STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford put on an offensive showcase Saturday, sweeping No. 11 seed Penn State, 25-22, 25-15, 25-17, at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal advances to its 23rd national semifinal, the most of any program in the nation.
It was the final match in Maples Pavilion for Stanford's storied senior class. Kathryn Plummer displayed why she is the reigning two-time AVCA Player of the Year, registering 24 kills on .512 hitting.
Stanford (28-4) hit a season-best .525, limiting itself to just five hitting errors for the match. Penn State (27-6) was also efficient on the offensive end, posting a .347 attack percentage.
The Cardinal is advancing to its fourth straight national semifinal and fifth in the last six seasons. It is the third consecutive appearance under third-year head coach Kevin Hambly.
Stanford trailed 19-13 in the opening set, but outscored Penn State 12-3 to take control of the match. Plummer finished the set with nine kills on .533 hitting and an emphatic kill to seal the set.
.@plummdawgg sends it home with authority to take the set!
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) December 15, 2019
S1: ?? 25 ?? 22#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/WmOKOjFCrv
Graduate transfer Madeleine Gates, who will be playing in her first final four, finished with 11 kills on 15 errorless swings to hit a career-best .733. Senior opposite Audriana Fitzmorris added nine kills on .368 hitting and three blocks.
Senior setter Jenna Gray controlled the offense, posting 46 assists to go with five digs and two aces. Senior libero Morgan Hentz added a match-best 14 digs.
Sophomore middle blocker Holly Campbell was also effective on the offensive end, posting a .727 attack percentage with eight kills on 11 swings with no errors. Junior Meghan McClure chipped in with four kills, three assists and 12 digs. Junior serving specialist Sidney Wilson tallied two aces and two digs.
Penn State was led by Tori Gorrell's 13 kills on .667 hitting, while Jonni Parker added 10 kills for the Nittany Lions. Senior libero Kendall White finished with a team-best 11 digs.
Plummer was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Stanford Regional. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Gates and Hentz along with Penn State's Gorrell and Serena Gray. Utah's Dani Drews and Cincinnati's Jordan Thompson rounded out the team.
Stanford (8) and Penn State (7) are the two winningest programs in NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball in terms of championships. The Cardinal and Nittany Lions are the only two teams in the nation to appear in all 39 NCAA Tournaments.
Stanford will face No. 7 seed Minnesota in the national semifinal on Dec. 19 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The semifinal matches will be televised on ESPN.