Not In Our House

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – Strong performances from Kevin Rakestraw and Gabriel Vega spurred No. 4 Stanford to a four-set victory over No. 3 UCLA, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, Sunday at Maples Pavilion.

Rakestraw's 11 kills matched his career-high, while Vega's five blocks was a career-best. The Cardinal (11-2, 10-2 MPSF) recorded its first MPSF conference win over the Bruins (13-3, 9-3 MPSF) since Jan. 22, 2013, and is now tied with Long Beach State atop the conference table.

Thanks to a balanced offensive attack and a spark off the bench from defensive specialist Kyle Dagostino, the Cardinal rallied to win the first set 25-21. Down 14-11, Stanford used a 6-3 spurt to tie the set at 17-17, with the run bookended by two kills from senior Madison Hayden. That's when Dagostino subbed in and served Stanford to a 20-17 lead.

Vega and senior middle blocker Conrad Kaminski's front line defense was key down the stretch in the first, and Rakestraw’s third kill of the set gave the Cardinal a 25-21 win. The Bruins' Jake Arnitz continued his hot run of play with five kills on .571 hitting, but his team committed six errors and was limited to a .267 hitting percentage. On the other side of the court, Stanford hit at a .480 clip while also winning the sideout battle 72 to 62 percent. Hayden paced the hosts with four kills, while Kaminski totaled three kills and two blocks.

UCLA could not be held down for long, though, and struck back in the second set with a 25-20 victory to even the match at 1-1. The Bruins 6-2 offense fired on all cylinders, as four players tallied three kills apiece, while Stanford could muster only eight kills in the set.

With the score tied at 11-11, UCLA won seven of the next 10 points to go up for good. A service error by Arnitz brought the Cardinal back within two at 21-19, but the visitors closed the set on a 4-1 run that featured four kills by as many different players. Rakestraw and Vega recorded three kills each in the set, but the Cardinal was less efficient on offense and allowed the Bruins to sideout at 80 percent.

Stanford claimed the third set 25-22, closing out the frame on an 8-4 run. Though the Cardinal took an early 6-3 lead, UCLA battled back to tie the score at 9-9, and inched ahead 18-17 after a barrage of kills by JT Hatch. Arnitz's 13th kill of the match knotted things at 22-22, but kills by Kaminski and senior Alex Stephanus, and combo block by James Shaw and Kaminski sealed the win for the Cardinal.

The duo of Rakestraw and Vega led Stanford once again, as both players poured in four kills and two blocks. Both squads hit well, with Stanford notching a .619 clip on 14 kills to just one error. The Cardinal's real advantage came on the front line, where it recorded eight blocks to UCLA's one.

The fourth set went back-and-forth before Stanford's offensive efficiency and strength at the net finally overpowered the Bruins. Several errors by the Cardinal put the team down 4-1 early, but UCLA committed three of its own errors to tie the set at 4-4. Trailing 15-14, kills by Shaw, Hayden and Vega sent the Cardinal on a 7-3 run, giving the hosts the lead for good. Hayden's sixth kill of the final set and 12th of the match closed the book on UCLA 25-20.

Rakestraw finished with a line of 11-0-15 (.733), and co-led the team with five blocks. Fellow middle blocker Kaminski hit over .600 as well, finishing with nine kills, four blocks and just a single error. In addition to his career-best five blocks, Vega stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 14 kills on .407 hitting to go along with eight digs. Shaw and Evan Enriques led all players with nine digs each. Stanford also out-aced the usually strong-serving Bruins, 6-5.

UCLA, for its part, lost despite an impressive offensive showing, with four players finishing with double-digit kills. Arnitz led the way with 14, Hatch had 12 and Oliver Martin and Michael Ma'a finished with 11 apiece.

Up next, Stanford plays its next three matches on the road, first traveling to UC San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 25 and UC Irvine on Friday, Feb. 26.