Stanford volleyball represents Pac-12 in NCAA Semifinal

Dec 11, 2017

• STANFORD is making its NCAA-record 21st NCAA semifinal appearance, also making it the 33rd time a Pac-12 team has advanced that far. The third-seeded Cardinal are the defending NCAA Champion, having won its seventh crown last season under the direction of then-head coach John Dunning to tie for the most of any program.

• Nine Pac-12 teams received NCAA Tournament bids, the most of any conference in the country. Five of the teams earned top-16 seeds. It marks the 18th-consecutive years at least six teams have earned tournament berths. League teams went 8-1 in the first round this season, eventually advancing five teams to the round of 16. It marked the 18th time at least three Pac-12 teams reached the regional semifinal round.

• Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly is in his first season with the Cardinal, leading it to the program’s 17th all-time Pac-12 title. Sophomore Kathryn Plummer is the Pac-12 Player of the Year, one year after being voted Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and AVCA National Freshman of the Year. She is just the second player in league history and first since 1989 to earn freshman and player of the year honors in back-to-back seasons.

• Sophomore teammates Jenna Gray and Morgan Hentz were also voted the Pac-12 Setter and Libero of the Year, respectively. Joining the list of honorees were OREGON STATE’s Mark Barnard who was tabbed the Pac-12 Coach of the Year after a campaign the saw the Beavers accomplishments not seen in decades. OSU’s Kylee McLaughlin was picked the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

• A combined 16 Pac-12 players were named to the AVCA Pacific North and Pacific South All-Region teams. Regional Player of the Year nods were given to Plummer (Pacific North) and UTAH’s Adora Anae (Pacific South). OREGON STATE’s Kylee McLaughlin and COLORADO’s Brynna Deluzio were selected the Pacific North and Pacific South Freshmen of the Year, respectively.

• Joining Stanford among the top-16-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament were No. 8-seeded WASHINGTON, No. 10-seeded USC, No. 11-seeded UTAH and No. 15-seeded UCLA. COLORADO, OREGON, OREGON STATE and WASHINGTON STATE earned bids, as well.

• The Pac-12 has won a record 15 of 36 NCAA titles awarded, including 13 of the last 26.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (PST)
Thursday, Dec. 14 -Semifinal, Kansas City, Missouri
No. 3-seed STANFORD at No. 2-seed Florida, 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET • ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 16 -Final, Kansas City, Missouri

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded standings)

Teams	Pac-12 Record	Overall Record
Stanford	19-1	30-3
Washington	14-6	25-8
USC	12-6	25-10
Utah	13-7	24-10
Colorado	12-8	24-10
UCLA	12-8	21-11
Oregon State	11-9	21-12
Oregon	10-10	18-12
Washington State	6-14	18-16
Arizona	5-15	11-18
California	4-16	13-18
Arizona State	0-20	10-22

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (PST)

Thursday, Dec. 14
#3 STANFORD vs. #2 Florida	ESPN	3 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 16
Championship Match

2017 PAC-12 VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Date	Offensive	Defensive	Freshman
Aug. 28	Khalia Lanier, USC	Zana Muno, UCLA	Mac May, UCLA
Sept. 4	Mary-Kate Marshall, OSU	Tawnee Luafalemana, UTAH	Dani Barton, UTAH
Sept. 11	Taylor Agost, ORE	Berkeley Oblad, UTAH	Mima Mirkovic, CAL
Sept. 28	Alexa Smith, COLO	Halle Harker, ASU	Brynna DeLuzio, COLO
Sept. 25	Brittany Abercrombie, USC	Victoria Garrick, USC	Mac May, UCLA
Oct. 2	Brittany Abercrombie, USC	Naghede Abu, COLO	Brynna DeLuzio, COLO
Oct. 9	Adora Anae, UTAH	Berkeley Oblad, UTAH	Lauren Sanders, WASH
Oct. 16	Mary-Kate Marshall, OSU	Grace Massey, OSU	Maddie Goings, OSU
Oct. 23	Mary-Kate Marshall, OSU	Morgan Hentz, STAN	Kylee McLaughlin, OSU
Oct. 30	Kathryn Plummer, STAN	Tia Scambray, WASH	Brynna DeLuzio, COLO
Nov. 6	Merete Lutz, STAN	Madeleine, UCLA	Brynna DeLuzio, COLO
Nov. 13	Khalia Lanier, USC	Grace Massey, OSU	Kylee McLaughlin, OSU
Nov. 20	Kathryn Plummer, STAN	Audriana Fitzmorris, STAN	Kylee McLaughlin, OSU
Nov. 28	Khalia Lanier, USC	Zana Muno, UCLA	Jenny Mosser, UCLA

IN THE PRESEASON
Pac-12 Coaches Pick Washington to Win in 2017, Preseason All-Pac-12 Announced
Six Teams Ranked in Preseason AVCA Poll

NATIONAL HONORS
Oct. 3: Brittany Abercrombie, USC, ESPNW National Player of the Week
Oct. 10: Adora Anae, Utah, Sports Imports/AVCA Division I Women Player of the Week
Oct. 10: Adora Anae, Utah, ESPNW Player of the Week
Nov. 2: Kathryn Plummer, Stanford, ESPNW Player of the Week
Nov. 14: Khalia Lanier, USC, AVCA National Player of the Week

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
•   The Pac-12 has captured seven of the last 16 NCAA crowns (2016 - Stanford, 2011 - UCLA, 2005 - Washington, 2004 - Stanford, 2003 - USC, 2002 - USC, 2001 - Stanford) and a record 15 NCAA titles overall.
•   Pac-12 coaches have led NCAA Division I teams to 39 NCAA semifinal appearances and eight NCAA titles. In the last 15 years, seven different coaches have been named the ASICS/Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year and/or the AVCA Coach of the Year.
•   The Pac-12 has had 10 or more All-Americans selections in eight of the last 11 years. Ten former Pac-12 players have earned All-America honors four times, while 20 players in all have earned All-American honors three times.
•   Since 1990, Pac-12 players garnered AVCA Player of the Year honors 14 times, including the five of the last seven - CAL’s Carli Lloyd (2010), USC’s Alex Jupiter (2011), ORE’s Alaina Bergsma (2012), WASH’s Krista Vansant (2013) and the latest honoree in USC’s Samantha Bricio (2015). The NCAA Honda Sports Award honor has been bestowed upon a Pac-12 volleyball player 14 times, including Stanford’s Inky Ajanaku in 2016.