STANFORD, Calif. – Head coach Kevin Hambly has announced the incoming class, which includes five talented freshmen and a graduate transfer, who will join the women's volleyball team this fall.
The freshman class, which is projected to be No. 1 in the nation, consists of Caitie Baird (Indianapolis, Indiana), Natalie Berty (Corona del Mar, California), Kendall Kipp (Newport Beach, California), McKenna Vicini (Lexington, Kentucky) and Selina Xu (Belmont, California). Madeleine Gates (San Diego, California), a graduate transfer from UCLA, will also join the Cardinal roster.
"We are thrilled with the additions to our roster for the 2019 season," said Hambly. "Our freshman class will be considered one of the top classes in the country and they will bring a ton of talent and depth to the gym. All of them will have a chance to compete immediately for a spot on the floor their freshman year and will be the foundation of keeping Stanford in the mix nationally for years to come."
Baird is a 6-3 outside hitter from Indianapolis where she played at Perry Meridian High School. A three-year team captain, she led her high school to two sectional championships. The four-time all-state, all-county and all-conference performer, Baird is listed as the No. 2 Senior Ace by PrepVolleyball.com and ranked No. 3 in the VolleyballMag.com Fab 50. The Under Armour First Team All-American, she holds her high school's records for kills (1,833) and digs (1,092). Baird played club for Circle City Volleyball and led her squad to a third-place finish at USAV Nationals in the 15 Open division in 2016 and tied for fifth in 18 Open in 2018.
Berty is a 6-3 outside hitter who played her prep career at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. She led the Monarchs to back-to-back Trinity League titles and three CIF SS Open Division championships. Her team also won the 2018 California State Open Division after finishing as the runners-up in 2017. Berty was named the VolleyballMag.com National Player of the Year, the Gatorade State Player of the Year for California and the PrepVolleyball.com State Player of the Year for California. An Under Armour First Team All-American, she was also the 2018 All-CIF SS Open Division Player of the Year. She played club for Momentous Volleyball, leading the team to a fifth-place Open Division finish at the USAV National Championships.
Kipp, a 6-5 outside hitter, comes to The Farm out of Corona del Mar High School where her squad won four straight league titles. A three-year captain, Kipp is listed as the No. 2 recruit in the class by VolleyballMag.com and the No. 3 Senior Ace by PrepVolleyball.com. The MVP of the Under Armour High School All-America game, she was first team All-CIF SS Division II and the Sunset League MVP as a senior. Also a PrepVolleyball.com All-American, she was first team All-CIF SS Division I, all-county and all-state as a junior. Kipp played for Laguna Beach Volleyball Club.
A middle blocker at Lexington Catholic High School, Vicini was a four-year letterwinner and captained her team as a senior. Her high school's all-time leader in kills and blocks, she also holds her school's single season and single match records for kills and blocks. The No. 10 Senior Ace according to PrepVolleyball.com, she also landed on the VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 list. An Under Armour Second Team All-American, Vicini was a two-time all-state and all-district performer and a three-time AAU Academic All-American. She played club for Lexington United.
A local product, Xu played her prep career at Menlo School in Atherton. The 6-0 setter helped lead her team to the 2016 California Division IV state championship. She is listed as the No. 5 overall recruit by VolleyballMag.com and the No. 5 Senior Ace by PrepVolleyball.com. A MaxPreps sophomore All-American, she earned all-state accolades as well. She played club for Vision Volleyball, winning a junior national championship.
"The addition of Madeleine came as a welcome surprise," added Hambly. "Madeleine will bring an incredible amount of experience in the Pac 12 and the NCAA tournament to our team, and will make things even more competitive in our gym next season."
Gates will graduate from UCLA with a degree in economics and will be working towards a master's in statistics at Stanford. While with the Bruins, Gates was a second team AVCA All-American and an All-Pac-12 performer as a sophomore. Last season, the middle blocker averaged 2.33 kills on .313 hitting and 1.06 blocks per set. Gates is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree, including a first-team selection in 2018. She hails from San Diego, where she attended La Jolla High School. The valedictorian of her high school class, Gates was a high school All-American and a VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 recruit. Her younger brother, Nathaniel, will be a freshman on the Cardinal men's volleyball team in the fall.
"As a group, the amount of talent joining the program will be exciting and can only make us better," said Hambly. "They are also incredible women and students, and we look forward to adding them to the family!"