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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Stanford coach John Dunning made his players laugh by taking a few pictures of them while they talked to the media after winning Saturdays NCAA volleyball final 3-1 over Texas.Consider that when he won his first national championship, in 1985 with Pacific, the idea of photography with a phone would have sounded like science fiction.Dunning also mentioned that one of his primary hitters on that team 31 years ago was 5 feet, 6 inches tall. You know, libero-sized now.Thats how much the game has changed: Kathryn Plummer is a foot taller and is a ball-control player, Dunning said of the National Freshman of the Year, who not only led Stanford in kills (18) Saturday, but as he said, is a tremendous passer.Plummer is one of four rookies who played huge roles in this championship, Stanfords seventh, which ties Penn State for the most in NCAA history. The Cardinal also had a freshman at setter in Jenna Gray, who seemed older than her years directing the team; at libero in Morgan Hentz (27 digs), who covered the floor like a tarp; and at middle blocker in Audriana Fitzmorris, who like Plummer is 6-6 and has a lot of power. She had 10 kills and contributed to the Cardinals 12 total blocks.If youre a championship team with that many freshmen playing key roles, you have to feel great about what the next few years could bring. Is Stanford going back to a dynasty mode, similar to 1992-2004, when the Cardinal won their first six titles?OK, that might be a little too much to say right now, considering how it has become harder than ever to win a championship in volleyball. Dunning chuckled, because in the immediate euphoria of Saturday, he had barely even thought about the next day, let alone next season.Its going to be a little easier than this year. Because when we started, we had zero players in the same position as last year, Dunning said of how the puzzle fit together in 2016. I dont know what next year will bring, but I guess everybody should look at us and [say] we have some good players returning.One that wont be back, though, is middle blocker Inky Ajanaku, who capped her career as the most outstanding player of the Final Four after scoring 20 points in the semifinal over Minnesota and 20.5 against Texas.Ajanaku came in with a much-heralded recruiting class in 2012, and that is the group she thought she might win a title with. But she suffered a knee injury in the summer of 2015 and had to redshirt last year. The Cardinal had a disappointing ending to that season, being upset in the NCAA second round by Loyola Marymount.Ajanaku came back to lead a very different team in 2016, with so many freshmen, sophomores and position changes. It wasnt easy. In fact, she acknowledges it was flat-out uncomfortable for a while, and that was part of why Stanford lost seven matches. Thats the second-most ever by a championship team; only 1981 winner Southern Cal lost more, with 10.But the talent, the size, the ambition -- all of those things were there when the Cardinal began the season. It just had to come together, and Ajanaku had to be a big factor in facilitating that. She credited her family, teammates, team trainers and Dunning for helping her not lose confidence while she was coming back from her injury.John is one of the people who will continue to look you in the eye and say, I will never give up on you, Ajanaku said. He will try any method of coaching to make sure youll succeed in the sport and as a person. He has an incredible volleyball mind.But it had been 12 years since Stanford had won a national championship, and for a school that collects those in abundance in many sports, thats a long drought. Dunning acknowledged as much, and his Texas counterpart, Jerritt Elliott, could empathize.I know what this means to him, said Elliott, who is now 1-3 in NCAA finals. Because as a coach, you start doubting yourself, start looking at all the different things you can do better. Hes such a great coach; I dream to get to five championships.Dunning won his first two titles at Pacific. Now he has three at Stanford, a program that has made the most NCAA finals (15) and the most final fours (20) in Division I womens volleyball. History lives with Stanford all the time; the Cardinal are surrounded by it.And its even in their blood, at least in one case: Senior Kelsey Humphreys mother, Wendy Rush Humphreys, was an All-American setter for the Cardinal from 1984 to 1987, when Stanford lost three times in the NCAA championship match.One of those, in fact, was to Dunnings Pacific team. Humphreys joked that her mom told her to bring one home for the family, and thats what she did.For the Stanford volleyball family, this is very meaningful. Since the Cardinals last title in 2004, they had lost some very difficult matches. In 2006, 07 and 08, they fell in the NCAA final. In 2010 and 13, they lost intense, high-caliber five-set matches in the elite eight. In 2014, Stanford lost in the national semifinal to Penn State.And on the personal side, the Cardinal dealt with a tragedy in 2012, when sophomore Samantha Wopat died. Her twin sister, Carly, continued as one of Stanfords top players, but it was a heartbreaking thing for Dunning and the program to get through.Yet Stanford persevered, and this year the Cardinal ended up with what turned out to be the perfect mix of youth and experience. Dunning said it wasnt necessarily his intention to have put together such a formidably tall team -- its hard to plan such things in recruiting -- but thats what he got.And although the Cardinal finished tied for second in the Pac-12 and then got the No. 6 seed, by NCAA tournament time their chemistry and confidence were both soaring. Even going down 0-2 in sets to Wisconsin on the Badgers home court in the regional final didnt stop the Cardinal. Ajanaku told them then it wasnt going to end that way and that they had to keep believing.The freshman class coming in, we had a lot of expectations for ourselves, Plummer said. I dont think there was any doubt in our mind that a national championship could be a possibility. And now its real, and its awesome. China Shoes Online . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Jordan From China . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. https://www.chinashoes.us/ .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. China Shoes Store . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. China Shoes Wholesale . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Need to catch up with whats happening in the world of sports and pop culture? Dont worry, I got you.1. Well, college footballs opening weekend escalated quickly, right? We were gifted with a little bit of everything -- blowouts, comebacks and upsets. Just the way God and the college playoff committee intended.?2. Which game made you the most nervous over the weekend? For me, it was Texas?vs. Notre Dame. But in the end ... #hookem!?3.?The Florida State Seminoles had an impressive turnaround on Sunday night, which was led by redshirt freshman QB Deondre Francois. Should Noles fans be excited about what they witnessed??Or wait until Francois acquires a bit more experience before truly assessing his talents?4. Can the story about FSU wide receiver Travis Rudolph befriending Bo Paske, a middle school-age boy on the autism spectrum, get any better? Yes, it can.?5. Can you think of a more perfect way for Nebraska to honor late punter Sam Foltz? Three days after the tribute, and Im still incredibly moved by this heartwarming gesture.?6. Is Tebow-mania hitting ATL? Its been rumored that the Atlanta Braves have interest in signing former NFL player Tim Tebow, who hasnt played baseball since 2005, when he was a high school junior. So brace yourself for things to come.?7. Colin Kaepernicks peaceful protests are still making headlines. He gained the support of a few NFL players, USWNTs Megan Rapinoe and President Obama. With the NFL season kicking off this week, do you think a leaguewide sit-down (or kneel-down) during the national anthem is in the works?8. Given Kaepernicks stance, were you shocked to see the significant spike in his NFL jersey sales? I was.?9. Have you checked out The Undefeated recently? The breadth and depth of the sites Kaepernick coverage has been unmatched.?10.Why did writer and actress Lena Dunham apologize to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.? In case you missed it...?11. Whoa, is it open season on OBJ? Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman cant seem to stop talking about the NY Giants player, either. If youre ready for them to settle their beef on the field, as I am, circle Sept.dddddddddddd 25 on your calendar. Thats when it all goes down.?12. The Minnesota Vikings traded away a first-round draft pick in 2017 and a fourth-round pick in 2018 to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for often-injured QB Sam Bradford. Bad idea?13. Team USA swimmer and gold medalist Katie Ledecky gave the Washington Redskins a pep talk this week. Will it help with their forthcoming season??14. Hope Solo believes her U.S. Soccer ban is payback for her stance on equal pay. Is Solo playing the victim, or does she have a point??15. Retired soccer player Lauren Holiday, who starred for the U.S. womens national team, is pregnant and battling an operable (and benign) brain tumor. Her husband, Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans, announced hes taking time away from basketball to focus on his familys health. Can you imagine what they must be going through? Please direct all positive energy and prayers toward this family.?16.?WNBA player Tina Charles?and Team USA gymnasts Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian recently threw out the first pitches?at MLB games. Who did it best??17. Need a primer on the 2016 Rio Paralympics Games? Ive got you.18. Serena Williams just made history as the winningest Grand Slam tennis player in history, in terms of most matches won at Slams. Next, she continues her quest to surpass Steffi Graf -- each player has 22 Grand Slam titles. Will Serena do it at this years US Open??19. Nike recently labeled Williams the greatest athlete ever.?Would you dare dispute the athletic brands claim??20. Did you know that Ayesha Curry, the wife of NBA MVP Stephen Curry, not only cooks in the kitchen but also has skills on the court? Check her out!Shana Renee is the founder and editor-in-chief of?All Sports Everything and a passionate New York Jets, Knicks and Yankees fan. Follow her sports talk on Twitter at?@ItsShanaRenee. ' ' '