LOS ANGELES – Coming off a pair of thrilling comeback wins last week, the sixth-ranked Stanford men's volleyball team suffered a 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 setback at USC, Thursday at the Galen Center.
Stanford (8-5, 5-3 MPSF) was held to a season-low .089 attack percentage by USC (4-9, 3-7 MPSF), which hit .286. The Trojans held a 10.5 to 6.0 advantage in blocks, while both teams collected 32 digs and recorded two aces.
Stanford fell behind in the first two sets early on and was unable to recover from costly hitting errors. The Cardinal held a 13-10 lead midway through the third, but the Trojans utilized a 6-2 run to take the lead which it would not relinquish.
Reigning MPSF Player of the Week Jordan Ewert let Stanford with 12 kills, eight digs and an ace, but posted a .156 attack percentage. Redshirt senior Gabriel Vega added 10 kills and two blocks. The duo combined for 22 of the Cardinal's 32 kills.
Freshman Paul Bischoff was back in the starting line-up, but again shared setting duties with junior Kyle Dagostino. Bischoff finished with 14 assists, four digs, a kill and an ace, while Dagostino tallied 12 assists, five digs and a block. Junior libero Evan Enriques anchored the defense with 10 digs, marking the third straight match he was in double-digits and the sixth overall.
USC was led by senior outside hitter Lucas Yoder, who finished with a match-high 15 kills on .222 hitting. Woody Cook chipped in with 10 kills on a .316 attack percentage, while libero Matt Douglas racked-up 10 digs. All three of USC's MPSF wins have come over opponents ranked in the top 6 in the nation.
Stanford completes the road swing at Cal Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 18. First serve between the Cardinal and Lancers is slated for 7 p.m.
