Stanford's Kathryn Plummer had one thing to say to her teammates after winning the 2019 national title

Stanford's Kathryn Plummer had one thing to say to her teammates after winning the 2019 national title

The Stanford Cardinal won their ninth NCAA women's volleyball national championship, and second consecutive title, with a 3-0 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday night in Pittsburgh. Kathryn Plummer ended her college career with 22 kills in the championship game.

The Cardinal have now won three national championships in the past four years, led by one of the best senior classes in the history of the game.

Here are our live updates on how the championship match unfolded, a printable bracket, and a round-by-round look at this year's tournament:

Set 3: Stanford wins the 2019 national title

In this must-win set, Wisconsin came out with some energy to prevent the sweep. Molly Haggerty and Grace Loberg started heating up, but right as they took an 8-6 lead, Stanford went on a 6-0 run with three consecutive Plummer kills.

The Badgers showed their heart, and the fans got behind them. They went on a 3-0 run to take a 16-15 lead, and then tied it up at 19. But Stanford was the first to 20. Madeleine Gates finished it off for the Cardinal with a monster kill to win the national championship:

Set 2: Stanford takes second set 25-17, leads 2-0



Wisconsin started swinging a bit more, but Stanford started blocking more successfully. For a Badger team that has out-blocked every team in the NCAA tournament so far, they are getting out-blocked by the Cardinal. Out of a Badger timeout, Wisconsin got two straight kills in a row from Danielle Hart to boost its confidence a bit, but Stanford won’t go away.

Hart has been the Badgers' spark, and Grace Loberg turned it on late. Down 20-11, the Badgers went on a 4-0 run, forcing Stanford to call a time out when up 20-15. But, they came out and finished it off with a kill from Gates.

Here’s some observations from the first two sets:

Everything is working for Stanford, and it so hard to defend Plummer.

Defensively, Stanford has 37 digs to Wisconsin’s 28,.

Only one Wisconsin player is hitting above .300. Stanford has four.



Set 1: Stanford wins first set 25-16

Both teams came out with plenty of fire. This is certainly the national championship match. Stanford took an early 9-4 lead; Plummer clearly doesn’t need any time to warm up. She racked up five kills on seven swings right off the bat. Not only that, but the Cardinal backcourt seemed to be defending every thing.

Wisconsin took a timeout when the Cardinal went up 19-13, in need of a momentum shift. But out of the time out, Madeleine Gates hammered one down, followed by another kill from Plummer and the Cardinal went up 21-13. Audriana Fitzmorris’ first kill of the evening finished it off for the Cardinal.

Plummer finished the set with seven kills on a 0.583 hitting percentage. Gates and Meghan McClure are right behind her. Wisconsin will need to regroup, and start attacking amp up their offense. They are currently being outhit by Stanford .441 to .162 percent.

Kathryn Plummer already has six kills on nine swings, no errors. 🤩#NCAAVB | @StanfordWVB pic.twitter.com/TzrFe8szKv — NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 22, 2019

Prematch: 7:45 p.m.

Energy levels are high as both Stanford and Wisconsin took the court for this national championship matchup. Wisconsin will be looking for its first title in history, but they will have to go through one of the most successful volleyball programs in history.

Stanford has a strong senior class that has already won two national championships in their time. With a win, they would leave Stanford with three national championships, and the Cardinal would move to nine titles total. Win or lose, this will be two-time AVCA National Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer's last match in a Stanford uniform.

The tournament bracket:

NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament results

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS

Wisconsin 3 , Baylor 1 — Wisconsin downs Baylor 5-27, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 and advances to its third national championship game with the victory Dana Rettke led the Badgers with 17 kills andcMolly Haggerty had 14.

, Baylor 1 — Wisconsin downs Baylor 5-27, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 and advances to its third national championship game with the victory Dana Rettke led the Badgers with 17 kills andcMolly Haggerty had 14. Stanford 3, Minnesota 0 — Kathryn Plummer had 26 kills to lead the Cardinal past Minnesota 25-19, 25-22, 25-22. Stanford advanced for a chance at its third title in four years and ninth overall.

REGIONAL FINALS

No. 1 seed Baylor, which was in the regional final for the first time, took down Washington to reach the national semifinals for the first time in program history. Wisconsin became the second team of the evening to secure a spot in the national semifinals with a big sweep over Nebraska. Minnesota secured a spot with a sweep over Louisville to redeem their loss last season in the regional final, and Stanford was the last team to cash in its ticket to Pittsburgh and will look to defend its title.

Baylor 3 vs Washington 1 — Earlier in the regular season, one of Baylor's biggest critiques was that Yossiana Pressley was its only weapon. Tonight, that wasn't the case, as there were threats coming from everywhere, and this Baylor offense was so versatile and so hard to stop. Baylor won the first set, then dropped the second before dominating the next two to close it out. Pressley had 24 kills on an unbelievable .512 hitting efficiency, and then had the help of Shelly Stafford, Marieke Van Der Mark, Gia Milana, and even their setter, Hannah Lockin, who had seven kills herself on seven attempts. The Bears are advancing to the national semifinals for the first time in program history to extend their historic season. >> Watch highlights here .

vs Washington 1 — Earlier in the regular season, one of Baylor's biggest critiques was that Yossiana Pressley was its only weapon. Tonight, that wasn't the case, as there were threats coming from everywhere, and this Baylor offense was so versatile and so hard to stop. Baylor won the first set, then dropped the second before dominating the next two to close it out. Pressley had 24 kills on an unbelievable .512 hitting efficiency, and then had the help of Shelly Stafford, Marieke Van Der Mark, Gia Milana, and even their setter, Hannah Lockin, who had seven kills herself on seven attempts. The Bears are advancing to the national semifinals for the first time in program history to extend their historic season. >> Watch highlights . Wisconsin 3 vs Nebraska 0 — The Badgers reached their third national semifinal after sweeping Nebraska for the third time this season. In the first set, Wisconsin completely dominated the Huskers, even without any points from Dana Rettke. Nebraska took a 14-11 lead in the second set before Wisconsin came back and tied it up. There were nine ties in that set before Wisconsin took the 2-0 lead. Wisconsin kept control in the third as well, and secured the sweep. Molly Haggerty led all hitters with 14 kills. >> Watch highlights here

vs Nebraska 0 Minnesota 3 vs Louisville 0 — Minnesota is back in the national semifinals this year after being upset in the regional final last season by Oregon. Adanna Rollins led the Gophers to a 3-0 win over Louisville, ending the Cardinals' Cinderella run. The first set was a close battle, with Minnesota winning 25-21. but the next two sets were dominated by the Gophers. Rollins led all hitters with 12 kills, and Stephanie Samedy was great all-around with nine kills, three service aces and seven digs. >> Watch highlights here .

vs Louisville 0 — Minnesota is back in the national semifinals this year after being upset in the regional final last season by Oregon. Adanna Rollins led the Gophers to a 3-0 win over Louisville, ending the Cardinals' Cinderella run. The first set was a close battle, with Minnesota winning 25-21. but the next two sets were dominated by the Gophers. Rollins led all hitters with 12 kills, and Stephanie Samedy was great all-around with nine kills, three service aces and seven digs. >> Watch highlights . Stanford 3 vs Penn State 0 — Stanford will return to the national semifinals this year and looks to defend its national title. Penn State and Stanford matched up in the regional final for the second year in a row, and Stanford took home the win both times. In the first set, Penn State looked promising with a big 19-13 lead. The Cardinal then sparked a huge comeback, and took the first set 25-22. The second and third sets were all Stanford. Kathryn Plummer was dominating with 24 kills on .512 hitting, and Madeleine Gates had 11 kills on .733 hitting. But, there also was unbelievable performances from Holly Campbell, Audriana Fitzmorris and setter Jenna Gray. >> Watch highlights here.

REGIONAL SEMIFINALS (Third round)

WACO REGIONAL

(8) Washington 3 vs (9) Kentucky 1 — Washington secured its spot in the regional final after taking down Kentucky in four sets. Kara Bajema was completely on her game, and tallied 23 kills to power the Huskies in their win. They will now face the No. 1 seed Baylor on Saturday.

vs (9) Kentucky 1 — Washington secured its spot in the regional final after taking down Kentucky in four sets. Kara Bajema was completely on her game, and tallied 23 kills to power the Huskies in their win. They will now face the No. 1 seed Baylor on Saturday. (1) Baylor 3 vs. (16) Purdue 1 — Baylor advanced to the regional final for the first time in program history with a 3-1 win over Purdue. Marieke Van Der Mark had an unbelievable match with 16 kills on .464 hitting efficiency. Yossiana Pressley tallied 15 kills, but she had a full team behind her in this match. Shelly Stafford and Gia Milana played great as well, with nine and 13 kills, respectively.

vs. (16) Purdue 1 — Baylor advanced to the regional final for the first time in program history with a 3-1 win over Purdue. Marieke Van Der Mark had an unbelievable match with 16 kills on .464 hitting efficiency. Yossiana Pressley tallied 15 kills, but she had a full team behind her in this match. Shelly Stafford and Gia Milana played great as well, with nine and 13 kills, respectively. Regional Final - Baylor vs Washington — Saturday, Dec. 14 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPNU

MADISON REGIONAL

(4) Wisconsin 3 vs (13) Texas A&M 0 — Wisconsin became the second team to advance to the regional final today with a sweep over Texas A&M. Dana Rettke had a stunning .667 hitting efficiency in the win, and the triple threat of Rettke, Molly Haggerty and Grace Loberg, was unstoppable again. The Aggies put up a good fight in the third set, taking their first lead since the first set, but then the Badgers rallied to secure the sweep.

vs (13) Texas A&M 0 — Wisconsin became the second team to advance to the regional final today with a sweep over Texas A&M. Dana Rettke had a stunning .667 hitting efficiency in the win, and the triple threat of Rettke, Molly Haggerty and Grace Loberg, was unstoppable again. The Aggies put up a good fight in the third set, taking their first lead since the first set, but then the Badgers rallied to secure the sweep. (5) Nebraska 3 vs Hawai'i 0 — In the first set, Nebraska fought off a Hawai'i set point to tie it up at 24. There were three more ties until the Huskers finished it off. After that tight set, the Huskers won the next two and secured the sweep over the Rainbow Wahine, advancing to the regional final match for a third matchup against Wisconsin this season. >> Watch highlights here.

vs Hawai'i 0 — In the first set, Nebraska fought off a Hawai'i set point to tie it up at 24. There were three more ties until the Huskers finished it off. After that tight set, the Huskers won the next two and secured the sweep over the Rainbow Wahine, advancing to the regional final match for a third matchup against Wisconsin this season. >> Watch highlights here. Regional Final - Wisconsin vs Nebraska — Saturday, Dec. 14 | 6 p.m. ET | ESPNU

AUSTIN REGIONAL

Louisville 3 vs. (2) Texas 2 — Louisville pulled off the cinderella story tonight, upsetting the No. 2 seed Texas on the Longhorn's home court. Louisville came out and stunned the crowd when they took the first two sets 25-22. In the third and fourth, the Longhorns gained confidence and started playing like a completely different team, with their season on the line. They took the next two sets to force a fifth set. In the fifth, Louisville took an early 7-3 lead and then 10-5, and then pulled away with it. Aiko Jones had 23 kills in the win. >> Watch highlights here.

vs. (2) Texas 2 — Louisville pulled off the cinderella story tonight, upsetting the No. 2 seed Texas on the Longhorn's home court. Louisville came out and stunned the crowd when they took the first two sets 25-22. In the third and fourth, the Longhorns gained confidence and started playing like a completely different team, with their season on the line. They took the next two sets to force a fifth set. In the fifth, Louisville took an early 7-3 lead and then 10-5, and then pulled away with it. Aiko Jones had 23 kills in the win. >> Watch highlights here. (7) Minnesota 3 vs. (10) Florida 2 — Minnesota had four players with double-digit kills in the five-set win over Florida. Alexis Hart led with 16 kills on .342 hitting. Stephanie Samedy wasn't one of those four players, but she led the team with 17 digs.

vs. (10) Florida 2 — Minnesota had four players with double-digit kills in the five-set win over Florida. Alexis Hart led with 16 kills on .342 hitting. Stephanie Samedy wasn't one of those four players, but she led the team with 17 digs. Regional Final - Minnesota vs Louisville — Saturday, Dec. 14 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPNU

STANFORD REGIONAL

(3) Stanford 3 vs Utah 2 — Stanford came out on top to advance to the regional final against Penn State for the second consecutive year, after a tough battle against Utah. Dani Drews and Kenzie Koerber put together a great effort for Utah, but when it came down to it in the fifth set, they couldn't stop Kathryn Plummer in her prime rotation. Plummer ended up with 29 kills on .389 hitting efficiency.

vs Utah 2 — Stanford came out on top to advance to the regional final against Penn State for the second consecutive year, after a tough battle against Utah. Dani Drews and Kenzie Koerber put together a great effort for Utah, but when it came down to it in the fifth set, they couldn't stop Kathryn Plummer in her prime rotation. Plummer ended up with 29 kills on .389 hitting efficiency. (11) Penn State 3 vs Cincinnati 2 — Penn State rallied to take down Cincinnati in five sets, despite the valiant efforts of Jordan Thompson and Maria Mallon. Serena Gray had an unbelievable .700 hitting percentage and Tori Gorrell had a .519 hitting percentage. Jonni Parker led with 17 kills. >> Watch the fifth set here.

vs Cincinnati 2 — Penn State rallied to take down Cincinnati in five sets, despite the valiant efforts of Jordan Thompson and Maria Mallon. Serena Gray had an unbelievable .700 hitting percentage and Tori Gorrell had a .519 hitting percentage. Jonni Parker led with 17 kills. >> Watch the fifth set here. Regional Final - Penn State vs Stanford — Saturday, Dec. 14 | 10 p.m. ET | ESPNU

SECOND ROUND

Baylor, Stanford and Wisconsin all won Saturday, advancing to the regionals of the 2019 NCAA women's volleyball championship, where they'll join two-seed Texas, won a five-set thriller Friday over UCSB. Penn State and Nebraska also advanced.

However, Pittsburgh, the No. 6 seed and potential opponent for Penn State in the round of 16, lost a thriller to Cincinnati in five sets. Pittsburgh led late in the fifth set before Maria Mallon took the serve and led a comeback from down 12-9 to win six of the final seven points. Jordan Thompson had 27 kills for Cincinnati. Watch the thrilling finish here.

FiRST ROUND

2019 DI women's volleyball championship: History