STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 Stanford (7-1) closes out the nonconference slate on Saturday, playing host to No. 11 Kentucky (6-4) at Maples Pavilion. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
SERIES AGAINST THE WILDCATS: Stanford is 2-2 all-time versus Kentucky. The teams last met in 2021, a five-set win for the Wildcats in Lexington. The Cardinal’s most recent victory came back in 1989 when Stanford defeated Kentucky in five sets in Lincoln, Nebraska. Saturday marks Kentucky’s first trip to The Farm since 1983.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford dropped its first match of the season, falling in straight sets at No. 5 Nebraska. The Cardinal was held to a season-low .100 hitting percentage as a team. Elia Rubin led all players with 10 kills to go with six digs, two aces and two blocks. It was Stanford’s first loss in Lincoln since 1989.
PACKED THE HOUSE: A record crowd in the Kevin Hambly era of 6,894 watched No. 2 Stanford sweep No. 6 Texas at Maples Pavilion on Sept. 15. The Cardinal held the Longhorns to .125 hitting – their lowest in a match in over 11 years.
HOME SWEET HOME: In eight seasons under Kevin Hambly, Stanford is 86-12 at Maples Pavilion, including 18-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal won 32 in a row at home to begin Hambly’s tenure at Stanford.
STACKED SCHEDULE: Stanford is slated to play 12 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll, including seven against top-10 opponents. The Cardinal will take on No. 1 Texas (W, 3-0), No. 2 Nebraska (L, 3-0), No. 3 Wisconsin (W, 3-1), No. 9 Kentucky (Sept. 21), No. 18 Minnesota (W, 3-2) and No. 24 Marquette (W, 3-0) in the nonconference. Stanford will meet No. 4 Pittsburgh (Oct. 20), No. 6 Louisville (Sept. 29 & Nov. 30), No. 14 Georgia Tech (Nov. 9 & Nov. 27) and No. 20 Florida State (Nov. 3) in ACC play.
COACHES’ PICK: In its inaugural ACC season, Stanford was picked to finish second by the league’s coaches. The Cardinal captured three first-place votes and placed four on the Preseason All-ACC squad – middle blocker Sami Francis, setter Kami Miner, libero Elena Oglivie and outside hitter Elia Rubin.
MILESTONE UNLOCKED: Kami Miner recorded her 4,000th career assist on Sept. 2 in a four-set win over No. 6 Wisconsin. She became the seventh player in school history to reach the milestone. In the rally-scoring era to 25, Miner is third behind Jenna Gray (5,485) and Madi Bugg (5,014) with 4,207 assists. Her 11.46 career assists per set mark would be a program record in the rally-scoring…
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