STANFORD, Calif. - No. 14 Stanford (9-5, 2-2 ACC) continues ACC play on the road this week, traveling to Notre Dame on Friday and No. 3 Louisville on Sunday. Friday's match will air at 2 p.m. PT on ACC Network, while Sunday's contest will be televised on ESPN at 10 a.m. PT.
SERIES AGASINT THE FIGHTING IRISH: Stanford is 9-1 all-time versus Notre Dame, including a sweep over the Irish last season at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal won the most recent meeting between the schools at Purcell Pavilion, a four-set victory on Sept. 27, 2024. Notre Dame's lone win came in a sweep in South Bend on Aug. 29, 2009.
SERIES AGAINST THE CARDINALS: Stanford is 3-4 all-time against Louisville, including a four-set win at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena last season to clinch a share of its first ACC title. Stanford and Louisville split the regular season in 2025 as both teams won on the other's home court.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford swept Virginia Tech and Virginia, remaining undefeated at home this season. The Cardinal hit a combined .330 as a team. Sophomore Logan Parks controlled the offense with 12.17 assists per set, earning her a second ACC Setter of the Week honor.
COACHES' PICK: Stanford was picked to win the ACC by the league's coaches. Lizzy Andrew, Julia Blyashov, Spencer Etzler, Jordyn Harvey and Logan Parks were named to the 18-player Preseason All-ACC Team. Stanford paced the league with five selections.
POY WATCH LIST: Lizzy Andrew and Logan Parks were two of 30 players named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List. Andrew was an AVCA Second Team All-American and All-ACC First Team performer in 2025, ranking fifth nationally with a .447 attack percentage. Parks was the AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year, collecting AVCA All-America honorable mention honors and an All-ACC Second Team nod. Last season, she set the Cardinal to a .299 team hitting percentage – good for third in the ACC and seventh nationally.
STACKED SCHEDULE: Stanford is slated to play 10 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll, including six against top-5 opponents. The Cardinal will take on No. 4 Pittsburgh (Sept. 27 & Nov. 24), No. 6 Wisconsin (Aug. 28), No. 7 Louisville (Oct. 11), No. 8 Texas A&M (Sept. 9), No. 10 Penn State (Sept. 11), No. 11 SMU (Sept. 25), No. 12 Arizona State (Sept. 17), No. 15 Kansas (Aug. 30) and No. 19 North Carolina (Oct. 25).
HOME SWEET HOME: In 10 seasons under Kevin Hambly, Stanford is 119-14 at Maples Pavilion, including 22-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal won 32 in a row at home to begin Hambly's tenure at Stanford. The Cardinal is 31-2 at home in the last three seasons.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Four different Cardinal have been recognized with five ACC weekly honors this season. Combining with its Pac-12 selections, the Cardinal now boasts 198 weekly awards all-time, including 32 Offensive, 45 Defensive, 9 Setter and 39 Freshman.
2026 ACC WEEKLY SELECTIONS
Aug. 31: Julia Blyashov (Defensive)
Sept. 7: Lizzy Andrew (Defensive)
Sept. 21: Jordyn Harvey (Offensive); Logan Parks (Setter)
Oct. 5: Logan Parks (Setter)
BY THE NUMBERS: Stanford has won more NCAA titles (9), more NCAA Tournament matches (143), 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 44 of the 45 NCAA Tournaments all-time.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Stanford claimed a share of its first ACC title, and its 25th conference championship overall in 2025. The Cardinal has finished in the top 4 in conference play in 40 of the past 41 seasons, and the top 3 in 38 of 41 campaigns.
HISTORIC STREAK: Stanford is the all-time leader with 139 NCAA team championships (71 men, 68 women), and 173 national championships overall. The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, capturing at least one NCAA team championship for 50 consecutive seasons in a streak that dates back to the 1976-1977 season.
LEGACY CEMENTED: Inky Ajanaku (2012-16) was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 25. She is the 15th women's volleyball player selected and the first since Alix Klineman in 2021. A four-time All-American, Ajanaku led Stanford to the 2016 NCAA championship and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. A Honda Award recipient in 2016, she was a two-time Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year.
OLYMPIC TRADITION: Stanford alumna Kathryn Plummer ('20) captured a silver medal with the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Plummer, who won three national titles on The Farm (2016, 2018, 2019), is the 11th Olympian in program history. Her spot on the roster extended Stanford’s streak of having at least one former Cardinal player on each indoor U.S. Olympic Team since 1988. For the third consecutive edition of the Games, Stanford boasted more Team USA selections (37) than any other school.
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 237-52 (.820) in his 10th season on The Farm, mentoring 16 AVCA All-Americans to 32 awards and nine Academic All-Americans (12 awards).
THE HAMBLY FILE: Kevin Hambly coached 12 AVCA All-Americans to 19 honors during his time at Illinois and has now mentored 28 All-Americans to 51 awards. He is the third head coach to lead Stanford to a national championship. The three-time conference 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.