April 2, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - There are certain things you never see the Stanford men's volleyball team do: Talk trash, blame others, make excuses.
There are certain ways of doing things at Stanford and that was the message during the Cardinal's Senior Night 25-15, 26-28 25-23, 25-20 victory over Pepperdine in its regular-season home finale, before 1,268 at Maples Pavilion on Saturday.
With the victory,Stanford's class of 2011 consisting of Ian Connolly, Garrett Dobbs, Max Halvorson, Charley Henrikson, Jordan Inafuku, and Spencer McLachlin improved their four-year record of 79-35, moving within two victories of becoming the winningest class in Stanford history. Already, it's become the first Stanford volleyball class since 1998 to experience four winning seasons.
But there's more, and that was the point coach John Kosty wished to make Friday night when it was noted that Stanford's freshmen Eric Mochalski, Steven Irvin, and Brian Cook have truly begun to assert themselves on the court.
Mochalski had a career-high 11 kills, and zero errors, during a .611 hitting performance. Irvin was coming off perhaps his best match on Friday against No. 1 USC, and Cook came off the bench with an aggressive offensive outing.
In Kosty's view, the success of the freshmen is a reflection of the senior class.
"Walking in the footsteps of giants," Kosty said. "That's what they're basically doing, just following the lead of some really great players who are in front of them. Our seniors and juniors are leading the way so our freshmen understand what they need to do.
"They're watching it. They're in it. It's a big learning curve, but it's much easier to learn when you have great teachers in front of you."
Captains Lawson and McLachlin have been a big part of that leadership, much by example. Lawson had 19 kills and 10 digs for his second consecutive double-double, and McLachlin had 16 kills and six digs.
Evan Barry had 50 assists and helped Stanford to a .305 hitting percentage and Erik Shoji led the defense with 13 digs as Stanford drew closer to clinching first-round homecourt advantage for the opening round of the MPSF tournament. The Cardinal would play host to the first round of the conference tournament on April 23, while Pepperdine (9-13, 5-13) will miss the postseason for the first time since 1990.
Riding the momentum of a strong performance Friday, Stanford came out relaxed and loose Saturday, playing volleyball without the tightness of a big match, though Stanford needed to win to control its own destiny in a quest for the No. 2 seed to the MPSF tournament.
Even after Stanford failed to convert three set points on the way to losing the second set, the Cardinal never got discouraged. Stanford's players - young and old alike -- kept their poise as the third and fourth sets remained tight, before Stanford pulled away late in each.
Again, Kosty said, it's that bond that the seniors have cultivated with freshmen. This is the pay off.
"The connection wins us games," Kosty said. "We don't get distracted. It's much easier to focus when you rely on your teammate.
"You understand if you make a mistake, they're going to be supportive of you. And when you stick your head out trying to do something and you fail, they're going to grab your hand and pull you right back up. That's what the program is based on and has always been based on, and that's why we're successful."
And that is Stanford's true Senior Night legacy.
-- David Kiefer, Stanford Athletics