STANFORD, Calif. – Freshman Jaylen Jasper tied his career high with 27 kills on .409 hitting to propel Stanford to a five-set win over No. 13 Grand Canyon, Thursday, at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford had match-point at 14-12 in the fifth, but allowed the Lopes to crawl back in it and take a 15-14 advantage. From there, the teams traded points back and forth until Jasper and Kevin Rakestraw recorded back-to-back kills to give Stanford the 23-21 win in the fifth.
For the first time this season, Stanford (5-17, 2-7 MPSF) also had the services of both setter Paul Bischoff and outside hitter Jordan Ewert. Both had not played since January, and neither had played in the same matches together this season.
Bischoff racked-up a career-high 62 assists and guided the offense to a .326 attack percentage – just the fifth time this season it was above .300. The sophomore, who played for the first time since January 13, was also solid defensively, finishing with seven digs and four blocks.
?? Bischoff & Presho team up on this block.
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) March 30, 2018
Welcome back, Paul ?? #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/QNNuOJOVBB
Stanford is now 5-2 when outhitting its opponents this season. Grand Canyon (16-9, 3-7 MPSF) finished with a .255 attack percentage and 13.5 blocks. The Cardinal tied its season-high with 10.0 team blocks with freshman Kyler Presho leading the way with a career-best seven.
Rakestraw registered 16 kills on .636 hitting and had three blocks. Ewert, who last played on January 6, totaled 10 kills and six digs in his return. Presho added nine kills on a .438 attack percentage for the Cardinal.
?? Ewert out of the back row!
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) March 30, 2018
Cardinal up 17-14 in the second vs. GCU #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/9KroDqSGOX
Senior libero Evan Enriques, who faced off against younger brother and one of Grand Canyon's liberos Avery, had six digs and three assists in the win. Freshman Leo Henken, who made his 10th start at outside hitter this season, totaled five kills, six digs and two blocks.
Grand Canyon was led by fifth-year senior Cullen Mosher's 17 kills, while redshirt senior Ashton King added 11 kills and eight blocks.
Stanford closes out the home portion of its regular season on Saturday against No. 14 Concordia. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. in Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal will recognize its three seniors with a ceremony following the match.