STANFORD, Calif. – Career-high performances by seniors Jordan Ewert and Kyle Dagostino weren't enough as No. 8 Stanford dropped an 18-25, 25-16, 26-24, 19-25, 16-14 decision to No. 12 BYU, Saturday, in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament at Maples Pavilion.
Ewert posted a career-best 28 kills on .412 hitting and notched 10 digs for his team-best fifth double-double of the season. Dagostino racked up a career-high 16 digs to go with seven assists in his last match in a Cardinal uniform.
Stanford (15-11) lost for the first time this season when out hitting its opponent (.345 to .307). The Cardinal also held a 10.0 to 8.0 advantage in blocks and a 51-48 edge in digs. BYU (13-11) recorded seven aces to 11 errors, while Stanford had three aces and 16 errors from the line.
The Cardinal came out on fire, winning the opening set with ease. Ewert and sophomore Jaylen Jasper put up five kills each in the first, and Stanford held the Cougars to a .194 attack percentage.
Jasper from Ewert, timeout BYU!
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 14, 2019
S4: ?? 16, ?? 12#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/PCTgHViYek
BYU responded in the second, jumping out to a 6-0 lead before the Cardinal scored a point. Stanford hit .333 in the second set, but sided out at a rate of just 50 percent.
Setter Paul Bischoff dished out 56 assists and collected seven digs and three blocks. The junior also tallied a career-high with six kills on eight errorless swings to hit .750. Jasper finished with his third double-double of the year, totaling 16 kills and a career-high 13 digs.
Bischoff has 4 kills on 5 attempts, including this ??.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/5WfqFnny4T
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 14, 2019
It was back-and-forth in the third set, which had 13 tie scores and seven lead changes. The Cougars went on a 6-0 run to pull ahead 18-13. The Cardinal answered, cutting the BYU to 20-19. The Cougars had match-point at 24-21, but Stanford rallied with Jasper at the service line to force extra points. However, an attack error by Ewert and a kill by MPSF Freshman of the Year Davide Gardini gave BYU a 2-1 lead in the match.
Sophomore middle blocker Kyler Presho recorded nine kills and four blocks for the Cardinal. Junior outside hitter Eric Beatty added seven kills, four blocks and three digs, while junior Stephen Moye chipped in with four kills, five blocks and two aces.
?? @lil_dag with the pancake, sets up a Beatty kill!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/jKwnWj9s5Z
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 14, 2019
Stanford forced the decisive fifth set with a 25-19 win in the fourth. The Cardinal hit .481 in the set and sided out at a rate of 89 percent.
Gardini led BYU with 23 kills, while opposite Gabi Garcia Fernandez had 18 kills, 11 digs and two aces. Middle blocker Felipe de Brito Ferreira hit .619 with 14 kills and four blocks. BYU advances to the MPSF semifinals and will face top-seeded and host Pepperdine on Thursday in Firestone Fieldhouse.