Last weekend, Coach JOHN DUNNING‘s women’s volleyball team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, made history.

The Cardinal snapped No. 1 Penn State’s 109 match winning streak with a 28-26, 25-12 and 25-18 win in the championship of the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic in Gainesville, Fla.

It was the second longest streak in NCAA history for any sport behind the Miami men’s tennis team’s 137-match win streak from 1957 to 1964. Stanford was the last team to beat Penn State back in 2007, when seniors Gabi Ailes, Alix Klineman and Cassidy Lichtman and redshirt junior Stephanie Browne were freshmen.

As a result, Stanford reclaimed the top spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll for the first time since 2004. The Cardinal has started the season among the top five teams in the nation eight of the last nine years. Penn State dropped to No. 2, while Florida, Nebraska and Illinois rounded out the top five. Six Pac-10 squads are ranked in the top-25, including four in the top-10.

The Cardinal remain perfect on the year. This weekend, the team plays its first match as the No. 1 team in the nation when it takes on Saint Mary’s on Friday. The Cardinal plays the University of San Francisco on Saturday. Pac-10 competition begins next week on the road in Arizona.

This season, Dunning also made some history of his own. In the season opener against Tulane, Dunning picked up his 700th career win. In his 26th year as a head coach, Dunning is 706-147 (.828), giving him a winning percentage that ranks among the top five all-time for Division I coaches. Dunning is 269-45 at Stanford, leading all active coaches in the conference by winning percentage (.857).

Visit the women’s volleyball website to learn more and to consult the schedule for upcoming matches at Maples Pavilion.