 2016, and took fifth in 2017.
Wilson, a 6-0 outside hitter from Toronto, rounds out the class for the Cardinal. A standout at Havergal College, her team won four consecutive conference championships. They were the provincial runners-up in 2016 and captured the championship for the first time in school history in 2017. Wilson was named her team MVP in 2016 and was the recipient of the Havergal Volleyball Miguay Cup. She also played for Leaside Lightning Volleyball Club, finishing third in Ontario on 2017. Wilson has spent time with the Ontario Provincial Indoor Team, competing in the Canadian National Team Challenge Cup and was selected to the Ontario High Performance Centre in 2015 and 2016.
The group will help fill spots on the team left behind by the graduation of Inky Ajanaku and Kelsey Humphreys. Redshirt junior Ivana Vanjak will forgo her final year of eligibility upon her graduation from the university this June. Additionally, defensive specialist Halland McKenna has also chosen not to return to the program next fall.
