SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Behind a balanced offensive attack, the No. 5 Stanford men's volleyball team defeated No. 2 UCLA, 22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22, Saturday, at the 50th ASICS UCSB Tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif. It was the season opener for both the Cardinal (1-0) and the Bruins (0-1).
“I think we played a nice, consistent match,” said head coach John Kosty, now in his eighth season at the helm of the program. “We didn’t have highs and lows. We just played at a good solid level throughout, and I was very pleased with that.”
Four Stanford players registered double-digit kills and hit over .350, led by senior outside hitter Brian Cook’s 16 (.367). Senior outside hitter Steven Irvin added 14 kills on a .387 hitting percentage, while redshirt junior Daniel Tublin hit .381 and notched 12 kills. Sophomore middle Conrad Kaminski recorded a team-high .769 attack percentage and finished with 11 kills and five blocks.
“We had a balanced attack from the pin today, and that is one of the keys to our success,” said Kosty.
Sophomore setter James Shaw directed the balanced offense, racking up 53 assists in the win. He added five digs, two kills and a block for the Cardinal.
“I think James Shaw set a really nice, balanced match which allowed us to spread out UCLA’s defense and keep a high sideout percentage,” added Kosty.
Redshirt junior libero Grant Delgado finished with a match-high 18 digs which sparked several Cardinal points. As a team, Stanford outhit UCLA, .433 to .252.
UCLA was led by Gonzalo Quiroga’s 14 kills and four digs. Mitch Stahl added 12 kills and four blocks for the Bruins.
Stanford returns to The Farm to play host to Lewis University for its home opener on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal will also face Grand Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion.