May 31, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - Head coach John Dunning has announced the four freshmen that will join the team this fall and help it contend for a Pac-12 championship and the program's seventh NCAA title. The class consists of Kelsey Humphreys (Newport Beach, Calif.), Grace Kennedy (Newport Beach, Calif.), Merete Lutz (Houston, Texas) and Ivana Vanjak (Bad Soden, Germany).
"For the second year in a row we are bringing in a big recruiting class," said Dunning. "This is a very exciting time for our program. Adding a middle, two left side hitters and a setter to the 11 players we have returning gives us depth in each position, and that will allow us to compete every day. This incoming class is very talented, skilled and they have a significant level of experience."
Humphreys is a 6-0 setter from Newport Beach, Calif., where she was a three-year letterwinner at Corona del Mar High School. A team captain in 2011 and 2012, her team captured three Pacific Coast League Championships and reached the CIF semifinals in 2010 and finals in 2011. An Under Armour High School All-American, she was a three-time All-Pacific Coast League selection and a two-time All-CIF First Team pick. As a senior in 2012, she was named MaxPreps California All-State Division I First Team, the Daily Pilot Dream Team Player of the Year, First Team All-Orange County and the MVP of the Pacific Coast League. Humphreys also competed for the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club and is a member of the U.S. Women's Junior National Team.
Kennedy, a teammate of Humphreys at Corona del Mar High School, is a 6-3 outside hitter from Newport Beach, Calif. A four-year letterwinner, she captained her team as a senior in 2012. A four-time Pacific Coast League Champion, her team reached the finals of CIF in 2009 and 2011, and the semifinals in 2010. She is a two-time All-CIF, all-county and all-league selection and was named to the Daily Pilot Dream Team in 2012. The CIF Southern Section Female Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior, she also played for the Orange County Volleyball Club.
Lutz, who hails from Houston, Texas, is a 6-8 middle blocker out of Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, where she played on the varsity squad as a freshman and sophomore. A two-time all-district selection, her team reached the district playoffs both seasons. She also played club for the Southwest Juniors, qualifying for junior nationals in 2011 and 2013. Additionally, she is a member of the U.S. Women's Junior National team.
Originally from Croatia, Vanjak is a 6-4 outside hitter living in Bad Soden, Germany, where she attended Albert-Einstein-Schule. She played for TG Bad Soden and VC Wiesbaden club teams as well as the Croatian National Team. Her club team was the runner-up at the German Cup and placed third at the German Bundesliga. Her U20 squad captured first at the South-West Germany Championship and the Hessen Championship.
In addition to the four newcomers, the 2013 Stanford squad will include seniors Mary Ellen Luck, Rachel Williams and Carly Wopat, juniors Lydia Bai, Morgan Boukather and Kyle Gilbert, and sophomores Inky Ajanaku, Madi Bugg, Jordan Burgess, Brittany Howard and Megan McGehee.