December 15, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Stanford all set for Final Four

by Rick Eymer

The women's volleyball season has come down to a final weekend, and for Stanford it's familiar territory.

The sixth-ranked Cardinal reached their 15th Final Four, and third in four years, after beating 10th-ranked Texas, 30-28, 30-26, 30-27, on Friday and 22nd-ranked Wisconsin, 30-18, 31-29, 30-26, on Saturday in the Green Bay regional.

Stanford (28-6) meets a familiar foe in Pac-10 rival Washington (28-2) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Arena. Minnesota (32-4) and USC (23-5) meet in the other national semifinal at 7:30. Saturday's NCAA championship match is slated for 1 p.m.

The Cardinal haven't played in the Pacific time zone since Nov. 23, and will be playing in its fourth different time zone in as many weeks. They also won't have to worry about school. Finals were completed last week.

"It's hard on the body," freshman setter Bryn Kehoe said. "You have to adjust to the time and you get tired at odd times of the day. It's also hard to stay healthy because of the different climates."

Kehoe spent two hours on Thursday morning sequestered in her Green Bay hotel room finishing off an International Relations final. The next night she helped the Cardinal beat Texas. Ogonna Nnamani and Kristin Richards also took finals that morning.

"After we were done, we could focus on volleyball and not have to stress on school," Kehoe said.

Stanford is the lowest seed - 11th - among the Final Four. Minnesota was seeded fourth, followed by Washington (7th) and USC (8th).

"Everyone knows that at this time of the year it's about the luck of the draw," Stanford coach John Dunning said. "We are lucky to have survived and it has made us tougher."

Stanford handed Washington its first loss of the season a month ago. The Cardinal split with USC this season. Stanford holds a 2-0 edge over the Golden Gophers, with their last meeting coming in the 2001 opener, which was also the last time Stanford won the national title.

There's still plenty of motivation for the Cardinal, who watched Washington end their season in last year's tournament. USC beat Stanford for the NCAA title in 2002.

"Last year we beat (Washington) at home and then they beat us and also knocked us out of the playoffs in Long Beach," Dunning said. "This year, they beat us at home, and we won the second time. Now somebody gets to knock somebody out. It's an interesting situation."

All six of the Pac-10 teams who made the tournament won in the first round, and four reached the Elite Eight. The Huskies beat UCLA in five games to advance to the Final Four.

The Pac-10 has compiled a 17-3 record in the tournament while the Big 10's seven teams - six won first-round matches and three reached the Elite Eight - have a 14-6 mark.

Nnamani, named the Regional Most Outstanding Player after recording 55 kills and hitting at .448 pace, hopes to leave Stanford the same way she came in: with an NCAA title. She was a freshman on the 2001 championship team.

Nnamani also continued her assault on the Pac-10 record books, taking over the single-season kills mark with 760. She already holds the conference career record.

"I'm in constant amazement by how Ogonna plays," Richards said. "Ogonna brings something to the court I have never gotten to experience with another teammate. It's amazing always. She is a great team leader and also an inspiration."

Richards was also named to the Region all-tournament team after recording 14 kills and hitting .452 against Texas, while recording 30 combined digs.

Richards set Stanford's single-season digs record with 469, breaking an 18-year-old mark previously held by Barbra Fontana.

Sophomore Lizzie Suiter and Kehoe also moved into the record books.

Suiter has 191 blocks this year, third on the single-season list. Only four-time All-American Kim Oden has ever recorded more (twice) in a season.

Kehoe has 1,532 assists on the year, also third on the single-season list, and also bettered (twice) only by four-time All-American Wendy Rush.

"It is amazing Lizzie has had one of the great blocking seasons considering some of the great middle blockers who have been at Stanford and for Bryn to have one of the great assist seasons considering some of the great setters who have gone through here,' Dunning said. "And Kristin set a digs record and Jennifer Hucke had her best season ever.

"I heard one coach say we have Ogonna, an Olympian, and everyone else on the court doing a very good job in their roles. That's a good way to describe us. Each person has done better in their role. Courtney (Schultz) has always been a great passer and she's grown as a digger."

Nnamani, who had 28 kills against Texas, earned praise from Longhorns' coach Jerritt Elliott.

"What you saw is one of the most gifted athletes that our sport has seen in quite some time," he said. "No one has had an answer for her all year. We tried switch blocking and she still goes over us. She's just so physical."

Kehoe had 46 assists and 12 digs against the Longhorns. She added 45 assists against Wisconsin.

Hucke had 10 kills and hit .450, and was one of four players with double figures in digs against the Badgers. Richards and Schultz each had 13, while Hucke added 11 and Nnamani had 10.

"We want to take pressure off of Ogonna any way that we can," Hucke said. "But if I'm Ogonna's support system, I'm fine with that. She has carried us to the Final Four."

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