Jan. 12, 2007
Stanford dropped their first MPSF match tonight to No. 8 Cal State Northridge (3-1) at Maples Pavilion. The Matadors defeated the Cardinal with the game scores of 30-20, 30-23, 26-30, and 30-22. With the loss, Stanford falls to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the MPSF. Northridge improves to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Stanford took an early lead in game one, but Northridge rallied back against the Cardinal, hitting .344 take a 0-1 lead on the match. The Matadors were lead by freshman opposite Theo Edwards, who hit .600. Stanford's attack was lead by freshman Evan Romero who recorded six kills.
The Matadors continued to roll in game two, hitting .481 as a team. Junior Jesse Meredith lead the Cardinal, hitting .800 with four kills, but as a team the Cardinal hit just .034 on the game.
In game three, the Cardinal brought a heightened level of fight and hustle. The Matadors stayed persistent, but the Cardinal's hitting power gave them the edge. As a team, they hit .481 lead by Meredith's eight kills. Senior Matt Ceran added five kills on the game for the Cardinal. Freshman Kawika Shoji dished out 16 of his total 47 assists in game three, while senior Brian Lindberg recorded 4 digs.
Stanford and Northridge battled it out in game four, but ultimately the Matadors attack gave them the edge over the Cardinal. Both junior Isaac Kneubuhl and freshman Kevin McKniff notched five kills for Northridge, while setter Travis Bluemling added 15 assists. The Cardinal rallied back from a six point deficit to get within three (24-21), but that was the closest they would get to Northridge, who won the game 30-22.
Next, the Cardinal will face #6 UC Santa Barbara tomorrow, January 13, at 7:00 PM from Burnham Pavilion.
# 8 Cal State Northridge (2-2, 1-0) d. Stanford (0-4, 0-1), 30-20, 30-23, 26-30, 30-22