Cardinal Falters Against UCICardinal Falters Against UCI
Mike Rasay
Men's Volleyball

Cardinal Falters Against UCI

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – Despite 13 kills from redshirt senior Gabriel Vega, the No. 9 Stanford men's volleyball team dropped a 25-23, 31-29, 21-25, 25-19 decision to No. 5 UC Irvine, Friday, at Maples Pavilion.
 
UC Irvine (17-6, 11-5 MPSF) overpowered Stanford (11-11, 6-9 MPSF) in the fourth set to end the Cardinal's hope of a comeback after falling behind 0-2. The Anteaters hit .352 for the match, while holding Stanford to a .269 clip.
 
Stanford welcomed back members of its 1997 NCAA championship team during a special ceremony between the second and third sets. The 2017 season marks the 20th anniversary of the Cardinal's first men's volleyball national title.
 

 
Freshman setter Paul Bischoff kept all of the Stanford hitters involved, dishing out 43 assists to go with five digs, four blocks and three kills. Junior libero Evan Enriques anchored the defense against the Anteaters with a match-high 12 digs, marking the 12th time this season he has reached double digits.
 


Three Cardinal players finished with nine kills each – Kevin Rakestraw, Clay Jones and Jacob Thoenen. Recording the third-highest hitting percentage by a Cardinal player this season at .615 (minimum 10 attempts), Rakestraw also collected a team-high six blocks. Thoenen's nine kills set a career-high, while he also put down a career-best three aces.
 
Redshirt junior Colin McCall, who started for the third time this season, hit .333 with seven kills on 15 swings with just two errors. He also notched two aces, three blocks and two digs. Junior Kyle Dagostino appeared in all four sets, serving for Jones. He finished with two digs and an assist.
 
As a team, Stanford collected 10.5 blocks and 26 digs, while UC Irvine recorded 8.0 blocks and 27 digs. The Anteaters were led offensively by Thomas Hodges (18 kills, .333) and Aaron Koubi (16 kills, .462).
 
Stanford plays its final regular season home match on Saturday against UC San Diego at 6 p.m. The Cardinal will honor Vega, Jones and McCall in a Senior Night ceremony after the match.