STOCKTON, Calif. – Playing for the final time in the Spanos Center, the No. 8 Stanford men’s volleyball team swept Pacific (25-18, 26-24, 25-17), Wednesday, in Stockton, Calif. The Cardinal improves to 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Tigers drop to 2-10 on the year and 1-8 in conference.
“I thought we came out and played well tonight,” said head coach John Kosty. “[Brian] Cook and [Steven] Irvin led us tonight. They put up some really solid numbers. I think the thing that stood out for us was our serving. These are the types of outings we need to have to be successful in the MPSF.”
As a team, Stanford hit .271 and registered 12 service aces while holding Pacific to a .203 hitting percentage. Six of the Cardinal’s aces came by senior Steven Irvin, tying his career high.
Senior outside hitter Brian Cook led the Cardinal with 17 kills on a .343 attack percentage to go with eight digs, three blocks and two aces. His 17 kills were the most in a three-set match by a Stanford player this season.
“Brian has come out with a determination over the last couple of matches,” said Kosty. “It is great to see him continue to elevate his play. He has shown his leadership and the ability to take over a match.”
Irvin added 11 kills on a .556 hitting percentage, while senior opposite Eric Mochalski finished with seven kills, six digs and three aces. Sophomore setter James Shaw controlled the offense with 32 assists and recorded a match-high nine digs.
“I thought James Shaw set a really nice match tonight. He did the things he needed to do to get nine digs out of the back row. He set a really nice match and distributed the ball really well,” added Kosty.
Pacific, which will no longer support a men’s volleyball program after this season, was led by Christian Franceschi’s 15 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. The Tigers out blocked the Cardinal 12.5 to 5.5.
Stanford returns to Maples Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 15 to take on No. 4 BYU. The match against the Cougars will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks at 7 p.m. PT.