Lakeside Park native Hentz, now a star at Stanford, named to preseason All-Pac-12 volleyball team

NKyTribune staff

Former Notre Dame Academy standout Morgan Hentz, now a star libero for NCAA powerhouse Stanford, has been named to the preseason All-Pacific-12 Conference volleyball team.

Hentz, a native of Lakeside Park, is one of five returning starters for Stanford. The Cardinal were picked as preseason Pac-12 favorites on Wednesday, receiving all 11 possible votes for 121 points to come out first in the polling for the fifth time in six years.

Hentz, who was tabbed the Pac-12 Libero of the Year in 2017, ranked fourth in the Pac-12 last season with 4.08 digs per set — the ninth-best average in Stanford history. Her 486 digs were the 10th-most in Cardinal single-season history.

The 5-foot-9 Hentz earned first team All-America honors from the AVCA last year as Stanford posted a 30-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Hentz enters her junior season with 1,091 career digs.

During her prep career, Hentz helped Notre Dame win four consecutive regional championships. She was named Miss Kentucky Volleyball in 2015 and was a finalist for national player of the year.

Notre Dame’s captain as a junior and senior, Hentz was also honored as the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Sportswoman Association’s High School Sportswoman of the Year in 2016. The anchor of Notre Dame’s back row, she was also named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015.

Stanford also features 2017 AVCA National Player of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer as well as Pac-12 Setter of the Year Jenna Gray.

Stanford is also picked No. 1 nationally in the AVCA preseason poll.

2018 Pac-12 preseason volleyball poll
1. Stanford (11) 121
2. USC (1) 100
3. Oregon 96
4. UCLA 90
5. Colorado 89
6. Washington 73
7. Washington State 64
8. Utah 47
9. Arizona 46
10. Oregon State 27
11. Arizona State 24
12. California 15

2018 All-Pac-12 preseason volleyball team
PLAYER, TEAM POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN
Naghede Abu, Colorado MB 6-4 SR Riverside, Calif.
Kara Bajema, Washington OH 6-2 JR Lynden, Wash.
Audriana Fitzmorris, Stanford OH 6-6 JR Overland Park, Kan.
Madeleine Gates, UCLA MB 6-3 JR San Diego, Calif.
Jenna Gray, Stanford S 6-1 JR Shawnee, Kan.
Morgan Hentz, Stanford L 5-9 JR Lakeside Park, Ky.
Khalia Lanier, USC OH 6-2 JR Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mac May, UCLA OH 6-3 SO Dubuque, Iowa
Taylor Mims, WSU OH 6-3 SR Billings, Mont.
Berkeley Oblad, Utah MB 6-4 SR Henderson, Nev.
Kathryn Plummer, Stanford OH 6-6 JR Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Alexa Smith, Colorado OH 6-1 SR Colorado Springs, Colo.
Ronika Stone, Oregon MB 6-2 JR San Jose, Calif.
Lindsey Vander Weide, Oregon OH 6-3 SR Turlock, Calif.