July 16, 1999

STANFORD, Calif. - Outsiders tabbed the 1998 volleyball season as a rebuilding year for the Stanford Cardinal, after it lost five key components from its 1997 national championship team. But, under the leadership of head coach Don Shaw, the Stanford women's volleyball program doesn't rebuild. It reloads.

Despite the "rebuilding" process, the Cardinal won its fifth straight Pac-10 title, posting a 17-1 record in the conference. The team went 27-4 on the season, reaching the NCAA Regionals for the 18th consecutive time and eclipsing the 25-win barrier for the fifth consecutive year.

This year, the Cardinal is a serious threat to capture the program's fifth national title in this decade as it returns five starters. Three-time first team All-American Kerri Walsh returns for her senior season and will lead the team, along with fellow seniors Sarah Clark and Jaimi Gregory. The squad will add redshirt freshman Lindsay Yamasaki and newcomers Ashley Ivy and Logan Tom.

Yamasaki, a starter on Stanford's basketball team last season, will look to make her debut in a second varsity sport. Tom is one of the most highly recruited women's volleyball players in NCAA history. She is the only high school member of the U.S. National Team. She was named the 1998 Gatorade Circle of Champions National High School Volleyball Player of the Year. Teammates Walsh and Sara Sandrik won this award in 1995 and 1997, respectively, giving the 1999 Stanford roster three of the last four National High School Volleyball Players of the Year.

With all 13 players healthy, it will be hard to find any weak links in the team's roster. Shaw compares this to the national title squads of '96 and '97 that were extremely deep, which made for an intense practice environment every afternoon.

"That just prepares us for every competition," Shaw said. "If you have to put that kind of concentration, effort and focus into every afternoon at the gym, then it's much easier to do it for a match. You don't have to turn it on for a big match. We know that everyone will be ready for us, so a consistently competitive practice environment will assure us that we'll be ready for them."

But health is going to be the biggest factor in the team's success. If Walsh, Lewis and Yamasaki continue to be hampered by injuries depth will be an issue.

"We have three players (Lewis, Walsh & Yamasaki) that I think are keys to our success, or the level of success we can attain," Shaw concluded. "This team has unbelievable depth from top to bottom, but we're going to have to stay healthy to take advantage of that."

Experienced or not, a rugged 1999 non-conference and Pac-10 schedule awaits the Cardinal. In the Pac-10 alone, six of the 10 schools returns five starters or more (including Stanford). In addition to the Pac-10 schedule, Stanford faces traditional volleyball powers BYU, Hawaii, Pacific and Texas in non-conference competition. In all, 11 of Stanford's 19 opponents this season competed in the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

Here's a position-by-position look at the 1999 Stanford Cardinal:

Outside Hitter
This position is one of the deepest for the Cardinal, as every player at this spot is expected to battle for a starting role. The group is led by three-time AVCA First Team All-American Kerri Walsh. The senior was named the 1998 Pac-10 Player of the Year, finishing second in the conference in hitting percentage (.379) and digs (3.30 dpg), while ranking eighth in kills average (3.85 kpg). She surpassed the 1,000 career kill mark last season, and needs 275 in '99 to break into the school's all-time top five. Walsh spent the summer competing for the United States at the World University Games in Spain.

"It's amazing to think she's been a three-time first team All-American and hasn't been healthy 100 percent," Shaw said, referring to two shoulder surgeries Walsh has endured as a Cardinal. "I would love to see her have her best year health-wise. I think she's had a great career, but I would just love to see her show everybody what she's capable of doing without any pain."

Senior Sarah Clark saw time in all 31 matches last season, and figures to see extensive time again this season. Clark, who played a big role in Stanford's 1997 national title run, has been in and out of the starting lineup during her three years on The Farm.

"Sarah's another player who I thought had a really good spring," Shaw said. "My hope is that she senses the incoming competition and is going to do her best to rise to the occasion and earn a spot out there. Hopefully she's going to be more consistent this year and as a senior, really give us some solid play at her position."

Fellow senior Jaimi Gregory was slowed during the spring due to leg injuries. She missed seven matches in October due to a knee injury. Gregory saw limited time the rest of the season, but broke her right fibula in one of the team's last practices before traveling to the NCAA Regional.

"The seniors want to go out and make this their best year and lead the team to as a good a season as it can have," Shaw said. "Jaimi's going to do a lot in terms of leadership and experience to make that happen."

The senior trio will see tough competition from four underclassmen, led by sophomore Michelle Chambers and three newcomers in Yamasaki, Tom and Ivy. Chambers, an All-Pac-10 freshman selection, entered the starting lineup at the beginning of the conference season.

"Michelle had a very impressive freshman season," Shaw said. "What she did day in and day out both effort and performance-wise was a pleasant surprise. If she continues that throughout her career, she's going to always be an important part of program and the team. She earned a starting spot because of her consistency. She's going to be tough to move out of there."

Yamasaki, an Oregon City, Ore., native, was an All-American and Oregon State Player of the Year in both basketball and volleyball. Last year, she led the Cardinal women's basketball team in scoring and rebounding. Recurring knee injuries may keep her from playing a full season.

"She could be the real key for us - once she gets the OK from the doctors to join the squad," Shaw said. "We're planning on having her at some point, but we don't know when."

Shaw added that the team could have used Yamasaki's experience last year, but with two highly recruited freshmen entering the program at the same time, Yamasaki might be an advantage if overlooked by opponents.

"Lindsey is a key player in regard to the success we may be able to have," Shaw added. "She's an outstanding outside hitter and has great ball-control skills. She's going to be a bit rusty, but as she gets more comfortable, she's going to add a lot to the team"

Tom, the 1998 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year comes to The Farm as one of the most sought after recruits in collegiate women's volleyball history. The freshman is already an up-and-comer on the international scene after playing on the U.S. National Team this winter at the World Championship Qualifier in the Dominican Republic. Tom was the lone high school player on a team primarily made up of college graduates. At 16, the Salt Lake City, Utah, native was the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Junior National Team, but still led the squad in blocks and kills. She also led Highland High School to two state championships and holds Utah state records for career kills and service aces.

"The expectations for Logan will be very high, but they've been that way for a long time," Shaw noted. "I think that she's going to give us another serious threat out there. She'll get a lot of attention, but again, this is a team game, and she's just another important piece to the puzzle for us. There's a reason why she was considered the top recruit in the country. It's because she has great ball-control skills and is so versatile - she has everything it takes to be a great volleyball player."

Ivy comes to Stanford as one of the top recruits out of Texas, and was the 1998 Dallas Area Player of the Year. She was also a teammate of both Yamasaki and Tom on the U.S. Junior National Team.

"Being left-handed is a major bonus for Ashley, because we haven't had many lefties in our program over the years," Shaw said. "She will most likely be a right-side player for next year, and will give us depth behind Kerri that we didn't have last year. She will learn a lot from playing behind and against Kerri and has a bright future in our program."

Middle Blocker
Last year, the middle blocking position was the unknown quantity for the Cardinal. But three players shared time in different rotations and expect to compete fiercely for the two starting positions. After seeing limited action as a freshman in 1997, sophomore Jennifer Detmer stepped up big for the Cardinal, earning All-Pac-10 honors. But right behind Detmer are talented sophomores Sara Sandrik and Tara Conrad.

Detmer earned all-conference honors after ranking fourth in the Pac-10 in both hitting percentage (.367) and blocks per games (1.50).

"Jen had a great season, as evidenced by her all-conference selection," Shaw said. "Yet she's still just scratching the surface of becoming an elite-level player. She's always given us great blocking. As she improves the other phases of her game, she's going to become a more complete player. She can affect a game or a match single-handedly with her abilities at the net."

Conrad and Sandrik, an All-Pac-10 freshman honoree, will also play big roles. Both gained valuable experience on the court in '98, yet are still learning what it takes to compete at the college level. Improved technique and tactical knowledge of the game will round out both of these players' games.

"Tara had a strong spring," Shaw stated. "I expect her to be right in the competition to be one of the starting middle blockers. As she improves, she's going to be a very solid player for us."

"Sara's a really explosive player at this postion. She's has quickness, jumps well, and possesses good offensive skills. It's her defensive skills that she needs to improve, and she's already made great strides in that area."

Setter
The starting position is open this year as two returning juniors will compete for the job.

Robyn Lewis was last year's starter, recording her 1,000th career assist midway through the season. But off-season surgery kept her out of spring training. Lindsay Kagawa made four late-season starts while Lewis was out with a foot injury and received a bulk of the setting time in spring practice.

"We hope Robyn will be ready to go soon," Shaw said. "She stayed on campus this summer to make up for lost time. Hopefully the competition between her and Lindsay will push them both to become better players."

"Lindsay got a lot of work in the spring and improved tremendously," Shaw continued. "She's really worked on her blocking skills so she can be a better frontcourt player for us. She's going to be pushing hard to be the starting setter."

Emily Lawrence, a walk-on freshman last season, will also contribute at this position.

Defensive Specialist
The graduation of back row specialist Sarah Neal gives sophomore Emily Lawrence the nod this season.

"Emily has a great competitive attitude," Shaw said. "She's added a lot to our program."