W OMEN’S COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL
Bigger and better
MATCH POINT OF THE NCAA FINAL ON DEC. 17 WAS A mini blueprint of Stanford’s 2016 season. It started with the Cardi- nal in trouble when a left-breaking Texas float serve produced a pass that veered off the net by about the length of Rhode Island. But then Stanford made it better, and after that they made it better still. Defensive specialist Kelsey Humphreys bumped nectar to the left
side, where freshman outside hitter Kathryn Plummer broad-jumped from the 10-foot line and ripped a kill off the Longhorn block to close out a 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21 victory. “It was an awesome way to end it because it was kind of – this is going to sound weird – but it was how our season has gone,” Plummer said. “To end it that way instead of with a smashing kill was kind of, like, relevant to how we should finish that match.” Her point was well taken. To capture its
first title in 12 years and tie Penn State with a record seven NCAA volleyball championships, the sixth-seeded Cardinal (27-7) had to rein- vent themselves mid-season, which made this arguably their most improbable championship, even with their ridiculously talented freshman class (see story on page 43) and ample height (three starters 6-6 or taller). Consider: Stanford lost three of four match-
es from Oct. 9-21 and had more losses – seven – than any NCAA title-winning team since
38 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
Stanford celebrates match point after earning the school’s seventh NCAA National title. (Photo: Walt Middleton)
by Don Patterson
With a tall, talented freshman class and leadership from senior middle Inky Ajanaku, the Stanford Cardinal bounced back from a rocky start to earn a record-tying seventh NCAA title
1981, when Southern California won with 10. The Cardinal also overcame the mid-season loss for health reasons of starting outside hitters Hayley Hodson, who was the 2015 AVCA Freshman of the Year, and Michaela Keefe. With the team struggling, the Stanford coaches decided midway through an October 14 loss to Arizona to switch from a 6-2 system with Humphreys and freshman Jenna Gray sharing the setting to a 5-1 with Gray at the helm. Plummer, who had been playing op- posite, moved to a primary passing role on the outside, and 6-8 Merete Lutz switched from middle to opposite. In the end, the big shakeup couldn’t have
worked out better, but it took a lot of buy-in from the Stanford players. Take Humphreys, the senior setter turned defensive specialist who, for three years, had been working hard and waiting her turn behind since-graduated
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