March 25, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - First of all, Charley Henrikson can jump.
At 6-foot-7 and with perhaps the best vertical leap on the Stanford men's volleyball team, Henrikson can look down at the net like it's a picket fence.
Next, picture Henrikson in full flight, with the ball floating enticingly in front of him.
Finally, listen to the ball smacking the floor with the force of a team that suddenly could not be stopped.
Henrikson's blast broke a fifth-set tie and ignited a run of three consecutive points that gave Stanford command of a come-from-behind 23-25, 25-22, 19-25, 28-26, 15-11 victory.over Cal State Northridge at Maples Pavilion on Friday night.
No. 2 Stanford (15-5 overall, 12-4) fought off two match points in the fourth set to rally back to beat a Matador team (6-17, 4-12) that struggled for much of the season, but had begun to find its footing in recent weeks.
Spencer McLachlin and Brad Lawson combined for 47 kills as the Cardinal solidified its hold on second place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. McLachlin unloaded for the final two Stanford points to finish with 24 kills and a .302 hitting percentage.
Lawson had 23 kills and 15 digs. Libero Erik Shoji had a season-high 21 digs, and Evan Barry had 61 assists -- one off his career high -- including the perfect set to Henrikson, the late-match substitute who delivered the match's defining moment with the score tied at 7-7.
"He bounced that ball," said freshman Brian Cook, whose fourth-set block gave Stanford a 26-25 lead. "I knew it as soon as he got that set. He does it all the time in practice."
At times, Stanford found itself in difficult circumstances, with none more dire than when facing deficits of 24-23 and 25-24 in the fourth set. The Cardinal first got a gift on a Northridge serving error to stay alive, but moments later needed a kill from McLachlin, one of many key strikes by the senior captain, to stave off the Matadors once again.
McLachlin tied the score three times in the crucial fourth set, after keeping Stanford afloat early when Lawson struggled. And in the fifth set, he provided five kills, including Stanford's final two points.
When asked the difference between winning and losing Friday, Stanford coach John Kosty said, "It was the play of Spencer McLachlin and it was our serving game.
"Our serving game picked up as the match went on, and that allowed us to play better."
As for McLachlin, the coach gave a nod toward his four-year starter who was an important piece of last year's NCAA championship team, but not to the extent that he has become in 2011.
"He's always been good," Kosty said. "Now, he's the team. It's his time to shine. He's doing a great job of leading this team down the stretch."
Lawson found his rhythm as the match went along, flying into the bench to retrieve one ball and coming away with gash on his shin, covered, sort of, by a flap of skin. Still, Lawson slammed back-to-back kills for the go-ahead and winning fourth-set points.
Northridge (6-17, 4-12), an NCAA semifinalist last season, seemed unstoppable at times, but as the match wore on, the Stanford block became more prominent. The Cardinal finished with 13.5 for the match, but just as important were getting hands and fingers on the Northridge attacks, slowing them just enough to lead to a dig and offensive transition.
Eric Mochalski was in on six blocks and Cook and McLachlin on five apiece. Meanwhile, a Stanford attack that wallowed at a .196 clip for the first three sets, erupted to .345 over the final two.
"Sometimes it clicks and sometimes it doesn't," Kosty said. "You try your best to get everybody on the same page, but sometimes it doesn't work that way. That's where character and heart come in, and that fighting instinct that we showed enough in those games."
Stanford, which plays host to Long Beach State on Saturday (7 p.m.) at Maples, has certainly shown enough clutch play to earn a 5-0 record in conference five-set matches.
And, thanks to Henrikson, it has a signature moment as well.
-- David Kiefer, Stanford Athletics