Stanford (3-15, 1-6 MPSF) vs. UC San Diego (9-9, 0-2 Big West) | Friday • 7 p.m.
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Stanford (3-15, 1-6 MPSF) vs. No. 3 UC Irvine (11-4, 1-1 Big Wesst) | Saturday • 7 p.m.
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THIS WEEK: Stanford (3-15, 1-6 MPSF) takes a break from conference play to host UC San Diego (9-9, 0-2 Big West) on Friday and No. 3 UC Irvine (11-4, 1-1 Big West) on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion.
ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO: UC San Diego is coming off a four-set win over USC on Wednesday. The Tritons are fourth in the nation in digs per set (10.12) and assists per set (12.04). Senior opposite Tanner Syftestad continues to lead the country in kills per set (4.90), while freshman Wyatt Harrison is second on the squad with 2.23 kills per set. Senior setter Milosh Stojcic controls the offense and is ninth in the nation with 10.09 assists per set.
ABOUT UC IRVINE: No. 3 UC Irvine halted a three-match losing skid last week with a four-set win at then-No. 3 Hawai'i. The Anteaters will face No. 10 Ball State on Thursday before making the trip up to The Farm. UCI is third nationally with a .346 hitting percentage and also averages 2.33 blocks and 8.20 digs per set. Junior opposite Karl Apfelbach leads the team and is seventh in the country with 4.11 kills per set. Sophomore middle blocker Scott Stadick is second nationally with 1.31 blocks per set.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford dropped home matches to No. 3 UCLA (3-1) and No. 8 Pepperdine (3-0). Freshman opposite Jaylen Jasper averaged 4.57 kills and 1.43 digs per set in the two matches. Sophomore Mason Tufuga filled in for an injured Russell Dervay at setter, posting 9.14 assists per set. Senior libero Evan Enriques collected 2.43 digs per set in the two matches.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Stanford ranks 15th as a team nationally with 12.08 kills per set and 22nd with a .246 team hitting percentage. Individually, redshirt senior Kevin Rakestraw is 17th with a .376 attack percentage, while senior Evan Enriques is 18th with 2.29 digs per set.
DEFENSIVE HONOR: Senior Evan Enriques was voted the MPSF Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Jan. 15 for his efforts at Ohio State and Ball State. The libero averaged 3.14 digs per set and did not commit a reception error in the two matches. He tied his season-high with 15 digs against the Buckeyes and followed up with seven digs and a season-best six assists versus the Cardinals.
Well-deserved honor for senior Evan Enriques ?? #GoStanfordhttps://t.co/1RVr0Q7BAw
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) January 16, 2018
WHO'S IN?: With injuries and a young roster, Stanford has struggled to find a consistent lineup. The Cardinal has utilized nine different starting lineups in its 18 matches. Freshman middle blocker Kyler Presho is the only Cardinal to start all 18 matches at the same position this season.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Freshman middle blocker Kyler Presho is the son of UC Irvine assistant coach Mark Presho. The elder Presho is in his 14th season with the Anteaters and has been on the sidelines for all four of UCI's national championships. An All-American at Hawai'i, Mark went on to play on the national team and then had a successful beach volleyball career.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Senior libero Evan Enriques is one of four in his immediate family to currently be playing collegiate men's volleyball. His younger brother, Emmett, is a junior libero at CSUN, while twins Addison and Avery are freshmen at Concordia and Grand Canyon, respectively.
Volleyball Is All In The Family for Enriques Brothers @StanfordMVB @CSUNMensVB @CUIeagles @GCU_MVolleyball https://t.co/0Bap4KB384 pic.twitter.com/kj3jsy1Dkr
— VolleyMob (@VolleyMob) February 14, 2018
NEW-LOOK MPSF: Each MPSF team will play 12 conference matches this season, featuring a home and away against each opponent. The 2018 MPSF Tournament begins with seed two, three and four hosting a quarterfinal match on April 14. The conference semifinals will be played on April 19 at the No. 1 seed. Semifinal winners will meet on April 21 for the championship with an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line.
NEWCOMERS: Freshmen JP Reilly (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Leo Henken (Webster Grove, Mo.) were named AVCA First and Second Team High School All-Americans, respectively. Jaylen Jasper (Annapolis, Md.), whose high school did not offer boys' volleyball, was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2017, as voted on for VolleyballMag.com, while Kyler Presho (San Clemente, Calif.) rounds out the Cardinal's freshman class.
2017 RECAP: Stanford finished the 2017 campaign 13-13 overall and 8-10 in the MPSF. After being picked to finish seventh by the MPSF coaches, Stanford tied for sixth and secured its ninth postseason appearance under head coach John Kosty. The Cardinal produced four all-conference selections and two AVCA All-Americans.
HEAD COACH JOHN KOSTY: Stanford head coach John Kosty is in his 12th season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 28th overall on staff. He is 190-143 in his career and has guided Stanford to the 2010 NCAA national championship and the 2014 NCAA finals. The Cardinal has produced a first team AVCA All-America selection in eight of the past 10 seasons under Kosty. Stanford has appeared in the MPSF Tournament in nine of Kosty's 11 seasons (missing out in 2007 and 2015).