SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Led by outside hitters Gabriel Vega and Jordan Ewert, the ninth-ranked Stanford men's volleyball team swept McKendree, 25-17, 25-21, 25-21, Saturday, at the Asics/South Coast Inn-vitational in Rob Gym.
Vega (15) and Ewert (11) combined for 26 of the team's 44 kills. Freshman setter Paul Bischoff controlled the offense with 37 assists as the Cardinal (3-0) hit a season-high .427. The Wheaton, Illinois native also stuffed the Bearcats (0-4) to seal the second set for Stanford.
Stanford's serve frequently kept McKendree out of system. The Cardinal totaled 11 aces overall, including three apiece by Vega, Matt Klassen and Kyle Dagostino.
Redshirt junior middle blocker Kevin Rakestraw registered seven kills on .500 hitting. He also came up with two big digs on the same rally late in the third, sparking some added energy from the bench.
Stanford's other middle, freshman Stephen Moye, also hit .500 (5-1-8) and notched three blocks. Klassen chipped in with five kills, two digs and two blocks. Junior libero Evan Enriques collected a match-high six digs.
McKendree was led by senior Maalik Walker's eight kills and four digs. Nolan Rueter registered seven kills on .385 hitting and four blocks for the Bearcats.
Up next, Stanford will host defending national champion Ohio State for its home openers, Jan. 13-14. Friday's match will be played in Maples Pavilion and televised on Pac-12 Network.
