STANFORD, Calif. – Utilizing a 6-1 run down the stretch, No. 9 Stanford swept No. 6 Grand Canyon, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20, Friday, in Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (12-10, 5-4 MPSF) came out hot offensively, hitting .619 in the first and .435 in the second en route to a .397 clip for the match. The Cardinal held the Lopes (21-5, 6-5 MPSF) to a season-low .122 attack percentage.
The changeup by Lamp ??#GoStanford #NCAAMVB pic.twitter.com/KKHvCrzfuX
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 8, 2023
Outside hitter Kevin Lamp led Stanford with 11 kills on .381 hitting, five digs and matched his career-high with three aces. Senior Will Rottman added nine kills on .300 hitting, an ace and a career-best five blocks. As a team, Stanford posted 11.0 blocks – tied for its second-best output of the season.
So many good things happening here ????#GoStanford #NCAAMVB pic.twitter.com/4zImZuho09
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 8, 2023
Setter Nathan Lietzke dished out 32 assists and was a perfect 5-0-5 offensively. The senior also tied for a match-best six digs. Freshman opposite Theo Snoey chipped in with six kills, an ace, five digs and matched his career-high with five blocks, including two solo. Redshirt senior libero Justin Lui finished with three digs and three assists.
Get you a setter who can do both ??#GoStanford #NCAAMVB pic.twitter.com/L47zSpRyCq
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 8, 2023
Cardinal middle blockers Ethan Hill and Nathaniel Gates combined for nine kills on 13 swings with just one miscue. The reigning MPSF Defensive Player of the Week, Gates registered a match-high six blocks and tallied four kills on five errorless swings (.800). Hill finished with five kills on .500 hitting to go with a pair of blocks.
Junior Aidan Peters came off the bench as a serving sub in all three sets. With the Card down 16-15 in the third, Peters dropped in an ace to tie it up. His next serve was returned on the first touch by GCU and Lietzke put away the overpass. Peters then recorded a dig that led to a kill by Lamp giving the Cardinal the 18-16 lead.
Peters making a difference off the bench ??#GoStanford #NCAAMVB pic.twitter.com/IRdQM5118k
— Stanford Men's Volleyball (@StanfordMVB) April 8, 2023
Playing in its first road match since Feb. 24, GCU was led by outside hitters Christian Janke and Jackson Hickman, who had eight kills apiece.
With three regular season matches remaining, Stanford is currently in third place in the MPSF standings behind UCLA (9-0) and BYU (6-4). The Cardinal will host the MPSF Tournament, April 19-20, 22, in Maples Pavilion.
Stanford and GCU meet again on Saturday for Senior Night. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. Admission is free.