Author: Chris Juhnke

After suffering its first lost last week while splitting a two-match road trip at No. 4 BYU, the Stanford men’s volleyball team moved up to second in the national rankings. L

The No. 2 Stanford men’s volleyball team lost a thrilling four-set match against No. 10 UC-Santa Barbara last night, and must quickly turn around to face No. 3 Cal State Northridge tonight. (MASARU OKA/Staff Photographer)

Against the Gauchos, the Cardinal lost as tough a four-set match as it possibly could, as all four sets were decided by the minimum two-point margin. Stanford dominated UCSB statistically, outhitting the Gauchos .384 to .336 and outblocking them 13 to six.

Despite the tough loss, the Cardinal will need to bounce back quickly. The match tonight, the second of six consecutive home matches for the Card, promises to be a good one, pitting two of the top three teams in the nation against each other.

And after last weekend, Stanford is ready for some hometown love to help it out. Playing in front of crowds of around 4,000 people both nights in Provo, the Cardinal fought its way to a win in one of the matches, while suffering a close defeat in the other. In all, five of the eight total sets in the matches were decided by three points or less.

“Close sets validate what I thought of the team,” said head coach John Kosty. “We have guys on the floor who have played for four straight years and it shows in those situations. Even though the crowd was over 4,000, it didn’t faze us.”

Stanford is looking to carry some of the confidence it gained in its win over the Cougars Saturday night into the match against Northridge tonight. The Matadors, who began the week tied with the Cardinal and Cougars for second in the MPSF, are one of the best defensive teams in the country.

This provides an interesting matchup for Stanford, which leads the MPSF in hitting percentage, while Northridge leads the MPSF in lowest hitting percentage allowed at .227, led by All-American middle blocker Jacek Ratajczak.

“We played against him one year already,” said Kosty of Ratajczak, who is an imposing 7-foot-2. “He’s a good player. Being seven feet tall, you get some different angles.”

However, Kosty emphasized that Stanford, when it plays its best, has the potential to succeed against anyone.

“As much as we scout our opponents and want to know our opponents, we focus just as much on ourselves,” he said. “We’re back home, back in comfortable surroundings and we’re going back to our serving and passing game. We’re going to serve and serve tough.”

The Cardinal is led by an assortment of upperclassmen, including Stanford’s all-time leader for kills in the rally era, senior outside hitter Evan Romero and senior setter Kawika Shoji, who leads the MPSF in assists per game with 14.26. These experienced players are complemented by many talented sophomores, including middle blocker Gus Ellis, libero Erik Shoji and outside hitter Brad Lawson, who lead the MPSF in blocks per game, digs per game and service aces per game respectively.

“They’re a big part of this team,” Kosty said of the younger players, “but they’re just one factor in our great team chemistry.”

The Cardinal will need everyone to step up tonight against the Matadors, who are 5-1 in their last six matches against the Cardinal. The match will take place at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.

The Stanford men’s volleyball team showed their resiliency and toughness this weekend in Provo against BYU.

The No. 3 Cardinal (3-1, 3-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) rebounded from a tough 21-30, 34-32, 30-25, 32-30 loss on Friday against the No. 5 Cougars (5-2 overall, 3-1 MPSF) to take the second match of the two-match series, 20-30, 35-33, 30-28, 30-27, on Saturday night.

On Friday night, the Cardinal jumped out to an early one-set lead before dropping three straight sets in front of a hostile crowd of 4,409 BYU fans. The Cardinal was led by senior opposite Evan Romero’s season-high 23 kills and senior setter Kawika Shoji’s 63 assists, eight digs and four kills. However, the team couldn’t overcome a costly 23 service errors.

Senior opposite Evan Romero and the Cardinal fell short in a close four-set match against the Cougars on Friday, despite Romero’s season-high 23 kills. But Stanford came back to beat BYU in another tight four-setter on Saturday. (Stanford Daily File Photo)

In the first set, Stanford used its defense and passing to control the tempo, establishing an 18-14 lead after some back and forth play to start the set. Coming out of a BYU timeout, the Cougars recorded three kills, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Cardinal responded and took the first set in commanding fashion, 30-22.

The second set started out much like the first — with neither team able to gain a clear advantage over the other — until BYU recorded two blocks to give it a three-point lead, 17-14. Stanford fought back, however and the Cardinal was up 27-26 late in the set before two serving errors and a hitting error lost the set for the Card.

“Our streaky serving and sometimes inconsistent attacking put us in holes that we shouldn’t have been in,” said sophomore outside hitter Brad Lawson. “We would be leading a game by three or four near the end, but we would often commit unforced hitting and service errors that let BYU back in the game.”

BYU carried its momentum from the close second-set win over to the third set, where the Cougars started out with an early 5-1 run, culminating in a 14-7 lead. Service mistakes by Stanford prevented any chance of a comeback and BYU maintained its lead to take the third set.

The Cardinal, down two sets to one, rebounded in the fourth set to take an early lead, but was unable to hold on down the stretch. BYU tied the match at 27 before two Romero kills helped shut down the Cougars momentum. Unfortunately, Stanford couldn’t hang on, dropping the final three points of the set to lose the match three sets to one.

“This match showed us how close this league really is,” Lawson said. “We’ve talked about it before, but having so many games decided by such small margins this weekend gave us a glimpse of how hard we are going to have to work to get wins in this league.”

On Saturday night, Stanford turned the tables on the Cougars, coming up with a big four-set victory, 20-30, 35-33, 30-28, 30-27, again in front of a raucous crowd. Lawson and sophomore middle blocker Gus Ellis led the way for the Cardinal with 22 kills and 12 kills with nine blocks, respectively.

After dropping the first set 20-30 and being held to a .077 attack percentage, the Cardinal responded by opening a lead in the second and preserving it until late in the set. However, BYU made a comeback with a 7-1 run, giving them set point at 29-27. The Cardinal didn’t give up though and fought off four set points from the Cougars before winning the set, 35-33.

Neither team could jump out to a big lead to start the third set and there were several tie scores before Stanford opened up a small, 18-15 lead. BYU tied it up again at 25 all, but Stanford managed to claim the set on an Ellis kill, 30-28.

In the fourth set, the Cardinal used its momentum to jump out to an early advantage. The Cougars countered to take the lead back 19-16, but Stanford went on a 7-1 run, including four points served by freshman reserve Myles Muagututia. The Card never looked back and clinched the set and the match, 30-27.

“It was extremely important,” Lawson said of getting the win on Saturday. “In a one-point league, where teams are separated by such a small margin, to bounce back and overcome a first night defeat was a great accomplishment, especially in front of such a large, hostile crowd.”

The Cardinal ended its weekend on a high note and looks to carry the momentum from the win into next weekend, where the team will face No. 11 UC-Santa Barbara Thursday night at home in Burnham Pavilion.

Last night, the Stanford men’s volleyball team had its final tune-up before the regular season begins, hosting a team of past men’s volleyball players in an alumni match at Maples Pavilion. The alumni team showed up to play and gave the varsity starters three close sets, although the current team came out on top. In the fourth set, the alumni, including 2009 graduate Jarod Keller at libero, 1985 All-American Craig Lauchner and three-time All-American Dan Hanan (1988-1990), added current player Gus Ellis and beat the Stanford second team.

Senior Evan Romero returns to lead the pre-seson-No. 3 Stanford men’s volleball team as the regular season kicks off against No. 12 Hawaii on Jan. 15. Romero has a career-leading 1,295 kills in his first three seasons on the Farm. (Stanford Daily File Photo)

The Cardinal, which is ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll, starts the season Friday, Jan. 15 against No. 12 Hawaii. Stanford, which had an excellent fall season, looks to kick its season off the right way, while Hawaii is looking for another upset to add to its victory last week over No. 1 USC in the championship of the Outrigger Hotels Invitational. Stanford is led by senior Evan Romero, Stanford’s career leader in kills with 1,295, along with returning All-American brothers Kawika and Erik Shoji. Senior setter Kawika recorded 1,394 assists last season to facilitate the offense, while sophomore libero Erik helped anchor the team’s defense with 447 digs.

The match against Hawaii begins 7 p.m. on Friday in Maples Pavilion.

The Stanford women’s volleyball team’s NCAA tournament run – and season – came to an end on Friday, Dec. 11, with a loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the regional semifinals. After dispatching Long Island easily in the first round and battling to a second-round five-set victory against St. Mary’s, the Cardinal fell to Michigan, 18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 11-25.

Stanford was led in its first-round victory by senior Janet Okogbaa’s 13 kills and junior libero Gabi Ailes 11 digs, which gave her Stanford’s career record. After rolling through their first-round match against Long Island, Stanford knew it would face a tough opponent in Saint Mary’s, but the Cardinal was up to the challenge and pulled out an intense five-set victory, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 15-13. Juniors Alix Klineman and Cassidy Lichtman, who posted 28 kills and 17 digs and 11 kills, 19 assists and 17 digs, respectively, led Stanford, who advanced to the regional semifinal with the win.

“We played a very good St. Mary’s team in the round of 32 and had to fight our way into the next round,” Lichtman said. “I really believe it was sheer will to win that got us through that match.”

In the regional semifinal, the Cardinal faced a tough Michigan team, and couldn’t pull out the victory. The Cardinal fell behind in the first set after a 6-1 Michigan run and was unable to come back. Michigan hit .545 in the opening set to Stanford’s .258 hitting percentage. After dropping the first set 18-25, Stanford found itself down 2-5 to start the second set. Following a kill and a block by Okogbaa, Stanford tied the score at seven-all.

More kills by freshman Jessica Walker, Klineman and Lichtman put Stanford up 15-12 before a Michigan run tied the set at 23-23. A kill by Lichtman and an ace by Walker gave the Card the second set, 25-23, and tied up the match.

But the Cardinal couldn’t carry its momentum over to the third set and fell behind 3-8 early. Stanford remained down the entire set, rallying to within one point at 19-20 after two aces by Ailes and a kill by Klineman. It wouldn’t be enough, however, and Michigan would take the set, 22-25. In the fourth set, Stanford was unable to find its offense and lost the set, 11-25, and the match. Klineman led the Cardinal with 18 kills and eight digs, while Okogbaa ended her Stanford career with nine kills and five blocks.

“Against Michigan, our passing broke down a little, we had some last-minute injuries and our offense was not balanced enough,” Lichtman said. “They were a great team and they deserved the win.”

However, the team remained positive about the season as a whole and continued its tradition as a powerhouse program. The Cardinal recorded its ninth consecutive 20-win season, won its fourth consecutive Pacific-10 Conference championship (16th overall) and advanced to its 29th straight NCAA tournament. Additionally, four members of the team were named All-Americans, with Lichtman on the first team, Klineman and Okogbaa on the second team and Ailes as an honorable mention.

“Our team undoubtedly improved dramatically from the start of our season,” Okogbaa said. “There were moments in the beginning when just about everybody was uncertain about how successful we would be. Our hard work and determination, however, proved to us and everyone else that we were a good team and, contrary to poll predictions, capable of attaining another Pac-10 title.”

The Cardinal, picked to finish third in the Pac-10 Coaches Preseason Poll, exceeded expectations this year and ended with an overall record of 23-8.

“The beginning was a bit frustrating when we were trying to figure out who we were and how to make our system work but we ended up with some great high points,” Lichtman added. “We handed Washington their first loss of the season when everyone thought they were invincible, we beat both UCLA and USC on the road, and we had one of the greatest comebacks ever against California to clinch the Pac-10 title for the fourth straight year.”

The Stanford women’s volleyball team is on roll and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Heading into the NCAA tournament, where it is the No. 4 overall seed, Stanford (21-7, 14-4 Pacific-10) has won its last six matches, including a thrilling five-set win over Cal on Friday in the “Big Spike.”

Playing in front of a home crowd of more than 5,000 people on Friday in Maples Pavilion, the Card engineered an amazing come-from-behind victory to beat the Golden Bears (18-10, 11-7 Pac-10) in five sets, 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-4. The win gave Stanford its fourth consecutive Pac-10 championship and boosted the team’s momentum heading into the NCAA tournament.

“I think it was extra special winning it this year just because nobody expected it from us,” said junior outside hitter Alix Klineman. “However, making it to the Final Four and winning a national championship is our ultimate goal and we knew that, to be really feeling confident going into the playoffs, we needed to win this match.”

Klineman led the team in kills in the match, setting a new career high with 33. The team also got strong contributions from junior Cassidy Lichtman, who recorded her ninth triple double of the year with 13 kills, 18 assists and 10 digs and senior Janet Okogbaa, who had 12 kills on Senior Night.

“Winning the Pac-10 for the fourth time in a row was huge for us,” said senior outside hitter Alex Fisher. “In the beginning of the preseason, we made a list of team goals. It’s nice to be able to check this one off the list.” Fisher also added that she was voting “Klineman for Heisman” after her performance on Friday.

Although the Cardinal got the final result it wanted, the start of the match was a different story. Stanford came out on top backed by the raucous Maples crowd and took a 4-1 lead. Cal cut the lead to one with a quick run, but the Card responded and stayed on top, 9-5. Stanford continued to maintain its lead before a 4-0 run by the Bears cut the Stanford lead to one, 19-18 and resulted in a timeout by Stanford head coach John Dunning. Another 4-0 run by Cal would give the Bears the set, 23-25 and put a damper on the excitement of the Cardinal fans.

In the second set, Cal used its momentum to take an early 4-1 lead. The Card went on a run, including a kill by Fisher, which tied the score at eight all, but found itself down again after a 6-1 run by the Bears. After Stanford cut the lead to one on a kill by Lichtman and an ace by freshman Karissa Cook, Cal posted seven straight points to take a 21-13 lead. The Bears took the second set 18-25, leaving the Card in a tough position in its last game of the season.

“Coming back into the locker room after losing the first two sets was tough,” Fisher said. “Rather than talking about technical elements of the fix, we talked about what this match meant to us. [Sophomore] Katherine Sebastian said it best: ‘We are not going to let Cal stop us from winning the Pac-10. Not Cal. And not in three [games].’”

Additionally, the Card shifted its lineup slightly heading into the third set, putting sophomore Stephanie Browne in as a middle. The third set started with back and forth play, as the teams traded points on the way to a seven all tie. The Bears pulled ahead on a 4-0 run, but two kills by Okogbaa and a block by Klineman and Browne reduced Cal’s lead to two. Following a run by the Bears, which put them up 16-21, the match was almost out of reach. However, feeding off the energy of the crowd, the Card went on a 5-1 run, including a kill by Browne, cutting the lead to one and forcing Cal to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, a kill by Klineman led to a set point for Stanford and Cook served another ace to give the Card the set, 25-23, to avoid the sweep.

“I think the comeback at the end of the third game is what turned it around for us,” Lichtman said. “We just kept fighting in that game and the adrenaline and momentum from it carried over into the rest of the match.”

Using the third set win as the turning point, the Card took a 7-4 lead to open the fourth set. Following a Cal run, the lead switched back and forth until a 6-3 Bears run gave them a 16-19 lead. However, three kills by Klineman and one apiece by Lichtman and freshman Hayley Spelman, put Stanford back on top 21-19. Behind two more Lichtman kills, the Cardinal would even the match at two sets apiece, taking the fourth 25-20.

In the fifth set, Stanford carried its momentum to an early 5-2 lead and never relinquished it. Klineman recorded seven kills in the set and Stanford won the set, 15-4 and the match, capturing its fourth Pac-10 championship.

“I think each of our last six wins are really important because we got them in different ways,” Klineman said. “Some matches we dominated, others we struggled and in all of them we won. We really learned to fight no matter what the circumstances were and find a way to win, which will be really important come tournament time.”

Now the Cardinal heads into the NCAA tournament where the team will be playing at home for the first and second rounds as the No. 1 seed in the Stanford regional. Stanford will head to the tournament for the 29th straight time, joining Penn State as the only two teams to have made it to all 29 NCAA Women’s Volleyball tournaments.

“The NCAA tournament is do or die so we just want to keep winning,” Lichtman said. “I think we are hitting our stride at the right time and we just need to play each match as it comes. At this point there are not many easy wins so we are going to have to fight for everyone.”

The Cardinal will face Long Island (21-13) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion, with the winner of that match facing the winner of a match between Saint Mary’s (22-4) and UC Santa Barbara (22-7) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion. Stanford will be looking to claim its seventh NCAA title and 15th appearance in the national title match when play begins on Friday.