THIS WEEK: The second-ranked Stanford women's volleyball team begins the 2015 campaign at home, hosting Texas A&M on Friday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. and Minnesota on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. in Maples Pavilion. It marks the first time since 2006 in which the Cardinal has opened the season at home.

CATCH THE CARDINAL: Live stats for the matches can be found on the women's volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. Friday's match will be televised on Pac-12 Bay Area, while a live stream for Sunday's match will be available via the team's schedule page on GoStanford.com.

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SCOUTING TEXAS A&M: Texas A&M is coming off a 21-9 season in 2014 and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Head coach Laurie Corbelli, who is in her 23rd season at the helm of the program, returns 11 letterwinners to her squad which finished 22nd in the final RPI poll a year ago. The Aggies are led by senior Shelby Sullivan, who is a two-time All-SEC performer, a 2014 AVCA All-America honorable mention pick and was named to the 2015 Preseason All-SEC Team. The middle blocker led the team with 2.84 kills per set on a .374 hitting percentage last season.

THE SERIES WITH THE AGGIES: Stanford is 3-1 all-time versus Texas A&M. The Cardinal swept the Aggies in its most recent meeting in the 2001 NCAA Regional Final at Stanford. The Cardinal has previously opened its season against the Aggies, a 3-1 win at home in 1997. Texas A&M's lone win over Stanford came in five sets on a neutral site in Chicago, Illinois in 1995.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA: Under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Hugh McCutcheon, the Golden Gophers return 10 letterwinners to their squad which went 19-12 overall last season. Minnesota was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten this season. Junior middle blocker Paige Tapp, who was a Third Team AVCA All-American in 2014 and was third nationally in blocks per set (1.55), was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. The Gophers also return senior outside hitter Daly Santana, who was a 2014 AVCA All-America honorable mention honoree and led the team with 3.90 kills per set and 2.29 digs per set last season.

THE SERIES WITH THE GOLDEN GOPHERS: Stanford is a perfect 5-0 overall against Minnesota. The Cardinal's most recent win was a sweep over the Gophers in the 2013 NCAA regional semifinals in Lexington, Kentucky. Stanford swept Minnesota to win the 2004 NCAA title. Sunday's match will mark the first meeting between the teams in Maples Pavilion.

PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12: Stanford led all Pac-12 teams with three selections to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team. Seniors Madi Bugg and Jordan Burgess are repeat selections, while redshirt sophomore Merete Lutz is being recognized for the first time in her career.

STARTING SIX: Stanford's first six matches of the year are against opponents who are either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll. Three of the six teams rank in the top 10, including defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Penn State, No. 7 North Carolina and No. 8 Illinois, and five of the six teams appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament.

AJANAKU OUT: Senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku, the 2014 Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year, will miss the 2015 season after having surgery for an injury suffered playing with the U.S. National Team over the summer.

A BUGG'S LIFE: Senior Madi Bugg was tabbed the Pac-12 Setter of the Year for the second straight season in 2014. The Apex, N.C., native led the nation with 12.10 assists per set last season and enters this year ranked fifth on the Cardinal's career assists list with 3,798.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB: Senior outside hitter Jordan Burgess racked up 19 double-doubles to lead the team in 2014. The human biology major became just the ninth Cardinal player to accumulate more than 1,000 career kills and digs. Entering 2015, Burgess has tallied 1,037 kills and 1,116 digs.

THE HOWARD FILE: Senior outside hitter Brittany Howard, a three-year starter and all-conference selection, is looking to become just the 10th Cardinal player to reach the 1,000 career kill and dig marks. In three seasons on The Farm, she has registered 868 kills and 904 digs.

TOP RECRUIT: Freshman opposite Hayley Hodson begins her career at Stanford after being tabbed the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation in 2015 by Volleyball Magazine. Hodson already has national team experience, most recently winning a gold medal at the 2015 Pan America Cup in Lima, Peru.

HOME SWEET HOME: Stanford's senior class is 47-1 at Maples Pavilion and is currently on a 23 match-winning streak on its home court. Traditionally, Stanford has always protected its home court. The Cardinal is 196-18 at Maples Pavilion under head coach John Dunning .

DEFENDING PAC-12 CHAMPS: The Cardinal secured the Pac-12 title outright after sweeping Cal in the 2014 regular season finale for its 16th conference championship in the Pac-10/12 era, and the 19th overall for the program. Stanford has claimed seven of the past nine Pac-12 titles and eight overall under head coach John Dunning. Since 1986, the Cardinal has finished either first or second in the conference in 27 of 29 seasons.

NATIONAL POLL: Stanford opens 2015 at No. 2 in the AVCA preseason poll. The Cardinal is the only program in the nation to appear in the top 10 of every preseason poll since its inception in 1982. Defending national champion Penn State earned the top spot, while No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Florida, No. t-5 Nebraska and No. t-5 Wisconsin round out the top 5. Nine Pac-12 squads are ranked in the top 25, the most of any conference in the nation.

PAC-12 COACHES' POLL: For the 14th time since 1986, the Pac-12 coaches picked Stanford to win the conference. The Cardinal was a unanimous pick to defend its title, garnering all 11 first-place votes. The coaches have correctly chosen the conference champion in 18 of the previous 29 polls.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Stanford women's volleyball program has won more NCAA Tournament matches (108), made more Final Four appearances (19) and been in the national championship match (14) more times than any other team in the nation. The Cardinal has captured 19 conference championships and produced 30 or more wins on 17 occasions. Stanford has six NCAA titles and has competed in all 34 NCAA Tournaments, having won all 34 of its first-round matches.

AVCA ALL-AMERICANS: Stanford led the nation with six total AVCA All-Americans in 2014, including first-team selections Inky Ajanaku, Madi Bugg and Jordan Burgess. Merete Lutz earned second team accolades, while seniors Morgan Boukather and Kyle Gilbert were honorable mention picks.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Not only does the team perform well on the court, but the Cardinal also represents in the classroom. Stanford was one of three Pac-12 teams to earn the AVCA' Team Academic Award, while all five returning starters earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention in 2014. Additionally, senior Jordan Burgess was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American.

2014 IN REVIEW: Stanford went 33-2 last season, tying the school record for wins in a season, and advanced to its nation-best 19th Final Four. The Cardinal opened the 2014 campaign with a 28-match winning streak, setting a program record for consecutive victories to start a season. Stanford had six players earn AVCA All-America honors - Inky Ajanaku (First Team), Madi Bugg (First Team), Jordan Burgess (First Team), Merete Lutz (Second Team), Morgan Boukather (Honorable Mention) and Kyle Gilbert (Honorable Mention). Additionally, Ajanaku was tabbed the Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year, the seventh in program history.

TAKING ON THE BEST: Once again, head coach John Dunning has lined up one of the most challenging schedules in the nation for the Cardinal. Stanford is slated to play 17 regular-season matches against teams ranked in the preseason poll, and 21 against teams that appeared in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

HEAD COACH JOHN DUNNING: Now in his 15th season at the helm of the Cardinal program, head coach John Dunning is one of the most accomplished coaches in the collegiate volleyball world. Dunning has four national championships under his belt, has taken teams to 10 Final Fours and carried six of his 14 Stanford teams to the national title match.

DUNNING BY THE NUMBERS: In 30 years as a head coach, John Dunning is 838-171 (.831), giving him a winning percentage that ranks amongst the top 5 all-time for Division I coaches. He is 401-69 in his 14 sesons on The Farm, leading all active coaches in the conference by winning percentage (.853).