Midweek Matchups – Stanford Cardinal

THIS WEEK: No. 2 Stanford (4-0) remains on the road for a pair of matches at UC Santa Barbara (2-4) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Pepperdine (1-3) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

SERIES AGAINST THE OPPONENTS: Stanford is 10-6 all-time versus UC Santa Barbara and carries an 8-1 record against Pepperdine. Stanford swept UCSB in the most recent meeting between the two teams, played Aug. 30, 2013 at The Thunderdome. The Cardinal and Waves last met on Dec. 2, 2022 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion (W, 3-1). The last meeting during the regular season was in the Lobo Classic in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Aug. 28, 2010 (W, 3-1). Wednesday marks Stanford’s first trip to Pepperdine since Nov. 9, 1985 (W, 3-0).

HOW ITS STARTED: Stanford opened the season with four wins, including three against ranked opponents. Setter Kami Miner has guided the Cardinal offense to a .307 team hitting percentage. Outside hitter Elia Rubin leads all players with 4.33 kills on .348 hitting and 4.97 points per set. 

2023 SEASON IN REVIEW: 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.

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 (Sept. 15), No. 2 Nebraska (Sept. 18), No. 3 Wisconsin (Sept. 2), No. 9 Kentucky (Sept. 21), No. 18 Minnesota (Sept. 1) and No. 24 Marquette (Sept. 4) 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 4,059…