STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford wrapped up its 2019 campaign at 11-18 overall, closing out the year receiving votes in the AVCA national poll.
Featuring a lineup that regularly included four freshmen, the Cardinal had no choice but to gain valuable experience quickly, after losing lone senior Courtney Bowen to injury midway through the season.
Posting a 1-2 mark at the Pac-12 Championship for a third straight season, Stanford swept a pair of matches against Oregon and produced arguably its best win of the season in a 3-2 road victory at No. 14 Arizona on March 3.
Head coach Andrew Fuller has led the Cardinal to a 41-41 overall record in three seasons. The 2019 campaign was Stanford's seventh in school history.
Morgan Hentz led Stanford in victories with a 19-9 overall record, increasing her career win total to 50 and becoming the program's all-time individual wins leader. Hentz picked up a victory in the Cardinal's final match of the season against Arizona State at the Pac-12 Championship, surpassing Courtney Bowen (49), who had not played since mid-March due to injury.
Sunny Villapando was close behind with a 15-13 record, good enough for third overall on the all-time individuals wins list at 38. Amelia Smith, who finished 14-13, ranks seventh with 32 career victories.
Stanford's No. 2 pairing of Hentz and Villapando finished with the team's best record at 12-5.
Morgan Hentz is Stanford's all-time wins leader (50). ????#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/GLVlVJwgza
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) May 13, 2019
Stanford's youth movement was on full display in 2019, as three freshmen finished with double-digit win totals: Tori Ashkinos (14-13), Maddie Dailey (13-15) and Charlie Ekstrom (11-15). Ashkinos and Ekstrom finished 10-9 overall, including a 6-9 record at the No. 1 spot as the Cardinal's top pairing.
Ekstrom was named to the All-Pac-12 second team while also earning a spot on the Pac-12's All-Freshman team. In the conference's brief three-year history, Ekstrom joined Kathryn Plummer (2017) as the only Cardinal players named to both teams in the same season.
Congrats, Charlie!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/M6vCHUrZ30
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) May 2, 2019
Stanford's lone senior, Courtney Bowen, made a lasting impact as one of the most accomplished players in program history, even more impressive considering she first started playing the sport three years ago as a freshman. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Bowen exited The Farm with a 49-26 career individual record, with the 49 victories ranking second on the all-time list and 23 of those coming as a junior.
Named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team as a junior, Bowen was an intimidating presence at net and received the Best Blocker award at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic back in February, teaming with Tori Ashkinos for a pair of victories.
Equally accomplished in the classroom, Bowen was a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection. An Economics major with a human biology minor, Bowen was also a member of the Cardinal's 2016 and 2018 NCAA championship women's volleyball squads, in addition to capturing a pair of Pac-12 titles along the way.
A post shared by Stanford Beach Volleyball (@stanfordbeachvb) on Jun 16, 2019 at 2:49pm PDT
Stanford maintained its annual success in the classroom, boasting a program-best seven Pac-12 All-Academic selections. Prior to 2019, the Cardinal's previous high was five honorees in 2017.
Leading the way was Kat Anderson, who became the first two-time first team recipient in school history. Shannon Richardson was also named to the first team.
Courtney Bowen, Morgan Hentz and Blake Sharp were tabbed to the second team while Amelia Smith and Sunny Villapando received honorable mention accolades.
Nerds. ???? Congrats to our All-Academic honorees! Link in bio. #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Beach Volleyball (@stanfordbeachvb) on May 22, 2019 at 1:04pm PDT