STANFORD, Calif. – Kathryn Plummer has been named the AVCA Pacific North Region Player of the Year, while a total of six Stanford women's volleyball players have earned all-region honors, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced today.
Joining Plummer on the 14 player team were redshirt senior Merete Lutz and sophomores Audriana Fitzmorris, Jenna Gray and Morgan Hentz. Additionally, junior Tami Alade earned all-region honorable mention honors. Stanford led all schools in the Pacific North Region with five selections to the first team.
Stanford has had at least four all-region players for five consecutive seasons. Players named to the all-region teams are now in contention to become 2017 AVCA All-Americans.
Lutz, a three-time AVCA All-American, is being honored for the fourth time in her career. Plummer, a first team selection in 2016, and Fitzmorris, who earned honorable mention last year, are collecting their second career honors. Gray, Hentz and Alade are being recognized for the first time in their careers.
A native of Aliso Viejo, California, Plummer leads the Pac-12 and ranks in the top-15 in the nation in kills per set (4.65) and points per set (5.40). The sophomore is also third in the conference with 0.36 aces per set and ninth with a .320 hitting percentage. The Pac-12 Player of the Year, she leads the team with eight double-doubles. She has registered 20 or more kills in 10 matches this season, including a career-best 28 in a five-set win over UCLA, and has hit .400 or better in 14 matches.
Fitzmorris, a middle blocker from Overland Park, Kansas, leads the Pac-12 and is seventh in the nation with 1.52 blocks per set. She's also second in the conference with a .384 hitting percentage. The sophomore was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 20 after averaging 2.25 blocks per set against the Los Angeles schools. She has tallied six or more blocks in 14 matches this season and her .340 career hitting percentage would be the eighth-best mark in program history.
Gray, the Pac-12 Setter of the Year, leads the league and is fourth nationally with 12.07 assists per set. She is also third in the league with 0.38 aces per set this season. As a team, the Cardinal is the only Pac-12 squad hitting over .300 on the year at .318 – the fourth-best mark in the nation. Earning her first all-conference honors this season, the Shawnee, Kansas native recently moved into the top-10 in program history with 2,465 career assists (eighth).
Hentz, who became the first Cardinal to be named the Pac-12 Libero of the Year, leads the team with 4.00 digs per set and has just 11 reception errors on the season. Her 4.00 digs per set would be the eighth-best single season mark in school history. On November 16, the Lakeside Park, Kentucky native became the 18th Stanford player since 1986 to register 1,000 career digs. She has registered double-digit digs in 24 of the team's 31 matches this season, reaching the 20-dig plateau on four occasions.
Lutz, a native of Houston, Texas, is a four-time all-conference and all-region selection for the Cardinal. The opposite is second on the team with 2.91 kills per set and third with 1.02 blocks per set. In September, she became the 18th Stanford player since 1986 to notch 1,000 career kills. Her .348 career hitting percentage is the seventh-best mark in program history, while her 497 career blocks is eighth all-time in school history.
Alade, who was recently named All-Pac-12 honorable mention, is the only Pac-12 player hitting over .400 this season (.422. The Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada native is also second in the conference with 1.46 blocks per set as Stanford leads the Pac-12 with a .170 opponent hitting percentage. The junior has tallied six or more blocks in 13 matches this season and had a career-high 17 kills at Colorado.
Stanford, which earned the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, will play host to No. 6 seed Texas, No. 11 seed Utah and Wisconsin for the regional rounds, Friday and Saturday at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal will face the Badgers at 8 p.m. on ESPNU following a 6 p.m. match featuring the Longhorns and Utes. The winners will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT for a chance to advance to the Final Four in Kansas City, Missouri.
