Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1161821
9 P R E V I E W / / 2 0 1 9 P A C - 1 2 V O L L E Y B A L L M E D I A G U I D E P R E S E A S O N N O T E B O O K Morgan Hentz, Stanford Khalia Lanier, USC Brooke Nuneviller, Oregon They will also welcome a newcomer class of six to add to the mix. Oregon State had a tough season last year after injuries to key contributors, forcing head coach Mark Barnard to use inexperienced players at different positions and those that had little collegiate competition experience to take on a bigger load. 2018 should be an improved year if the Beavs can remain healthy. Just two seasons removed from the NCAA Tournament, the Beavs welcome back redshirt senior Korey Cheshire after battling injuries last year. Her return to the middle blockers will be a welcome one at the net. Juniors Grace Massey and Maddie Goings had strong sophomore campaigns. They look to build on those seasons and lead OSU this year. Additionally, OSU's leading scorer Amy Underdown looks to make the most of her final campaign. STANFORD With six starters (including the libero) and 11 let- terwinners in all returning, and added to that the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, Stanford has a lot going for it as the preseason No. 1 team in the country. The defending NCAA and Pac-12 Champion will be tough to defeat this season as it goes for its fourth-straight national semifinal appearance and third NCAA title in four years. Highlighting the list of returnees is two-time AVCA National Player of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year Kathryn Plum- mer, who looks to close out her collegiate campaign with more hardware. She has been the catalyst but her fellow classmates, Jenna Gray (two-time Pac-12 Setter of the Year), Morgan Hentz (two-time Pac-12 Libero of the Year and Audriana Fitzmorris have also been some of the best at their positions during their careers, all of them earning AVCA All-American honors. Head coach Kevin Hambly not only boasts the No. 1 incoming class, but he led the nation with signing five Volleyballmag.com Fab 50 players, who will look to learn from the current senior class before taking the baton in 2020. The Cardinal again have a loaded schedule and will be tested before heading into the gauntlet of the Pac-12 slate. UCLA The Bruins look to bounce back from an unchar- acteristic sub-.500 campaign. Head coach Michael Sealy has the team's top-two producers from last season returning in juniors Mac May and Jenny Mosser. With 12 Bruins on the roster listed with sophomore experience or less, their leadership will be crucial in making a turnaround in 2019. May was picked by the league's coaches to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, making the 2018 All-Pac-12 team for the first time last year as a sophomore. Among the four newcomers joining the squad, freshman middle blocker Anna Dodson is among Volleyball- Magazine.com's Fab 50. Additionally, transfers Kelli Barry and Cali Thompson were big contributors on their former teams, and should give the Bruins an immediate boost when they hit the court at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA has never shyed away from top competition and does not in 2019. It will be tested early with back-to-back top-20 matchups on the road to open the season. USC Picked to finished second in the Pac-12 by the league's coaches and ranked No. 14 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches poll, the Trojans are not lacking in experience and have a strong lineup returning for 2019, including AVCA All-American Brooke Botkin and 2017 AVCA All-American Khalia Lanier. In addi- tion, running the offense is Pac-12 Freshman of the Year sophomore Raquel Lázaro who had the highest assists average among freshmen in the country last season. Averaging nearly 14.00 kills per set, USC ranked just behind the high-powered offenses of Stanford and Oregon. In addition to the cast already listed, head coach Brent Crouch welcomes back seniors Emily Baptista and Jasmine Gross, who filled large roles on the team last season. The only concern for USC at this time is the loss of an experienced libero and defensive specialist. Looking to fill the void is graduate student Abril Bustamante, who won two national championships with the Trojans' beach volleyball team and was a two-time AVCA Beach Volleyball All-American. UTAH Utah has a strong outlook for 2019, returning virtu- ally every starter from a team that made its third- consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Utes welcome back Dani Drews who, as a sophomore, garnered AVCA All-American honors. Drews can not only hit the ball down for sideouts, but is a threat from the service line. Fellow junior Kenzie Koerber compliments Drews at the net as the team's second- highest producing outside hitter. Sophomore Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres is ready to step in at the setter position after seeing limited time last season, but she also spent the summer competing with the U.S. Collegiate National team alongside her teammates Drews and Koerber. In addition, head coach Beth Launiere welcomes back redshirt senior Berkeley Oblad, who missed last season because of an injury. The Utes struggled without her presence at the net last year, a spot the Utes are known for dominating. Her return will give them another experienced middle 2019 PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 Kara Bajema, Washington Brooke Botkin, USC Dani Drews, Utah Audriana Fitzmorris, Stanford Madeleine Gates, Stanford Jenna Gray, Stanford Morgan Hentz, Stanford Willow Johnson, Oregon Khalia Lanier, USC Raquel Lazáro, USC Mac May, UCLA Brooke Nuneviller, Oregon Kathryn Plummer, Stanford Ronika Stone, Oregon