STANFORD, Calif. – Junior Kendall Kipp has been selected to the 14-player Preseason All-Pac-12 Team, the conference announced today. Additionally, the Pac-12 coaches have picked the Cardinal to finish fourth in the league standings.
Stanford has won 10 of the last 15 Pac-12 Championships and 19 overall since 1986. The Cardinal has finished in the top 4 in the conference in 34 of 35 seasons. The coaches have correctly chosen the champion 20 times out of the past 35 polls.
Kipp is being named preseason all-conference for the second straight season. The opposite is averaging 2.81 kills and 3.11 points per set in 28 career games. She was named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team and selected honorable mention all-conference in 2019. The Newport Beach native was also a three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honoree that season.
Stanford, which received one first-place vote, totaled 95 points. Washington (121) was picked to win the Pac-12 and received 11 first-place votes. UCLA (101) was second and Oregon (100) was third. Rounding out the top half of the poll were Washington State (77) and USC (74).
Utah totaled 66 points to take seventh, followed by Arizona (44), Colorado (39), California (33), Arizona State (30) and Oregon State (12).
The Cardinal opens the season on Friday, Aug. 27 at Villanova and will also play Temple on Saturday, Aug. 28 while in Philadelphia. Stanford will then face six top 12 teams to close out nonconference play – No. 1 Texas (Sept. 5), No. 3 Kentucky (Sept. 19), No. 5 Nebraska (Sept. 14), No. 6 Florida (Aug. 31), No. 7 Minnesota (Sept. 10) and No. 12 Penn State (Sept. 11).
2021 Pac-12 Coaches' Poll
| Rank | School | Points (first-place votes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Washington | 121 (11) |
| 2. | UCLA | 101 |
| 3. | Oregon | 100 |
| 4. | Stanford | 95 (1) |
| 5. | Washington State | 77 |
| 6. | USC | 74 |
| 7. | Utah | 66 |
| 8. | Arizona | 44 |
| 9. | Colorado | 39 |
| 10. | California | 33 |
| 11. | Arizona State | 30 |
| 12. | Oregon State | 12 |
2021 Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Brooke Botkin | USC |
| Samantha Drechsel | Washington |
| Dani Drews | Utah |
| Zoe Fleck | UCLA |
| Claire Hoffman | Washington |
| Magda Jehlarova | Washington State |
| Kendall Kipp | Stanford |
| Mac May | UCLA |
| élan McCall | UCLA |
| Mima Mirkovic | California |
| Brooke Nuneviller | Oregon |
| Ella May Powell | Washington |
| Hannah Pukis | Washington State |
| Pia Timmer | Washington State |