Jan. 24, 2003
HONOLULU, Hawaii - The 11th-ranked Stanford University men's volleyball team upset top-ranked Hawai'i 28-30, 25-30, 30-27, 30-27, 15-8 late Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Cardinal improved to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Warriors fell to 5-1 and 1-1.
The Cardinal was dominant from start to finish in the fifth and deciding game. Stanford, which hit an amazing .846 (11 k-0 e-13 ta) in game five, took a quick 6-2 lead thanks to four kills from senior Curt Toppel. The Warriors did not get closer than three points the rest of the game. Freshman Chris Ahlfeldt closed out the upset with a service ace on the Cardinal's first match point.
Toppel, who had six kills in the fifth game, finished with 26 kills, eight digs, three blocks and two service aces. Senior Paul Bocage added 13 kills and six blocks, Ahlfeldt pitched in 11 kills, five digs, four blocks, three assists and two service aces and senior William Strickland contributed 11 kills and five assists. The Cardinal out-hit the Warriors .353 (74-19-156) to .335 (87-31-167), and out-blocked the hosts 11-10.
Costas Theocharidis led Hawai'i with 31 kills and six digs.
Hawai'i captured game one thanks to a 3-0 run that broke a 23-23 tie and gave the hosts the lead for good. The Warriors extended their lead to 2-0 by reeling off four straight points that turned a 22-21 Stanford lead into a 25-22 Hawai'i advantage. The Warriors led by two points or more the rest of the way.
But the Cardinal would not go away. Stanford led from nearly start to finish in game three, and scored four of the final six points to prevail 30-27. Hawai'i led 23-19 in the fourth game, but Stanford scored seven of the next eight points to take a 26-24 advantage. Stanford stretched the lead to 29-25, and after Hawai'i scored two straight, the Cardinal forced the fifth game on an Ahlfeldt kill.
The Cardinal continues this six-match road swing next weekend when it visits Cal State Northridge on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. The trip began with a four-game loss at Hawai'i on Wednesday night.