Coach Dunning on Franci Girard:
"Franci played at an exceptional level last year and has continued to work hard and grow as a player. She will have a big effect on our team this fall; she is a fine player and is committed to helping us to grow to be a great team."
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Girard in the Record Books (As of 12/16/07):
SINGLE SEASON
7. Games Played (2004) - 131
As a Senior in 2007: Appeared in 119 games as a starting middle blocker for the Cardinal ... Recorded the best season of her career with 261 kills (2.19 kpg) ... Second on the team with 98 blocks (0.82 bpg) ... Hit .317 on the year, second among the team's starters and eighth in the Pac-10 ... Recorded double-digit kills in six matches, including the NCAA Semifinal and NCAA Final matches ... Hit .400 or above on nine occasions ... Carried the team to victory at Minnesota (9/1), pounding a career-high 15 kills ... Tallied back-to-back double-figure performances in Los Angeles, notching 11 kills at UCLA (10/26) and ten kills at USC (10/27) ... Ripped 11 kills and hit .526 in a sweep of Oregon State (11/2) ... Hit a season-high .727 at Washington State (11/9) ... Put up a season-high seven blocks against Washington (10/12), matched the figure on Senior Night against Cal (11/23) and matched it again in the NCAA Regional Final against UCLA (12/8) ... Also matched a career-high with three service aces against the Golden Bears to clinch the Pac-10 title ... Hit .500 with nine kills in the team's NCAA Second Round match against Sacramento State ... Added nine more kills in a sweep of Cal Poly in the NCAA Regional Semifinal (12/7) ... Added 12 kills in the NCAA Semifinal win over USC (12/13) ... Tallied ten kills and hit .400 in the NCAA Championship match (12/15) ... Earned Pac-10 All-Academic Honorable Mention.
As a Junior in 2006: A 2006 Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 selection ... Played in 103 games and all 34 matches for the Cardinal ... Hit .330 on the season, second among Cardinal hitters ... Finished the season fourth on the squad with 210 kills to average 2.04 kills per game ... Ranked second on the team with 92 blocks, including 13 block solos to average 0.89 blocks per game ... Tallied double-digit kills on five occasions, including 10 in the NCAA Championship match against Nebraska (12/16) ... Recorded a season-high 14 kills at BYU (9/1) with four blocks ... Notched 13 kills in a five-game win over UCLA (10/13) ... Posted ten kills in matches against USC (10/12) and UCLA (10/11) ... Notched an .800 hitting percentage at home against Oregon State (10/19) ... Hit over .400 in 14 matches ... Had a season-high 28 attempts in both matches against UCLA (10/13, 11/11) ... Had a career-high three aces in a four-game victory over UCLA (11/11) ... Had a season-high nine blocks against Santa Clara (9/14) in the Stanford Invitational ... Also collected six blocks versus Arizona State (9/30) and against Washington (12/14) in the NCAA Semifinal match ... A 2006 Pac-10 All-Academic Honorable Mention selection.
As a Sophomore in 2005: Played in 28 matches and 86 games for the Cardinal ... Chalked up a season-high 10 kills while hitting .353 against top-ranked Nebraska (8/27) at the AVCA Showcase ... Produced a season-high 25 attempts versus Penn State (8/26) at the AVCA Showcase ... Hit .467 with eight kills, three digs and three blocks in Stanford's victory at Oregon (10/27) ... Recorded a career-high five assists against Syracuse (9/3) ... Recorded a career-high five digs in matches against Oregon State (10/28), Washington State (11/4) and Arizona (11/11) ... Hit .400 or better in five matches ... Fifth in the team in kills (136).
As a Freshman in 2004: Started at middle blocker in her rookie season on the Farm and appeared in 131 of 133 games ... A Pac-10 All-Freshman selection ... Averaged 1.79 kills and 0.91 blocks per game ... Fourth on the team with 234 total kills ... Second of the team with 119 total blocks ... Recorded a career-high ten blocks versus UCLA (10/9) ... Tallied a season-high 13 kills against California (10/1) ... Hit .750 with six kills versus Villanova (9/17) ... Tallied a season-high 23 attempts against Penn State (9/10) ... Recorded six or more blocks on seven occasions ... Collected eleven kills and three blocks versus Florida (12/4) during second round action in the NCAA Tournament ... Notched six kills and four blocks against Wisconsin (12/11) ... Hit .556 against Minnesota in the NCAA title match (12/18).
High School: A 2004 graduate of The Fieldston School in the Bronx, N.Y. ... A four-year letterwinner ... Captained the volleyball team for two years ... Coached by Colin Henry ... A three-time all-league selection ... Tabbed league MVP in 2001 ... Helped her team to three consecutive NYSAIS State Championships ... Played club volleyball with the Philadelphia Volleyball Academy ... Ivy Preparatory School League Champions in 2001 and 2003.
National/Club Competition: A member of the 2002 and 2003 USA Girls Youth National Team ... Competed in the National Team Challenge Cup in Montreal, Canada ... Named team captain.
Personal: Daughter of Francis Girard and Jennifer Berkeley ... Has one brother, Harvey, and two sisters, Loren and Cecily ... Hobbies include shopping, reading and watching movies with friends ... Full name is Franci Andrea Girard.
Girard's Career Statistics (As of 12/16/07)
| Year | G | K | KPG | E | TA | PCT | A | APG | SA | SE | SAPG | RE | DIG | DPG | BS | BA | TOT | BPG | BE |
| 2004 | 131 | 234 | 1.79 | 85 | 533 | .280 | 8 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 32 | 0.24 | 25 | 94 | 119 | 0.91 | 19 |
| 2005 | 86 | 136 | 1.58 | 57 | 387 | .204 | 16 | 0.19 | 1 | 4 | 0.01 | 1 | 45 | 0.52 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 0.40 | 3 |
| 2006 | 103 | 210 | 2.04 | 57 | 464 | .330 | 6 | 0.06 | 11 | 25 | 0.11 | 3 | 42 | 0.41 | 13 | 79 | 92 | 0.89 | 13 |
| 2007 | 119 | 261 | 2.19 | 75 | 586 | .317 | 6 | 0.05 | 13 | 29 | 0.11 | 3 | 44 | 0.37 | 11 | 87 | 98 | 0.82 | 15 |
| Totals | 439 | 841 | 1.92 | 274 | 1970 | .288 | 36 | 0.08 | 25 | 58 | 0.06 | 7 | 163 | 0.37 | 59 | 284 | 343 | 0.78 | 50 |
Girard's Career Highs (As of 12/16/07)
| Kills | 15 at Minnesota (9/1/07) |
| Attempts | 31 at USC (10/27/07) |
| Aces | 3, 2X, last vs. Cal (11/23/07) |
| Digs | 5, 4X, last vs. Oregon State (11/2/07) |
| Assists | 5 vs. Syracuse (9/3/05) |
| Blocks | 10 at UCLA (10/9/04) |
| Hitting Percentage | .800 (8-0-10) vs. Oregon State (10/19/06) |
Getting To Know Franci Girard
| Nickname: | France |
| The best thing about Stanford is: | There is something interesting about every person I've encountered. People here dream big, then go out and make those dreams a reality and it's contagious. |
| My favorite place on campus is: | Palm Drive |
| Ten years from now I hope to be: | Happily married in a successful career or with a business of my own |
| Favorite thing to do on an off day: | Watch a movie or shop with good company |
| Something people would be surprised to know about me: | I'm really passionate about mentoring underprivileged girls |
| The place I would most like to visit: | China |
| My favorite pre-game ritual: | Listen to the Jay-z playlist I compiled on my iPod |
| Earliest sporting memory: | My sister Loren trying to teach me how to shoot a three in elementary school |
| Stanford will be fun to watch this year because: | Each person on our team has something unique and important to add. Our returning players have come back even stronger this year and our freshmen are ready and willing to work hard. I think that alone, combined with our coaching staff, will make us an awesome team to watch. |
| My greatest athletic moment was: | Winning the national championship in 2004 because I knew that nobody expected it |
| The athlete I admire most: | Candice Wiggins because she works hard on and off the court. She also had great success in her freshman year and managed to stay extremely humble. |
| Since coming to Stanford, I have learned: | To be independent since I am 3,000 miles from home and more competitive on the court |
| The current or former Stanford athlete I most enjoy watching perform: | Ogonna Nnamani |
| Best book I have ever read: | To Kill A Mockingbird in the 6th grade |
| Favorite Food : | Mama's home cooked curry goat with rice and peas |
| Least Favorite Food: | Carrots and onions |
| If I had to cook all of my meals, I'd probably survive on: | Ramen noodles |
| My favorite movie: | Love and Basketball |
| My favorite TV show: | Law and Order: SVU |
| My Favorite Actor: | Denzel Washington |
| The best advice I ever received was: | This might sound strange but my mom always told me to always believe in myself even when I might be afraid of the task at hand, and also to try to have compassion for others no matter the situation. |
| The person or people who have had the greatest influence on my career: | My high school coach Colin Henry |
| I'd like to switch places for a day with: | Oprah |
| My advice to youngsters: | No matter how far-fetched others might consider your dreams to be, never give up because each one of us controls our own destiny. I never thought I would be playing for a national championship team. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to make it here, but the point is that I made it so dreams do actually come true. |
| If I had one CD to listen to it would be: | Jay-z: Blueprint 2 or Jay-z Life and Times of S. Carter Volume 3 |
| One wish I would make for the 21st century: | I wish we could find an affordable cure for AIDS |