STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford finished the 2018 campaign 6-20 overall and 3-9 in the MPSF. Stanford made its 10th postseason appearance under head coach John Kosty, who completed his 12th season at the helm of the program. The Cardinal produced four all-conference selections and two AVCA All-Americans.
ALL-AMERICANS: Senior Evan Enriques was tabbed a second team All-American by the AVCA, while freshman Jaylen Jasper collected honorable mention accolades. The selections brought Stanford's total AVCA All-America award count to 59 honors spread over 27 players.
Proud to know both sets of parents very well. Prod of those boys but I guarantee it started with great parenting!
— Bob Wagner (@coachwags77) May 1, 2018
ALL-MPSF: Led by first-team selection Jaylen Jasper, Stanford placed four players on the all-conference teams. Seniors Evan Enriques and Kevin Rakestraw earned second-team honors, while freshman Kyler Presho was honorable mention. Jasper and Presho were also selected to the seven-member all-freshman team.
Led by first-team selection Jaylen Jasper, four @StanfordMVB representatives were named to the All-Conference teams.#GoStanfordhttps://t.co/9ruDpSw03g
— Stanford Athletics (@GoStanford) April 13, 2018
ALL-ACADEMIC: Five Cardinal were named to the MPSF All-Academic Team in 2018. Joining four-time selection Kevin Rakestraw were Eric Beatty, Russell Dervay, Evan Enriques and Jacob Thoenen. The group was recognized for their combined worth athletically and in the classroom.
These guys getting it done on the court and in the classroom ??#GoStanfordhttps://t.co/zXNdVIybHa
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) May 4, 2018
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Freshman Jaylen Jasper was second in the MPSF and seventh nationally with 3.92 kills per set and ranked third in the conference with 4.32 points per set. Senior libero Evan Enriques was second in the conference with 2.20 digs per set, while Kyler Presho (.410) and Kevin Rakestraw (.398) were sixth and seventh, respectively, in hitting percentage.
"It's a shame that it took a near-tragedy to bring a family closer together. But it happened. And I love them. So much." - Jaylen Jasper#GoStanford #JarrenStronghttps://t.co/uPmQKeyGiA
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 13, 2018
WHO'S IN?: With injuries and a young roster, Stanford struggled to find a consistent lineup. The Cardinal has utilized 12 different starting lineups during the season. Freshman middle blocker Kyler Presho was the only Cardinal to start all 26 matches at the same position this year.
IN THE POLL: Stanford entered the 2018 campaign ranked No. 8 in the preseason AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches' Poll. After starting 0-3, the Cardinal dropped out of the poll for the first time since March 2, 2015. Five MPSF squads finished the ranked in the top 15.
PAIR SWEEPS MPSF AWARDS: Freshmen Jaylen Jasper and Kyler Presho collected MPSF Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively, for their efforts in wins over Grand Canyon (March 29) and Concordia (March 31). Additionally, Jasper was named the VolleyMob and Sports Imports/AVCA Players of the Week. Jasper averaged 5.11 kills, 0.89 aces and 6.22 points per set, while Presho led the team with 1.44 blocks per set.
DEFENSIVE HONOR: Senior Evan Enriques was voted the MPSF Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Jan. 15 for his efforts at Ohio State and Ball State. The libero averaged 3.14 digs per set and did not commit a reception error in the two matches. He tied his season-high with 15 digs against the Buckeyes and followed up with seven digs and a season-best six assists versus the Cardinals.
NEWCOMERS: Freshmen JP Reilly (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Leo Henken (Webster Grove, Mo.) were named AVCA First and Second Team High School All-Americans, respectively. Jaylen Jasper (Annapolis, Md.), whose high school did not offer boys' volleyball, was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2017, as voted on for VolleyballMag.com, while Kyler Presho (San Clemente, Calif.) rounded out the Cardinal's freshman class. The group saw significant playing time this season as all four started multiple matches.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Senior libero Evan Enriques was one of four in his immediate family to play collegiate men's volleyball in 2018. His younger brother, Emmett, was a junior libero at CSUN, while twins Addison and Avery were freshmen at Concordia and Grand Canyon, respectively.
Four brothers. Four liberos. College volleyball runs in the family for the Enriques brothers, all of whom serve as defensive specialists: https://t.co/YWyGq4sQth pic.twitter.com/FV1te4CuSY
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) February 16, 2018
HEAD COACH JOHN KOSTY: Stanford head coach John Kosty was in his 12th season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 28th overall on staff. He is now 193-148 in his career and has guided Stanford to the 2010 NCAA national championship and the 2014 NCAA finals. The Cardinal has produced a first team AVCA All-America selection in eight of the past 11 seasons under Kosty. Stanford has appeared in the MPSF Tournament in 10 of Kosty's 12 seasons (missing out in 2007 and 2015).