STANFORD, Calif. - No. 3 Stanford (9-2, 0-0 ACC) begins ACC play this weekend, traveling to Virginia (7-3, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT and Virginia Tech (8-3, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT. Both matches will be streamed on ACCNX.
SERIES AGAINST THE CAVALIERS: Stanford is 2-0 all-time versus Virginia, sweeping the Cavaliers last season on The Farm. Stanford also swept Virginia on Aug. 31, 2001 in Charlottesville.
SERIES AGAINST THE HOKIES: Stanford is 1-0 all-time versus Virginia Tech, sweeping the Hokies on The Farm last season.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford went 3-0 last week, winning its 19th straight match at Maples Pavilion dating back to last season. The Cardinal has only dropped four sets during that streak. Freshman Logan Parks set the Cardinal offense to a combined .319 attack percentage in wins over Hawaii, Texas State and UCLA. Elia Rubin led the team with 3.10 kills , 3.10 digs and 3.55 points per set. Freshman Erika Sayer added 2.90 kills on .449 hitting, 1.20 blocks and 3.50 points per set.
STACKED SCHEDULE: Stanford is slated to play 11 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll, including five against top-5 opponents. The Cardinal will take on No. 1 Nebraska (Aug. 24), No. 5 Texas (Sept. 7), No. 16 Florida (Auazg. 22), No. 17 Missouri (Sept. 9) and No. 18 UCLA (Sept. 21) in nonconference action. Stanford will meet No. 3 Pittsburgh (Nov. 14), No. 4 Louisville (Oct. 5 & Nov. 29), No. 10 SMU (Nov. 16) and No. 22 Georgia Tech (Oct. 26 & Nov. 26) in ACC play.
COACHES' PICK: In its second season in the ACC, Stanford was picked to finish third by the league's coaches. Combining with its Pac-12 history, Stanford has finished in the top 4 in league play in 39 of the past 40 seasons, and the top 3 in 37 of 40 campaigns.
BY THE NUMBERS: Stanford has won more NCAA titles (9), more NCAA Tournament matches (141), made more Final Four appearances (23) and been in the national championship match (17) more times than any other program in the nation. The Cardinal has qualified for 43 of the 44 NCAA Tournaments all-time.
SENIOR LEADER: Outside hitter Elia Rubin is the only returning All-American on the Cardinal roster in 2025. Last season, she became the 23rd player in program history to register 1,000 career kills. She led the team in 2024 and ranked third in the ACC in points per set (4.54) and was fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.93).
HOME SWEET HOME: In nine seasons under Kevin Hambly, Stanford is 105-12 at Maples Pavilion, including 20-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal won 32 in a row at home to begin Hambly's tenure at Stanford. In 2024, the Cardinal went 14-0 at home, dropping just three sets. It was its first undefeated season on The Farm since 2018.
STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Stanford is second in the ACC with a .293 team hitting percentage and third in assists (12.77). The Cardinal is also fourth in kills (13.59) and ninth in blocks (2.49).
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (ACC)
Hitting percentage: Erika Sayer - 2nd (.448); Lizzy Andrew - 4th (.400)
Assists per set: Logan Parks - 7th (8.50)
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Stanford has collected five ACC player of the week honors in 2025. Combining with its Pac-12 selections, the Cardinal now boasts 191 weekly awards all-time, including 31 Offensive, 42 Defensive, 7 Setter and 38 Freshman.
2025 ACC WEEKLY SELECTIONS
Aug. 25: Spencer Etzler (Defensive & Freshman)
Sept. 15: Logan Parks (Co-Setter); Erika Sayer (Freshman)
Sept. 15: Erika Sayer (Freshman)
2025 SEASON IN REVIEW: Stanford closed out the 2024 season with a 28-5 overall record and tied for second in its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 17-3 mark. The Cardinal made its 43rd NCAA postseason appearance in 44 seasons, advancing to its 18th regional final since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.
COACHING EXCELLENCE: Kevin Hambly became the seventh head coach in Division I women’s volleyball to lead a school to back-to-back NCAA titles. Hambly is now 208-44 (.825) in nine seasons on The Farm, mentoring 14 AVCA All-Americans to 29 awards and seven Academic All-Americans (nine awards).
THE HAMBLY FILE: Kevin Hambly coached 12 AVCA All-Americans to 19 honors during his time at Illinois and has now mentored 26 All-Americans to 48 awards. He is the third head coach to lead Stanford to a national championship. The two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year became the first Cardinal head coach (any sport) to win an NCAA title in one of his first two seasons on The Farm since 2005.