Neutral Site Matches on Tap

STANFORD, Calif. - No. 4 Stanford (4-0) hits the road for its next eight matches, beginning Wednesday in Orlando at the ACC/SEC Shriner's Children's Showdown at the Net. The Cardinal will face No. 19 Texas A&M (3-4) at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Stanford then heads to Philadelphia to resume its rivalry with No. 12 Penn State (4-1), facing off Friday at 3 p.m. PT at The Palestra on Big Ten Network. The Cardinal closes out the week against Ohio (4-2) on Sunday at 10 a.m. PT in State College. SERIES AGASINT THE AGGIES: Stanford is 5-1 all-time against Texas A&M. The Cardinal swept the Aggies in the most recent meeting on Sept. 3, 2017, in College Station - Kevin Hambly's first season on The Farm. Texas A&M's lone win came on Sept. 8, 1995, a 3-2 victory in Chicago. SERIES AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS: Stanford holds a 14-13 edge in the all-time series against Penn State. The Nittany Lions outlasted the Cardinal, 3-2, in the most recent meeting, Sept. 9, 2022, in Minneapolis. Stanford last defeated Penn State on Sept. 11, 2021 - a five-set victory in Eugene, Oregon. SERIES AGAINST THE BOBCATS: Stanford is 1-0 all-time against Ohio. The Cardinal's lone win came in a sweep at the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis. COACHES' PICK: Stanford was picked to win the ACC by the league's coaches. Lizzy Andrew, Julia Blyashov, Spencer Etzler, Jordyn Harvey and Logan Parks were named to the 18-player Preseason All-ACC Team. Stanford paced the league with five selections. POY WATCH LIST: Lizzy Andrew and Logan Parks were two of 30 players named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List. Andrew was an AVCA Second Team All-American and All-ACC First Team performer in 2025, ranking fifth nationally with a .447 attack percentage. Parks was the AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year, collecting AVCA All-America honorable mention honors and an All-ACC Second Team nod. Last season, she set the Cardinal to a .299 team hitting percentage – good for third in the ACC and seventh nationally. STACKED SCHEDULE: Stanford is slated to play 10 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll, including six against top-5 opponents. The Cardinal will take on No. 4 Pittsburgh (Sept. 27 & Nov. 24), No. 6 Wisconsin (Aug. 28), No. 7 Louisville (Oct. 11), No. 8 Texas A&M (Sept. 9), No. 10 Penn State (Sept. 11), No. 11 SMU (Sept. 25), No. 12 Arizona State (Sept. 17), No. 15 Kansas (Aug. 30) and No. 19 North Carolina (Oct. 25). PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Senior Julia Blyashov and junior Lizzy Andrew won back-to-back ACC Defensive Player of the Week honor - the first career weekly honors of their careers. Combining with its Pac-12 selections, the Cardinal now boasts 195 weekly awards all-time, including 31 Offensive, 45 Defensive, 7 Setter and 39 Freshman. 2026 ACC WEEKLY SELECTIONS Aug. 31: Julia Blyashov (Defensive) Sept. 7: Lizzy Andrew (Defensive) BY THE NUMBERS: Stanford has won more NCAA titles (9), more NCAA Tournament matches (143), made more Final Four appearances (23) and been in the national championship match (17) more times than any other program in the nation. The Cardinal has qualified for 44 of the 45 NCAA Tournaments all-time. CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Stanford claimed a share of its first ACC title, and its 25th conference championship overall in 2025. The Cardinal has finished in the top 4 in conference play in 40 of the past 41 seasons, and the top 3 in 38 of 41 campaigns. 2025 SEASON IN REVIEW: Stanford capped off the 2025 season with a 29-5 overall record and was co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with an 18-2 mark. The Cardinal made its 44th NCAA postseason appearance in 45 seasons, advancing to its 22nd regional semifinal since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998. LEGACY CEMENTED: Inky Ajanaku (2012-16) is set to be inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 25. She is the 15th women's volleyball player selected and the first since Alix Klineman in 2021. A four-time All-American, Ajanaku led Stanford to the 2016 NCAA championship and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. A Honda Award recipient in 2016, she was a two-time Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year. HISTORIC STREAK: Stanford is the all-time leader with 139 NCAA team championships (71 men, 68 women), and 173 national championships overall. The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, capturing at least one NCAA team championship for 50 consecutive seasons in a streak that dates back to the 1976-1977 season. COACHING EXCELLENCE: Kevin Hambly became the seventh head coach in Division I women's volleyball to lead a school to back-to-back NCAA titles. Hambly is now 232-47 (.832) in his 10th season on The Farm, mentoring 16 AVCA All-Americans to 32 awards and nine Academic All-Americans (12 awards). THE HAMBLY FILE: Kevin Hambly coached 12 AVCA All-Americans to 19 honors during his time at Illinois and has now mentored 28 All-Americans to 51 awards. He is the third head coach to lead Stanford to a national championship. The three-time conference coach of the year became the first Cardinal head coach (any sport) to win an NCAA title in one of his first two seasons on The Farm since 2005.