CHAMPIONS: Stanford University projected to win the 2018 Women’s Pac-12 Collegiate Volleyball Championships.
By Natalie Vargas, Staff Writer
The defending 2017 Pac-12 Champions, Stanford University, won their league 19-1 under their coach, Kevin Hambly. Hambly has only been head coach at Stanford for two seasons, but has the record of 208-90 over his entire coaching career. Additionally, he produced five American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans and was named “Volleyball Magazine’s” National Coach of the Year in 2011. According to the Stanford athletics website, Stanford currently has 16 players on their team, including their two undeclared freshmen, players that are not yet committed to play this season. With the tallest hitter standing 6’6 and the shortest libero, the most efficient backrow passer, standing at 5’9, at least four inches taller than the average libero, Stanford has the opportunity to put up a huge block and a great backrow attack. In their 2017 Championship season, Stanford was projected to place 2nd, under the University of Washington, the 2016 Champions, according to a collective coaches poll on the Pac-12 website.
The 2016 Pac-12 Champions, University of Washington, are Stanford’s biggest competition this 2018-2019 season. The Washington athletics website states that their female volleyball team has a total of 15 players, without any undeclared freshmen. Washington’s lineup is strikingly similar to Stanford’s, with the tallest middle standing at a height of 6’4 and the shortest libero at 5’6. Under the coach, Keegan Cook, Washington won two Pac-12 Championships and produced a Pac-12 player of the year, outside hitter, Courtney Schwan. Over a three year period, Cook has a record of 85-16, a comparable winning percentage to Hambly’s record over his whole coaching career, 208-90. This year’s projected Pac-12 winner is Stanford, while Washington is projected to be in sixth, according to the coaches poll on the Pac-12 website. One reason Washington is projected to be in sixth place is because of their loss of seven seniors, while Stanford only lost one. Despite the prediction that Washington will be in sixth place under Stanford, the coaches poll is only a preseason estimate of how the 2018-2019 season will pan out.