The 2016 Stanford NCAA Championship team stood above their competition in more ways than one. Courtesy: Randy Miyazaki
With the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston just a few hours from kickoff, the VolleyMob stats department came up with an incredible statistic today:
The 2016 NCAA Champion Stanford women’s volleyball team, on average, is taller than the 2016 NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons and the 2016 New England Patriots teams that will play in the big game on Sunday.
According to Stanford’s 2016 roster, these were the players’ heights:
- Jenna Gray – 6’1″
- Kathryn Plummer ‘ 6’6″
- Hayley Hodson – 6’3″
- Kelsey Humphreys – 6’0″
- Tami Alade – 6’2″
- Ivana Vanjak – 6’4″
- Michaela Keefe – 6’2″
- Morgan Hentz – 5’9″
- Payton Chang – 5’10”
- Inky Ajanaku – 6’3″
- Halland McKenna – 5’7″
- Merete Lutz – 6’8″
- Alexis Froistad – 6’2″
- Caitlin Keefe – 5’11”
- Audriana Fitzmorris – 6’6″
- Courtney Bowen – 6’4″
That’s 1182 inches, divided across 16 players, or 73.875 (6’1.875″, or 187.64 cm).
The Cardinal, of course, were a bit of an anomaly in that they’re one of the tallest teams in women’s volleyball history – lifted by 3 players at 6’6″ or taller. Their starting setter, Jenna Gray, is unusually tall at 6’1, and even their libero Morgan Hentz is relatively tall at 5’9″.
On the other hand, the Falcons, are the 5th-shortest team in the NFL last year. According to research done by bleedinggreennation.com, the Falcons’ average height in the 2016 season was 73.74 inches (6’1.74″, or 187.29 cm). Their opponents, the New England Patriots? They’re the shortest team in the NFL at 6’1.63″ on average.
While the Falcons are buoyed by a few big bodies – including tight end Levine Toilolo at 6’8 – the Falcons’ 53-man roster only has 4 active players at 6’6″ or taller.
The Falcons, interestingly enough, are the lightest team in the NFL at 241.09 pounds.
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