STANFORD, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford begins the 2025 season on Friday at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cardinal will face No. 16 Florida on Friday at 6 p.m. PT on FOX before taking on No. 1 Nebraska on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT on ESPN. The Aug. 22 start date matches the earliest start to a season in program history and first since 1997.
SERIES AGAINST THE GATORS: Stanford is 10-6 all-time against Florida. In the most recent meeting, the Cardinal defeated the Gators in four sets in the 2024 Louisville Regional semifinal. Outside hitter Ipar Kurt led the Cardinal pins with 17 kills on 353 hitting, while Elia Rubin added 16 kills and 13 digs.
SERIES AGAINST THE HUSKERS: Stanford is 10-8 all-time against Nebraska. The Huskers have won two straight against the Cardinal, including a sweep last season in Lincoln. Stanford's most recent win cam in four sets in Lincoln in 2022.
2025 SEASON IN REVIEW: Stanford closed out the 2024 season with a 28-5 overall record and tied for second in its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 17-3 mark. The Cardinal made its 43rd NCAA postseason appearance in 44 seasons, advancing to its 18th regional final since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.
STACKED SCHEDULE: Stanford is slated to play 11 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll, including five against top-5 opponents. The Cardinal will take on No. 1 Nebraska (Aug. 24), No. 5 Texas (Sept. 7), No. 16 Florida (Aug. 22), No. 17 Missouri (Sept. 9) and No. 18 UCLA (Sept. 21) in the nonconference. Stanford will meet No. 3 Pittsburgh (Nov. 14), No. 4 Louisville (Oct. 5 & Nov. 29), No. 10 SMU (Nov. 16) and No. 22 Georgia Tech (Oct. 26 & Nov. 26) in ACC play.
COACHES' PICK: In its second season in the ACC, Stanford was picked to finish third by the league's coaches. Combining with its Pac-12 history, Stanford has finished in the top 4 in league play in 39 of the past 40 seasons, and the top 3 in 37 of 40 campaigns.
BY THE NUMBERS: Stanford has won more NCAA titles (9), more NCAA Tournament matches (141), 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 43 of the 44 NCAA Tournaments all-time.
SENIOR LEADER: Outside hitter Elia Rubin is the only returning All-American on the Cardinal roster in 2025. Last season, she became the 23rd player in program history to register 1,000 career kills, accomplishing that feat against No. 12 SMU. She led the team in 2024 and ranked third in the ACC in points per set (4.54) and was fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.93).
HOME SWEET HOME: In eight seasons under Kevin Hambly, Stanford is 100-12 at Maples Pavilion, including 20-2 in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal won 32 in a row at home to begin Hambly's tenure at Stanford. In 2024, the Cardinal went 14-0 at home, dropping just three sets. It was its first undefeated season on The Farm since 2018.
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 199-42 (.826) in eight seasons on The Farm, mentoring 14 AVCA All-Americans to 29 awards and seven Academic All-Americans (nine awards).
THE HAMBLY FILE: Kevin Hambly coached 12 AVCA All-Americans to 19 honors during his time at Illinois and has now mentored 26 All-Americans to 48 awards. He is the third head coach to lead Stanford to a national championship. The two-time Pac-12 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.