No. 8 Stanford (7-1) at No. 2 Hawaii (3-0)
Friday • 9 p.m. PT
Live Stream • BigWest.TV
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com
No. 8 Stanford (7-1) at No. 2 Hawaii (3-0)
Sunday • 8 p.m. PT
Live Stream • BigWest.TV
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com
Complete Release (PDF)
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IN THE POLL: Stanford remained at No. 8 in this week's AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches' Poll. For the 12th consecutive year, the Cardinal was ranked to start the season. Five MPSF squads are ranked in the top 10 of this week's poll.
ABOUT HAWAII: No. 2 Hawaii is 3-0 to start the season, but has not played since Jan. 12. The Warriors are hitting .493 as a team and have not dropped a set in wins over NJIT, Concordia and USC. UH and Stanford did not play last season, marking the first time since 1980 that the teams did not meet. The Warriors hold a 41-38 advantage in the series, most recently winning a pair of matches at the Stan Sheriff Center in 2017. Stanford's last wins came during the 2016 campaign on The Farm.
MPSF PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Stanford is four-for-four this season in player of the week recognition from the MPSF. Fifth-year senior Kyle Dagostino is the most recent recipient, collecting defensive accolades on Jan. 28. The libero led the team with 3.14 digs per set in a pair of wins over No. 15 Purdue Fort Wayne. Sophomore Jaylen Jasper and senior Jordan Ewert were named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 7 and Jan. 21, respectively, while setter Paul Bischoff took home defensive honors on Jan. 14.
First of @lil_dag's career, fourth ?? to earn player of the week honors this season!
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) January 29, 2019
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STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Stanford ranks in the top 10 nationally in kills per set (4th, 13.54), assists per set (4th, 12.75), hitting percentage (6th, .340) and digs per set (10th, 9.36). Individually, junior Paul Bischoff is fourth in assists per set (10.70), while sophomore Jaylen Jasper is eighth in kills per set (4.04) and 11th in kills per set (4.79). Redshirt senior Kyle Dagostino is 17th in digs per set at 2.25.
COACHES POLL: Stanford was picked to finish fourth in the MPSF by the league's coaches prior to the start of the 2019 season. UCLA, which received six first-place votes, was selected to win the MPSF, while BYU collected the remaining first-place vote and came in second and Pepperdine was third.
OFF THE BLOCK PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Sophomore Jaylen Jasper landed on the Off The Block/Springbak Preseason All-America second team. Libero Kyle Dagostino received votes, which were collected from coaches around the nation. Additionally, several Cardinal were named to preseason watch lists:
Paul Bischoff, Jr. (Lloy Ball Award - best setter)
Jaylen Jasper, So. (Bryan Ivie Award - best opposite)
Jordan Ewert, Sr. (Karch Kiraly Award - best outside hitter)
Kyler Presho, So. (Ryan Millar Award - best middle blocker)
Kyle Dagostino, RS Sr. (Erik Shoji Award - best libero)
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE: Kyle Dagostino represented the U.S. in its seventh-place finish at the Pan American Cup in Mexico over the summer. Jaylen Jasper, Kyler Presho and JP Reilly all competed on the U.S. Junior National Team, which took fourth at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Cuba. Freshman Justin Lui, who hails from Pickering, Ontario, played for Canada at the U21 Continental Championship.
.@JamesWalkerShaw led the U.S. ???? to a 7th-place finish at the Pan Am Cup in Mexico, while Jaylen Jasper was named the 'Best Server' for the Junior National Team in Cuba. #GoStanfordhttps://t.co/R4SjK45QYQ
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) September 3, 2018
2018 RECAP: Stanford finished the 2018 campaign 6-20 overall and 3-9 in the MPSF. The Cardinal did not have one single match where all 18 players on the roster were available. Stanford made its 10th postseason appearance under head coach John Kosty, who completed his 12th season at the helm of the program. The Cardinal produced four all-conference selections and two AVCA All-Americans.
WHO'S IN?: With injuries and a young roster, Stanford struggled to find a consistent lineup in 2018. The Cardinal utilized 12 different starting lineups during the season. Middle blocker Kyler Presho was the only Cardinal to start all 26 matches at the same position last year. It has been the opposite in 2019, the Cardinal has used just two different starting lineup in all its eight matches.
NEW-LOOK MPSF: Last season, each MPSF team played 12 conference matches, featuring a home and away against each opponent. The 2019 MPSF Tournament will begin with seed two, three and four hosting a quarterfinal match on April 13. The conference semifinals will be played at the No. 1 seed. The MPSF Tournament winner will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
HEAD COACH JOHN KOSTY: Stanford head coach John Kosty enters his 13th season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 29th overall on staff in 2019. He is now 198-149 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 11 seasons under Kosty. Stanford has appeared in the MPSF Tournament in 10 of Kosty's 12 seasons (missing out in 2007 and 2015).