April 1, 2005
Stanford, Calif. - Middle Blockers Craig Buell and Chris Ahlfeldt led a hard-hitting Cardinal attack as Stanford blanked the UC Irvine Anteaters 3-0 to improve to 10-11 (9-9 MPSF). Buell posted an errorless hitting exhibition, putting away 14 kills, hitting .737, and adding a solo block. Ahlfeldt ended the match with 12 kills, hitting .400, along with four block assists. Kevin Hansen fed 32 assists in route to a .283 team hitting percentage, while defensively Brian Lindberg paced the Cardinal with 10 digs.
In game one the Cardinal jumped out to an early two point lead prompting a UC Irvine timeout. Out of the break, Stanford stretched the margin to four, halfway through game one, for a 15-11 lead. Stanford continued to increase its lead behind Ahlfeldt's .875 attacking percentage, in route to a 30-21 win.
The Anteaters jumped out to an early three-point advantage in game two, but the Cardinal quickly regained its composure, taking an 8-6 lead. After an Irvine timeout, Stanford went on a run, stretching the gap to eight points. The Anteaters charged late in the game, but were unable to overcome the deficit giving the Cardinal a 2-0 lead.
Game three began with a flurry of service errors by both teams. The Anteaters pulled together to mount a 9-6 lead causing a timeout by the Cardinal bench. Stanford came out of the break to go on a 3-0 run before UC Irvine called for a break with the score tied 9-9. The two teams traded eight points before the Cardinal pulled ahead 20-18. Stanford never looked back, closing out the match with a 30-24 victory.
Stanford continues action tomorrow with a battle against No.2 UCLA in Maples Pavilion at 7:00 PM.