Nonconference TiltNonconference Tilt
Karen Ambrose Hickey/Stanford Athletics
Men's Volleyball

Nonconference Tilt


No. 8 Stanford (12-6) at No. 1 Long Beach State (15-0)
Friday • 7 p.m.
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com


No. 8 Stanford (12-6) at UC San Diego (6-11)
Saturday • 7 p.m.
Live Stream • ESPN3
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

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IN THE POLL: Stanford remained at No. 8 in this week's AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches' Poll - matching its highest mark of the season. For the 12th consecutive year, the Cardinal was ranked to start the season. Five MPSF squads are ranked in the top 15 of this week's poll.

ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE: Long Beach State is 15-0 to start the year and has dropped just one set all season (Jan. 25 vs. USC). The Beach leads the nation in aces per set (2.26) and is second nationally with a .439 attack percentage. Senior setter Josh Tuaniga controls the offense with 10.60 assists per set, while senior Kyle Ensing paces the team with 3.47 kills per set on .375 hitting. Senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco adds 3.28 kills per set on a .433 attack percentage and is third in the nation with 0.63 aces per set. The Cardinal has dropped three straight against the Beach, including a pair of sweeps last season. Stanford's most recent win came on April 2, 2016 in a four-set victory at Maples Pavilion. The last time the Cardinal won at the Pyramid was Feb. 10, 2012 (3-2).

ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO: UC San Diego is 6-11 heading into the week and host Concordia on Friday before taking on the Cardinal. The Tritons are hitting .215 as a team and posting 1.85 blocks per set. Sophomore outside hitter Wyatt Harrison paces the team with 3.41 kills and 1.14 digs per set. Sophomore opposite Collin Shannon adds 2.82 kills and 1.36 digs per set. Junior libero Ryan Lew anchors the defense with 2.30 digs per set. Stanford swept UC San Diego on Feb. 23 at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal was led by senior Jordan Ewert, who had a match-high 14 kills on .500 hitting.
 


MPSF PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Stanford was four-for-four in the month of January in player of the week recognition from the MPSF, and now has six awards for the season. 

Jan. 7 - Jaylen Jasper (Offensive)
Jan. 14 - Paul Bischoff (Defensive)
Jan. 21 - Jordan Ewert (Offensive)
Jan. 28 - Kyle Dagostino (Defensive)
Feb. 18 - Jaylen Jasper (Offensive); Kyle Dagostino (Defensive)

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Stanford ranks in the top 10 nationally in assists per set (3rd, 12.54), kills per set (3rd, 13.23) and hitting percentage (5th, .327). Individually, junior Paul Bischoff is fourth nationally in assists per set (10.53), while sophomore Jaylen Jasper is 11th in kills per set (3.83) and 15th in points per set (4.37).

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 was second. Pepperdine came in 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.
 


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. In 2019, the Cardinal has used just three different starting lineups.

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 seeds 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 is in his 13th season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 29th overall on staff in 2019. He is now 203-154 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).