Jan. 26, 2001
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Three Stanford players posted double-digit kills as the fourth-ranked Cardinal remained undefeated with a 30-12, 30-25, 30-28 road victory over No. 11 Cal State Northridge. Freshman outside hitter Billy Clayton hit .833, the fourth-best single-match mark in school history, as Stanford finished with a .538 team hitting percentage (53 k, 11 e, 78 ta).
Stanford, off to its best start since the 1998 squad began 8-0, is now 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the MPSF. Cal State Northridge falls to 3-5 and 0-2.
Clayton, in just his fourth collegiate match, finished an errorless performance with 10 kills in 12 total attempts in a prolific hitting display. Sophomore opposite Curt Toppel, named the MPSF Player of the Week following his 30-kill performance in a five-game win over Pepperdine last Sunday, made just six errors in 23 total attempts for a .435 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Marcus Skacel continued his impressive early-season play, pounding 12 kills with a .688 hitting percentage. Setter Josh Lukens finished with 42 assists while Brett Youngberg had a match-high six blocks. Libero Seth Ring added a match-best five digs.
Stanford dominated in a 30-12 game one rout, compiling a .700 hitting percentage (15 kills, 1 error, 20 total attempts) while Northridge managed only a .000 mark (9 k, 9 e, 26 ta). Game two was more of the same, as the Cardinal finished with 21 kills and outhit the Matadors .515-179.
Game three was the closest of the match, as Northridge had 17 of its 38 kills before falling 30-28.
Stanford continues its MPSF road trip tomorrow, Saturday, January 27, with a 4:00 p.m. match at No. 2 UC Santa Barbara.
Score by Games 123 No. 4 Stanford (4-0, 2-0)303030 No. 11 CS Northridge (3-5, 0-2)122528