AVCA Poll
STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford women's volleyball team will begin the 2019 season on top of the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll. It is the 74th No. 1 ranking all-time for the program.
Stanford has been ranked in every AVCA preseason poll since its inception in 1982, and is No. 1 to start the season for the second consecutive year. The Cardinal, which received 62 first-place votes, returns five starters plus its libero from last year's NCAA championship team. Stanford is one of two teams to appear in all 38 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournaments.
Stanford returns 11 letterwinners to its roster from the 2018 team, including two-time AVCA Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer. Joining Plummer on the AVCA All-America first team the past two seasons were setter Jenna Gray and libero Morgan Hentz. Senior opposite Audriana Fitzmorris is a two-time second team All-American, while junior Meghan McClure landed on the honorable mention list last season.
2018 NCAA runner-up Nebraska was No. 2 in the poll, collecting one first-place vote. The Cardinal and Huskers will meet in Lincoln on Sept. 18. Rounding out the top 5 were Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin. Overall six Pac-12 teams are ranked in the top 25. Joining Stanford are Oregon (11), Washington (13, USC (14), Washington State (22) and Arizona (24).
The Cardinal is scheduled to play 14 regular-season matches against top-25 teams. Six of Stanford's eight nonconference matches are against top 10 opponents, beginning with a road match at No. 10 Florida on Sept. 4. The Cardinal plays host to No. 4 Texas (Sept. 8) and No. 9 BYU (Sept. 21), and travels to No. 8 Penn State (Sept. 13) where it will also face No. 3 Minnesota (Sept. 14).
Stanford opens the 2019 season on the road at College of Charleston on Aug. 30. Tickets for the Cardinal's 12 home matches are on sale now at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD.