STANFORD, Calif. - Once again, Stanford enters the season with high expectations, as the Cardinal check in at No. 2 in the country in the Associated Press Top-25 preseason poll.
The ranking is Stanford's highest to start the year since 2009, when the Cardinal began at No. 2 and stayed there the length of the season.
Stanford returns nine players to the court, including 84 percent of its scoring output, from a team that finished No. 7 at the end of last year's shortened campaign. Leading the way is senior Kiana Williams, who averaged a team-high 15.0 points per game in 2019-20 with a chance to build off honorable mention All-America honors as a junior.
Joining the Cardinal is the nation's sixth-best class according to ESPN, featuring Cameron Brink, Agnes Emma-Nnopu and Jana Van Gytenbeek.
Stanford's full schedule is expected to be finalized and made public in the coming days.