2012 » Danny Kanell welcome ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody (1:15 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For all the talk about Stanford volleyballs young guns being goofballs, heres a little secret from freshman Kathryn Plummer:The silliest kid on the Cardinal is fifth-year senior Inky Ajanaku, whose 15 kills and nine blocks in a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Minnesota lifted No. 9 Stanford (26-7) into Saturdays national championship game for the 15th time in program history.Theyll play Texas, which shocked No. 1 Nebraska with a three-set sweep in the Thursday nightcap at Nationwide Arena.Shes the pot stirrer; shes a little kid at heart, said Plummer, one of four freshman starters for the Cardinal. Only when it comes to volleyball, you can tell shes the oldest person on the court.And at the ancient age of 22, Ajanaku doesnt have time to hang around while the Cardinal kids mature -- not that they need to. (Unless, of course, youre talking about the three Instagram accounts they all have or their DMs [direct messages]. I mean, are people still doing that? Ajanaku asks with a playful roll of the eye.)All of us want to win it for her, Plummer said. One of the things Inky always says is next point. That brings a sense of urgency to our game. When we were not doing as well earlier this season, we were focusing on what we did wrong. The second half of the season, weve done better just moving along to the next point.Ajanaku had a sense of a special season right from the go. Preseason, when we had our first practice, we saw what the freshmen could do. We were blown away by the talent.Leading the talent pool is the 6-foot-6 Plummer, whose imposing presence against the Gophers was reminiscent of a WNBA center. You want to duck when she gets the last word. The national freshman of the year finished with 15 kills and 11 digs against the methodical Gophers.Then theres another frosh, setter Jenna Gray, whose two dumps in the fourth set proved critical for a Stanford team that needed to keep its edge in the national semifinal after the Gophers gritted out the third set 25-22.Libero Morgan Hentz?Its really easy to be a great blocker when you only have to take up a certain part of the court, Ajanaku said. And Morgan allows that for us.And then theres 6-6 Audriana Fitzmorris, who had 10 kills -- her last one on match point -- and eight blocks against the Gophers.Ajanaku said Wednesday that she hasnt had much time to reflect on a season that hasnt exactly played out according to plan. Six games in, it became clear that All-American Hayley Hodson, last years AVCA freshman of the year, would not be a go the rest of the way for health reasons. Another injury to Michaela Keefe led coach John Dunning to abandon his 6-2 offense in favor of a 5-1, and even Ajanaku missed time due to an ankle sprain.Weve been through so much and that matures you, Ajanaku said. A lot of people might not think the freshmen could handle the situation, but they handled it. They keep proving to people that they can handle it and can play at a really high level when there are high stakes.This is a team that trailed Wisconsin last weekend only to rally in five, a stunning defeat for the Big Ten powerhouse in its own building.We were playing decent volleyball, but the environment got to us, Ajanaku said. After that locker room talk, we decided nobodys going to fault us for taking the big swings. We said, Lets just cover each other and lets just go for it. Thats what we did.Those are the moments when Ajanku lives up to the Grandma nickname her teammates cajole her with. Most of the time shes the one singing Mr. Brightside or dancing to Caroline (by Amine, by the way, not Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond).But Dunning said when hes needed Ajanku to become the leader, shes become that calming voice in the huddle. Previously, he said, she led by example. But he told her before the season that while shes done a lot, he knew she was capable of more.To have somebody on your team, a player step up and talk to their team and have everybody be glued to it, thats really, really big, he said.Ajanaku embraces that role and is cognizant that this could have all worked out completely different. After all, she really isnt supposed to be here, sweating out her cellular immunology exam while her teammates weather English composition. A torn ACL last season led to the redshirt year and a head start on a masters in biology for the wannabe orthopedic surgeon.Dont think she doesnt know it.My volleyball career didnt go as I expected, but thats life, she said. You go with the opportunities you have.Thanks to her, Stanford has another on Saturday night.Swell Flasche Bestellen . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Swell Schweiz . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. http://www.swelltrinkflascheschweiz.com/swell-flasche-holz-schweiz.html . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Swell Flasche Online . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Swell Flasche Bestellen . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season.Friday, Ryen Russillo and Danny Kanell welcome ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody (1:15 p.m. ET), Pro Football Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden (2:00), ESPNs Field Yates (3:15) and actor Billy Bob Thornton (3:30).Todays main topics:? Houston upsets Louisville? NFL Week 11 previewText us at 73776 (msg&data rates may apply) or tweet us at twitter.ddddddddddddcom/RussilloShow -- well be with you from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on ESPN Radio and ESPNRadio.com. ' ' '