December 02, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Stanford appears all set

by Rick Eymer

Under normal circumstances losing a setter in women's volleyball is akin to losing a quarterback in football. Over 90 percent of the offense goes through a setter and any disruption could prove costly.

Stanford lost sophomore setter Bryn Kehoe about a month ago, and Kehoe had established herself as one of the top setters in the country. She was a big part of last year's NCAA championship team.

While Kehoe has been cleared to play in a limited role for this weekend's opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, it will be senior Katie Goldhahn who will continue setting for the fifth-ranked Cardinal (25-5), which opens with Nevada today at 7 p.m.

Goldhahn moved seamlessly into the setter's role when Kehoe broke a bone in her left hand.

"No one in the country could have stepped in like she has," Stanford coach John Dunning said of Goldhahn. "She's very experienced at setter. She's been groomed for it all her life, which she showed."

Goldhahn came to Stanford as a highly-regarded setter out of Lodi and showed some of her skills during her first two years. Once Kehoe assumed the position last year, Goldhahn became a defensive specialist.

"Concentrating on defense was a different role for her but we kept her in a backup position at setter," Dunning said. "To have her come back and pick up the setter position was a blessing for the team."

Kehoe is allowed to serve and play the back row but there are limits on blocking, so Dunning will be conservative with her this weekend.

What helps Goldhahn is her maturity and experience. Having participated in the past three NCAA tournaments can only help. Stanford is one of the most experienced teams in the tournament. The Cardinal has made it every year the NCAA has sponsored the sport (25 years) and has reached the postseason 26 straight years.

In addition, Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Foluke Akinradewo has international experience.

Akinradewo, a middle blocker, and junior outside hitter Kristin Richards were each named to the Pac-10 first team. It's the third such honor Richards, who was also named the AVCA National Player of the Week for her career performances against USC and UCLA last week.

Stanford may only have two seniors, with libero Courtney Schultz the other, but the Cardinal has plenty of talent - even without freshman outside hitter Cynthia Barboza, a cinch for first-team honors before an ACL injury ended her season prematurely.

Goldhahn stepping into the critical setter's role was an easy enough decision when Kehoe became unavailable. Goldhahn was already considered on of the team leaders.

Schultz, an outside hitter in high school, has also been important to Stanford's success beyond providing leadership.

"She is very analytical, very smart," Dunning said. "She is always figuring things out and brings a focus to the team. There's no gray area. She's a natural passer who has a great touch and she always knows where she is on the court."

Schultz and Goldhahn are 102-23 in their Stanford careers.

While Nevada, Sacramento State and Santa Clara are all familiar NCAA foes for Stanford, it seems to get tougher every year. The 15th-ranked Broncos won the West Coast Conference and Woodside Priory grad Cassie Perret was named WCC Player of the Year.

Sacramento State had a 16-match winning streak snapped last weekend and are the Big Sky Conference champs. Menlo-Atherton product Atlee Hubbard leads the Hornets in kills. Coach Debby Colberg has won 769 matches in 30 years at the school.

Nevada lost to Hawaii in the semifinals of the WAC tournament. Salaia Salave'a leads the team with 493 kills and a .293 hitting percentage. Carly Sorensen and Teal Erickson have collected 399 and 362 kills, respectively. The Wolfpack has held opponents to a .187 hitting percentage.

"Santa Clara beat Arizona this year," Dunning said. "We know Santa Clara is good. The WCC sent six teams to the tournament. Nevada is for real too. Sacramento State challenges us every year. They are always tough."

Stanford holds a 5-0 advantage over Nevada, including two meetings at Maples Pavilion. This is their first meeting since the 2001 tournament. Stanford is 23-0 against Santa Clara, and 5-0 against Sacramento State.

The Cardinal is 11-5 against the 11 teams they played this year who are in the tournament. Stanford has a 76-19 (.800) record in NCAA play, the most victories by any school.

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