STANFORD, Calif. – Head coach Kevin Hambly has announced the five incoming freshman who will join the Stanford women's volleyball team this fall.
The freshman class, which includes two of the top-5 players in the country according to VolleyballMag.com, consists of Taylor Beaven (St. Louis, Mo.), Sami Francis (San Diego, Calif.), Kalissa Greene (Alpharetta, Ga.), Kami Miner (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Maiya Tillman (Victoria, Texas).
"We are excited to welcome the 2021 class to our program," said Hambly, who enters his fifth season at the helm of the Cardinal. "The class brings a lot of talent, physicality, athleticism and depth to an already young and talented team. We are looking forward to integrating them with our current roster.
"The 2021 class and the additional players that missed last season will undoubtedly raise the level of play in our gym this fall. We are excited to get to work."
Beaven, who played her prep career at Seckman Senior High School in Imperial, Missouri, is a 5-8 defensive specialist. She helped lead her squad to a pair of conference championships in 2019 and 2020. A three-time first team all-conference pick, she also earned a pair of first team all-district nods and was named her team's Player of the Year in 2019. Her school's record holder for kills, she was an AVCA All-Region member and landed on the AVCA Phenom List. A three-time team captain for her high school, she also played club for STL Rockwood Thunder VBC.
Francis is a 6-6 pin hitter out of San Diego and rated the No. 2 overall player in the class by VolleyballMag.com. She led La Jolla Country Day School to a pair of open division tournament appearances (2018, 2020). A VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 senior, she was also an Under Armour All-American preselect and ranked fifth in the nation by PrepVolleyball. A three-time PrepVolleyball All-American, she was a four-time all-league selection and a two-time All-CIF pick. Francis played for Coast Volleyball Club and has spent time with USA Volleyball and has been invited to train in the 2021 National Team development program summer training series.
A 6-0 setter out of Fulton Science Academy, Greene was a two-time team captain who guided her team to three state championships. A VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 pick, she has also earned All-America honors from PrepVolleyball and Under Armour. A four-time all-state, all-region and all-area honoree, she was the All-State MVP and named Player of the Year AAA in 2018. Greene was also a finalist for PrepVolleyball's National Freshman (2017) and Sophomore (2018) of the Year. She also competed for A5 Volleyball Club.
Miner, a 6-0 setter, hails from Redondo Beach, where she attended Redondo Union High School. The No. 5 rated player in the nation according to VolleyballMag.com, she led her high school to the 2019 CIF Southern Section Division IAA championship. Named a high school All-American by PrepVolleyball, MaxPreps and Under Armour, she was the CIF Co-Player of the Year in 2019. A two-time All-CIF first tem pick and two-time Bay League MVP, she was named the MaxPreps Top Player in the State of California (2020) and was a two-time all-state selection. She played club for Mizuno Long Beach VBC and has spent time with USA Volleyball. A member of the U.S. Youth National Team in 2018 and 2019, Miner won a gold medal at the NORCECA U18 Youth Continental Championships in Honduras and was a part of the first-ever age group gold medal for the U.S. at the FIVB Girls U18 World Championships in Egypt.
Tillman, a 5-10 defensive specialist/outside hitter, was a standout at St. Joseph High School in Victoria, Texas. A multi-sport athlete, she also lettered in basketball and track and earned all-state recognition in both. She helped lead her volleyball team to the TAPPS 5A State championship in 2018 and 2020. A two-time team MVP, she collected first-team all-state accolades in 2019 and 2020. The all-area Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, she was District MVP in 2019. She played club for Texstar Volleyball.
