Stanford vs. Washington State volleyball: Preview, how to watch

To be frank, this Pac-12 rivalry hasn’t been much of a competitive rivalry… historically. The Cardinal have won the most NCAA championships of any DI volleyball team — nine — and have appeared in the NCAA tournament since its 1981 inception every year except 2020-21. On the contrary, Washington State has had just as many losing seasons as it has winning seasons and has never made it past the Elite Eight in the tournament. In 2018, the Cougars notably made a deep run in the tournament but were eliminated in the Sweet 16 round by the would-be national champions — you guessed it — Stanford.

So, it comes to no surprise that Stanford holds a 38-3 advantage over the Cougars. The Cardinal have secured 11 straight wins against WSU, dating back to 2016, and about 59% of their meetings have been three-set shutouts. And while history might not be on its side, preseason No. 21 Wazzu has been steadily climbing the 2023 rankings since Week 1, taking down ranked BYU, Baylor, Texas and Oregon, and now earning its highest AVCA ranking ever in program history this week: No. 4. Thus, Sunday’s matchup marks the first time that the Cougars and Cardinal have faced each other whilst both ranked in the AVCA top 5.

Now, let’s talk about packing the house. The last attendance record set at WSU’s Bohler Gymnasium was in 1995, when Stanford paid the Cougs and 4,039 of their fans a visit; the Cardinal went home with a five-set victory. This Sunday’s match is expected to pack the house for this year’s Wazzu team, who have made an unprecedented 15-1 run thus far. 

Washington’s ingredients are top-tier; with Magda Jehlárová defending at the net, Argentina Ung setting up Iman Isanovic’s spikes, and Pia Timmer’s strength at the service line, the 15-1 Cougars have been a force to be reckoned with. They’ll be facing a full-strength Stanford squad fresh off a season-high 14-ace match against Washington (during which outside Kendall Kipp registered a season-best .514 hitting percentage). 

Will history repeat itself? Tune in at 3 p.m. to find out.