THIS WEEK: The sixth-ranked Stanford men’s volleyball team (5-1, 3-1 MPSF) hits the road again for its next four matches, starting Friday, Jan. 29 at Cal Baptist at 7 p.m. The Cardinal will also face USC on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. in Los Angeles.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Live stats and Twitter links for the matches can be found on the men’s volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. A link to Friday’s live stream can also be found on the men’s volleyball schedule page, while Sunday’s match will be televised live onPac-12 Network, Pac-12 Bay Area and Pac-12 Los Angeles.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Fans will have access to unique behind-the-scenes content on the team this season by liking Stanford Men’s Volleyball on Facebook or following the team on Twitter (@StanfordMVB) and Instagram (@therealstanfordmvb).
SCOUTING CAL BAPTIST: Cal Baptist is 3-4 overall, but 0-4 thus far in the MPSF (all four losses have come to ranked opponents). The Lancers are hitting .269 as a team and took then-No. 9 UC Santa Barbara to five sets in its most recent outing. Cal Baptist is led by senior outside hitter Rocky DeLyon, who is averaging 2.78 kills and 1.04 digs per set. Sophomore middle blocker Enrique Garcia is sixth in the MPSF with a .516 hitting percentage, while senior Roy Powell adds 2.04 kills and 1.08 digs per set.
SCOUTING USC: The Trojans picked up their first win of the season Tuesday night, a five-set thriller against No. 9 Pepperdine. USC (1-6, 1-4 MPSF) is hitting .221 as a team, recording 11.33 kills per set. Sophomore opposite Jon Rivera leads the team with 3.23 kills and 1.18 digs per set, while junior outside hitter Lucas Yoder adds 2.82 kills and 1.00 digs per set. Sophomore setter Jack Yoder controls the offense with 9.92 assists per set, good for sixth in the MPSF.
ROAD WARRIORS: Stanford is scheduled to play eight of its first 10 matches on the road. So far, the Cardinal is 3-1 in its road matches in 2016 compared to a 2-10 mark in matches away from The Farm last season.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford went 2-0 last weekend, playing its first matches of the season on The Farm. The Cardinal swept UC San Diego behind Gabriel Vega’s 12 kills on .450 hitting. Senior James Shaw directed the offense, which hit .373, and put down five service aces. Against then-No. 4 UC Irvine, senior Madison Hayden was the only Cardinal with double-digit kills (17), while Shaw finished with 41 assists, six kills and four blocks.
IN THE POLL: Stanford moved up to No. 6 in the top-15 of the AVCA Division I-II Men’s Coaches Poll after defeating UC San Diego and UC Irvine at home last week. It marks Stanford’s highest ranking since the 2014 season. The Cardinal is one of nine MPSF squads ranked in the top 15.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Stanford ranks third in the MPSF in kills (13.04) and fourth in hitting percentage (.331). The Cardinal is also fifth in assists (12.00), sixth in aces (1.50) and seventh in opponent hitting percentage (.245). Senior Madison Hayden is sixth in the league in kills (3.92) and points (4.35), and 13th in hitting percentage (.355). Senior James Shaw ranks fourth in aces (0.58) and fifth in assists (10.33), while Conrad Kaminski is fifth in hitting percentage (.517).
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS: Stanford has two returning All-Americans on its roster in 2016, including middle blocker Conrad Kaminski (two-time AVCA honorable mention) and setter James Shaw (AVCA Second Team in 2014, honorable mention in 2013). Kaminski entered this year hitting .453 for his career and averaging 1.63 kills and 0.97 blocks per set. Shaw, who missed half of last season due to injuries, came into the season posting 10.20 assists per set for his career, while also notching 1.55 digs and 0.93 kills per set.
DEFENSIVE-MINDED: As a team, Stanford ranks fourth in the MPSF with 9.00 digs per set, recording a season-high 50 at IPFW on Jan. 9. Sophomore libero Evan Enriques is fourth in the conference with 2.25 digs per set. The Cardinal also ranks in the top half of the league with 2.35 blocks per set (4th). Senior Conrad Kaminski is second in the MPSF with 1.42 blocks per set, totaling a season-high nine at BYU on Jan. 16.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: Stanford had several players gain international experience over the summer. Redshirt sophomore Kevin Rakestraw and sophomore Kyle Dagostino were members of the United States’ World University Games roster, which competed in in Gwangju, South Korea in July. Senior Conrad Kaminski nabbed a spot on the U.S. Pan American Team, which played in Toronto, Canada, while freshman Jordan Ewert was a member of the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team. Eweret, who was coached by Cardinal associate head coach Ken Shibuya, finished seventh at the 2015 FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship in Argentina.
HEAD COACH JOHN KOSTY: Stanford head coach John Kosty is in his 10th season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 26th overall on staff. He is 160-110 in his career and has guided Stanford to the 2010 NCAA national championship and the 2014 NCAA finals. The Cardinal has produced a first team AVCA All-America selection in seven of the past eight seasons under Kosty.