April 5, 2013
IRVINE, Calif. – In another Top-10 men’s volleyball matchup within the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, No. 8 Stanford got a combined 17 kills from Steven Irvin but could not catch No. 4 UC Irvine in a 20-25, 20-25, 19-25 road setback to the Anteaters Friday at the Bren Events Center.
The match was tight throughout but mini spurts in each set paved the way as UCI improved to 19-6 on the season and 16-6 MPSF. Stanford falls to 13-11 overall and 10-11 MPSF.
In the first set, UCI had its biggest push of the evening as the Anteaters overcame an early 8-4 Stanford lead with seven straight points. Later, with the match tied at 15, UCI rattled off three crucial and quick points as part of a 5-1 run to take control.
UCI carried the momentum into the second set with the Anteaters jumping ahead 8-3 before the teams traded points throughout the remainder of the set. UCI’s Kyle Russell had four kills during the initial run, finishing with a match-high 14 kills.
In the third set a kill from Cook made it a 15-15 match before UCI got five of the next six points for a 20-16 margin, again holding off the Cardinal from that point.
Stanford was limited to a .194 hitting percentage and 28 kills while UCI hit a robust .375 including a .519 mark in the second set and a .435 mark in the third.
James Shaw provided 24 assists and Denny Falls had five block assists for Stanford.
Stanford next plays UC San Diego Saturday at 7 p.m. in La Jolla, Calif.