STANFORD, Calif. -- The 2024 season cemented Stanford beach volleyball’s position as one of the best programs in the country, guided by its best ever record and countless wins over top-ranked teams from across the nation.
Stanford’s 2024 campaign started with a prophecy of what was to come for the rest of the year. Opening the season in Hawai’i for the third straight year, Cardinal beach volleyball history was made on Queen's Beach as the then-No.7 Cardinal downed No. 1 USC, 3-2, for the first time in program history after topping No. 5 LMU, 3-2. The next day, Stanford conquered two more top-10 opponents, besting No. 2 UCLA 3-2 for just the second time in program history and beating host No. 9 Hawai'i 4-1. The Cardinal left its season-opening tournament with a 4-1 record and three top-five victories in just two days. Sophomore duo Kelly Belardi and Ashley Vincent were named AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week as well as the Pac-12 Pair of the Week for their performances in Honolulu.
After its incredible success in Hawai’i, the Cardinal opened what would be its first undefeated home slate for just the second time in program history, and the first time since 2013 (the team’s inaugural season). After sweeping No. 6 TCU, UC Davis and San José State March 1-2, Stanford secured home victories over North Florida, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, San Francisco (2), Saint Mary’s, Arizona, Pacific, Grand Canyon, Washington, UC Davis and California to complete its home schedule with a 14-0 record.
A highlight from the regular season on the road was the Cardinal’s sweep of No. 4 TCU, No. 5 Florida State, No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Florida Atlantic at the Death Volley Invitational. The four wins extended a 10-match victory streak and upped the team’s total to 11 top-20 triumphs through the season’s first 20 matches.
The Cardinal opened postseason play at the final Pac-12 Championship, hosted by Arizona State. Stanford finished third at the title chase, topping Arizona State twice and Washington once for three victories while in Tempe.
At the tournament, Senior Maya Harvey was named the 2024 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Harvey is the first-ever recipient of the award in program history and with the Cardinal's move to the MPSF for the 2025 season, the final ever Stanford selection for the honor. Stanford assistant coach Jo Kremer was the 2018 honoree for the award as a student-athlete at USC.
That was not Harvey’s only honor at the event, as she and partner sophomore Ashley Vincent were honored as part of the Pac-12 All-Tournament team for their efforts throughout the conference title chase.
No. 3 Stanford headed to the 2024 NCAA Championship for the fourth consecutive season to wrap up its 2024 campaign, this time with its highest-ever seed. Stanford was selected as one of eight at-large bids to the national championship tournament during the NCAA Selection Show on NCAA.com. The Cardinal earned the second-highest at-large bid (UCLA, No. 2 seed) and was seeded above eight of the nine automatic qualifiers.
The Cardinal won its first-round match at the 2024 NCAA Championship over No. 14-seed Georgia State 3-0, just the second national championship tournament victory in program history.
Stanford heartbreakingly ended its 2024 campaign in the NCAA Championship quarter finals, falling 3-2 to No. 11 LSU. The Cardinal started the match off on a rocky foot, only winning the first sets on courts two and four. Stanford's fours pair of senior Kate Reilly and freshman Clara Stowell were the lone duo to secure a match point in two sets, topping LSU's Skylar Martin and Amber Haynes 21-16, 21-16 for the day's first point. Stanford won set two on courts one, three, and five as well to push four of the five courts into three-set battles. Senior Xolani Hodel and freshman Brooke Rockwell secured the second point of the match with a dominant third set victory over Gabi Bailey and Ellie Shank, topping LSU's ones pair 12-21, 22-20, 15-8. LSU tied the dual up with match points on courts three and five, bringing the match down to the result on court two.Junior Taylor Wilson and freshman Ruby Sorra battled into extra points with LSU's Parker Bracken and Reilly Allred in two of their three sets, pushing what should have been a 15-point set to a final score of 24-22. LSU secured the final match point with an 18-21, 22-20, 24-22 win over the all-American duo on court two.
The nation and conference both celebrated the Cardinal’s incredible season, as Stanford tabbed seven conference honors, four all-America selections and two top-flight awards.
Freshman Brooke Rockwell was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was also selected as a member of the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team with partner senior Xolani Hodel and fellow freshman Ruby Sorra. Junior Taylor Wilson was named to the all-conference second team. Rockwell was also part of the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and was joined by Sorra. Rockwell is the Cardinal's first conference player yearly award winner since 2017, when Kathryn Plummer won the same award. Stanford's three first-team selections and two pairs (Hodel and Rockwell, Wilson and Sorra) earning honors both marked new program-bests.
For the first time in program history, four members of the Stanford beach volleyball program were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Teams. Rockwell and Hodel were each named to the All-America First Team while Wilson and Sorra each earned second-team honors. Hodel became a four-time all-American with this year's honor, selected to the first team last year and the second team in 2021 and 2022, while Rockwell, Sorra, and Wilson each earned their first all-American recognition. Rockwell was the lone freshman on this year's first team and her and Sorra made up half of all freshman selected as All-Americans in 2024.
Sorra and Wilson, alongside Belardi and Hoffman, each were honored as AVCA 2024 Top Flight award winners.The Top Flight program, now in its sixth year, recognizes beach pairs who compete in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight and win at least 75% of their matches.
Led by the three winningest players in program history, the Cardinal soared to new heights in the 2024 campaign. Reilly became the program’s winningest player in Baton Rouge, La., and ended her Stanford career with 97 career victories. Xolani Hodel captured her 90th career win in the Cardinal’s final matchup of 2024, the second most victories by a Cardinal beach volleyball player. Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Maya Harvey sits third with 84 wins, finishing up her Stanford career in 2024.
(wins prior to NCAA Championship Appearance)
Stanford's momentum for the future continues to be bright with a youth-dominated program and a strong recruiting class slated to come in for the 2025 season.