STANFORD, Calif. – Despite a double-double from senior Jordan Ewert, No. 9 Stanford suffered its first setback of the season, dropping a 30-28, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23 contest to No. 2 UC Irvine, Saturday, at Maples Pavilion.
Ewert, an outside hitter from Antioch, registered his first double-double of the season with 19 kills on .350 hitting and a career-high 17 digs. Trailing 17-11 in the fourth set, Ewert's play sparked a comeback that fell just short of forcing a fifth.
Stanford (5-1), which was out to its best start to a season since 2001, hit .370 for the match and racked up 49 digs. UC Irvine (6-1) posted a .391 attack percentage and again out blocked the Cardinal, 9.5-6.0. Despite hitting well, Stanford struggled to side out at times and had trouble with the Anteaters' serve.
Ewert out of the back row! Watch on @Pac12Network.
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) January 20, 2019
S2: ?? 19, ???? 17#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/DmX5YjThzy
Setter Paul Bischoff controlled the offense with 58 assists and had seven digs. Sophomore opposite Jaylen Jasper finished with a match-high 21 kills to go with four digs and two blocks. Junior outside hitter Eric Beatty added 10 kills on 19 swings with just one error to hit a season-high .474.
The Cardinal received offensive efficiency from both its middles. Stephen Moye and Kyler Presho combined for 16 kills and just one hitting miscue. Libero Kyle Dagostino finished with a season-high 12 digs.
Ewert and Presho send it ??! Watch on @Pac12Network.
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) January 20, 2019
S1: ?? 14, ???? 14#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/a7Ac7V61qs
UC Irvine had five players record double-digit kills, led by senior opposite Karl Apfelbach's 17 kills on .405 hitting. Middle blocker Scott Stadick, who was relatively quiet offensively in Thursday's match, hit .562 with 10 kills and had three blocks on Saturday.
Stanford closes out its eight-match homestand next week, playing host to Purdue Fort Wayne for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday.