Just as in years past, the Pacific-10 Conference is once again the strongest in women’s volleyball in 2007, with six of the top 25 teams in the country. No. 2 Stanford was picked to finish on top of the stacked league in the preseason poll, but with four teams in the nation’s top 10 and three of them currently undefeated, the Cardinal’s trip through the Pac-10 will be anything but easy.

Stanford, though, has the talent to make it through, with three returning All-Americans and the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class. Junior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza and junior middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo were First-Team All-America selections last year, and both started for the U.S. National Team over the summer. Between them, the pair claimed the MVP awards in each of the Cardinal’s preseason tournaments.

Barboza is among the leaders of Stanford’s offense and defense, tied for the lead in kills, first in aces and second in digs. Akinradewo has improved from her school record hitting percentage in 2006 and is the Cardinal’s top blocker, as well.

With All-American senior setter Bryn Kehoe anchoring the offense, the new players have immediately been incorporated into the team. The nation’s top recruit, 6-foot-5 outside hitter Alix Klineman, has not missed a beat in transitioning to collegiate play, as she currently leads the team in kills.

Freshman Gabi Ailes has taken over the libero role and has provided consistent and sometimes spectacular play in the back row. Fellow freshman Cassidy Lichtman started the first two matches of her collegiate career and has seen time as defensive specialist, outside hitter and right side.

Senior middle blocker Franci Girard and junior right side Erin Waller both continue to perform for the Cardinal, with Girard setting a new career high in kills in the second week of play.

Sophomores Janet Okogbaa and Joanna Evans have both seen increased playing time in 2007 and have already bettered their career marks. Okogbaa is recovering from finger surgery and playing with tape on her hands but is seemingly unaffected, as she tallied career-high kills and blocks against Cincinnati. Evans subbed in for Kehoe several times throughout the preseason and set for the entire match against Delaware State, notching a career-high 33 assists.

No. 11 California is the first conference opponent on the Cardinal’s schedule. The Golden Bears (10-1) hosted two tournaments and suffered their only loss at the hands of Colorado in Boulder. Picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10, Cal has depended heavily in the preseason on seniors Angie Pressey and Ellen Orchard, as well as sophomore Hana Cutura.

Stanford will play host to No. 4 USC (10-0) and No. 5 UCLA (10-1) at the end of the month. The Trojans remain one of three undefeated Pac-10 teams, with two five-game victories over No. 14 Duke and No. 23 Ohio State. Senior Asia Kaczor spearheads the USC attack and is among the team’s leaders on offense and defense.

The Bruins’ only loss was to top-ranked Nebraska in the season-opening AVCA Showcase in late August. Since then, UCLA has swept No. 13 Hawaii and survived a five-game match with No. 15 San Diego. First-team All-American Nellie Spicer is among the top setters in the nation and ranks third on the roster in digs and blocks.

Stanford’s first road trip will be to Oregon to visit the No. 24 Ducks (11-1) and Oregon State (7-5). Oregon won 10 straight before losing in four games to Purdue. The seventh pick in the conference coaches’ poll, the Ducks have one of the Pac-10’s best hitting offenses, with transfer Gorana Maricic leading the way.

The Beavers lost their last two matches both in five games but scored an upset with a sweep of Hawaii in the first weekend of play. Australian Rachel Rourke is the top attacker for the Beavers, with 4.5 kills per game.

No. 8 Washington (11-0) visits Stanford in October, along with Washington State (9-5). The 2005 national champion, the Huskies dropped only a single game, to Long Beach State, en route to a perfect preseason. Redshirt freshman Becky Perry has sped to a .429 hitting percentage, leading the team in kills and sitting second in blocks.

The Cougars have lost their last three in a row after starting the season with six straight wins. Brittany Johnson is the top point scorer in Pullman after 14 matches.

The Cardinal will finish the first half of conference play in Arizona. The Wildcats (10-2) have won six matches since being swept by Pepperdine on Sept. 1. Randy Goodenough leads the squad in kills while Dominique Lamb has the most blocks.

Arizona State opened the season with three straight losses but rebounded to win seven of the last eight. Senior Sydney Donahue, already the career record holder for the Sun Devils, is averaging almost 6.5 digs per game and had 45 in a five-game match with Virginia. She is currently five digs short of the Pac-10 career record.

Stanford was selected as a Regional playoff site and will host on Dec. 7 and 8. The Final Four will be played the following weekend in Sacramento, Calif., where a rematch of last year’s title match between Stanford and national champion Nebraska just might be in the cards. Three of the four teams in the 2006 Final Four came from the Pac-10, and, with so much firepower from top to bottom in the West, it could happen again in 2007.