March 5, 2010
STANFORD, Calif. - The lead is slim and far from permanent, but for the Stanford men's volleyball team, being on top of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is an achievement.
Stanford moved into first by percentage points in the ultra-competitive MPSF race by beating UC San Diego 30-18, 30-20, 28-30, 30-20 at Maples Pavilion on Friday night and setting up an important match Saturday.
Brad Lawson had a match-high 18 kills with only two attacking errors on way to hitting .552 to lead the Cardinal (11-4 overall). The victory, combined with first-place Pepperdine's loss at BYU, means that five teams are within one game of each other at the top of the MPSF standings, and nine are within two.
Stanford (9-4 in the MPSF, .692) has the edge in winning percentage, but Cal State Northridge (10-5, .667) has the edge in victories. Pepperdine (8-4, .667) is a half-game back, followed by Long Beach State (7-4), Stanford's opponent Saturday at Maples Pavilion (7:30 p.m.).
"It's great," Stanford coach John Kosty said. "We've spent a long time battling to get to this position. We earned it. Now, we have to earn the right to stay there."
Stanford has won eight of its past nine matches and four straight, largely on the strength of outstanding defense, setting and hitting. The team hit .406 and leads the nation at a torrid .356 clip.
Against No. 14 UC San Diego (5-13, 2-11), Stanford added the threat of a strong block, finishing with 17 blocks as a team, with Gus Ellis and Evan Romero totaling seven apiece. Three of Ellis' were solo.
"Our block has been starting to come around," Kosty said. "It's nice to see the transformation from practice to competition."
While Stanford had little trouble in the first two sets, UCSD came back strong in the third, overcoming an 11-6 deficit to catch the Cardinal at 16-16 and bolt ahead shortly after.
In the fourth, Kosty repeatedly shouted, "energy, energy," to remind his side to lift its game. The team apparently needed little reminding, grabbing a 10-4 lead on a Romero block.
Spencer McLachlin had key kills, using off-speed hits to complement the power of Lawson and Romero.
Lawson was extremely efficient on only 29 total chances, but that was part of the game plan.
"We run a balanced offense with five very good attackers," Kosty said. "Our opponent has to key on all of them, and that opens up the defense."
All-America setter Kawika Shoji had one service ace, which tied him with current U.S. national teamer Kevin Hansen for first on Stanford's all-time list in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) with 91. And, he picked up his 700th career dig, which puts him within 11 of Hansen's career record in that category.