STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford closed out the 2023 season with a 29-4 overall record and a 24th conference championship with a 19-1 mark in the Pac-12. The Cardinal made its 42nd NCAA postseason appearance in 43 seasons, advancing to its 17th regional final since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. Stanford finished the season ranked No. 5 in the final AVCA Poll.
Stanford produced five AVCA All-Americans as opposite Kendall Kipp and setter Kami Miner were repeat first-team selections. Outside hitters Caitie Baird and Elia Rubin were both named to the second team, while libero Elena Oglivie landed on the honorable mention list. The selections brought Stanford’s total AVCA All-America award count to 115 honors spread over 47 players. The Cardinal has produced multiple All-Americans in the same season in 18 of the past 19 seasons.
The Pac-12 Player of the Year and AVCA Pacific North Region Player of the Year for a second straight season, Kipp led the team with 4.11 kills on .320 hitting. Miner and Oglivie repeated as Pac-12 Setter of the Year and Pac-12 Libero of the Year, respectively. A record seven Cardinal earned All-Pac-12 Conference honors. Baird earned her fourth nod to the all-conference team, while Kipp was recognized for a third time. Miner, Oglivie and Rubin were repeat selections, while Sami Francis earned a spot for the first time. McKenna Vicini landed on the honorable mention list for the second straight year.
Stanford won 12 of the last 18 Pac-12 championships. The Cardinal finished in the top 4 in the Pac-12 in 37 of 38 seasons, and the top 3 in 35 of 38 campaigns.
Stanford played seven consecutive matches against teams ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA Preseason Poll during its nonconference slate. The Cardinal notched 12 wins over ranked opponents in 2023, including seven top-10 victories. Stanford was 14-1 on the road – the most road wins in the nation.
In four NCAA Tournament matches, Stanford out hit its opponents .316 to .230. Rubin paced the Cardinal with 4.25 kills on .336 hitting, 2.44 digs and 4.75 points per set in the tournament. Kipp added 4.00 kills, 1.94 digs and 1.00 blocks per set. Miner dished out 11.88 assists per set, while Oglivie collected a team-best 3.94 digs per set.
The Cardinal played 17 matches against the 2023 NCAA Tournament field, posting a 13-4 record. Stanford was 8-1 against Pac-12 teams in the tournament, and picked up nonconference wins over (2) Louisville, (2) Texas, (8) Houston, Minnesota and Fresno…
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