STANFORD, Calif. – Senior setter James Shaw has been named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year, the organization announced today.
Joining Shaw (first team) on the all-conference teams are senior middle blocker Conrad Kaminski (first), senior outside hitter Madison Hayden (second), sophomore libero Evan Enriques (second) and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Kevin Rakestraw (honorable mention). Stanford’s five selections are its most since 2014, when it placed six on the all-conference teams.
A native of Woodside, California, Shaw is the third Cardinal to earn MPSF Player of the Year honors, joining Canyon Ceman (1993) and Brad Lawson (2010). He is one of two players in the MPSF this season to earn all-conference honors all four years of his career. He was also a first-team pick in 2014 and garnered honorable mention in 2013 and 2015.
After missing half of his junior season due to injuries, Shaw has returned to full form for his final campaign with the Cardinal. He guided the squad to a .334 team hitting percentage during the regular season, ranking second in the MPSF and third in the nation. He is averaging 10.06 assists, 1.25 kills, 1.50 digs, 0.85 blocks and 0.36 aces per set in 2016 while hitting .572. He tallied a season-best 54 assists twice this year, in a five-set win at then-No. 1 BYU (Jan. 15) and versus then-No. 10 CSUN (March 30), and led the team with four double-doubles.
Congrats to @jameswalkershaw, the MPSF Player of the Year! 👏🌲 #GoStanford
A photo posted by Stanford Men's Volleyball (@therealstanfordmvb) on Apr 14, 2016 at 12:14pm PDT
Kaminski, who hails from New Berlin, Wisconsin, picks up his third career All-MPSF accolades after being named to the second team as a sophomore and junior. He leads the team and ranks second in the MPSF and the nation in blocks per set (1.49) and is third in the MPSF in hitting percentage (.482). Kaminski is also third on the team in kills (2.27) and aces (0.26) this season. He had a career-high 15 kills against Pepperdine (March 12) and has tallied two double-doubles this season. He has posted five or more blocks in 14 of the Cardinal’s 24 matches in 2016.
A second-team selection, Hayden is being recognized by the MPSF for the first time in his career. He leads Stanford and ranks fifth in the MPSF with 3.44 kills and 3.99 points per set. He is also second on the squad in aces (25) and third in digs (130). The Huntington Beach, California native has two double-doubles on the year and has led the Cardinal in kills in 13 times this season. He had a career-high 24 kills on .462 hitting in the upset over then-No. 1 BYU (Jan. 15), and hit a career-best .667 (14-2-18) against then-No. 10 UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 19).
Enriques, a sophomore from Punalu’u, Hawaii, collects his first career All-MPSF honors, and is one of just three liberos recognized on the all-conference teams. He leads the MPSF and ranks 10th nationally with 2.59 digs per set. He has notched double-digit digs in nine matches this season, including a career-high 18 at then-No. 2 Long Beach State (Feb. 6). Additionally, he holds a .965 reception rate for the season.
Rakestraw, who has been solid for the Cardinal in the middle this season, receives honorable mention recognition for the first time in his career. He ranks fifth in the MPSF in hitting percentage (.482) and 10th in blocks per set (1.02). He has notched a career-best 11 kills on three occasions this season, and produced five or more blocks eight times.
No. 5 Stanford plays host to sixth-ranked UC Santa Barbara in the MPSF quarterfinals on Saturday, April 16 at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion. Tickets are available in-person or online at gostanford.com/tickets.