March 27, 2001
LA VERNE, Calif. - The fourth-ranked Stanford University men's volleyball team extended its winning streak to three matches with an easy 30-23, 30-16, 30-15 victory over the University of La Verne on Tuesday night in Southern California.
The Cardinal improved to 11-4 with the victory, and travel to fifth-ranked Long Beach State on Thursday night (7:30 p.m.) for a critical Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match. The Cardinal currently stands in second place in the MPSF's Pacific Division at 7-3, with the 49ers just a half-game behind in third place at 8-5. Following Thursday's contest, Stanford will conclude the regular season with a six-match homestand at Maples Pavilion.
The Cardinal needed just 69 minutes to dispose of the Leopards (10-13), who are ranked #1 in Division III. The three-game sweep was Stanford's sixth of the year, which surpasses its entire 2000 season total of five. In addition, Stanford's 11th win of the season puts it above the 10 it recorded in both 1999 and 2000.
Junior Marcus Skacel (Laguna Niguel, CA/Santa Margarita HS) led Stanford with 12 kills, while sophomore William Curtis (Whittier, CA/Harvard-Westlake HS) added 11. Senior setter Josh Lukens (San Diego, CA/Mt. Carmel HS), who leads the nation in assist average for the second straight year, had 32 assists for the winners. Stanford also finished the match with a team hitting percentage of .435, while holding the Leopards to an .082 clip.