STANFORD, Calif. - No. 11 Stanford (0-1) travels to Phoenix for the First Point Collegiate Challenge, Jan. 17-18. The Cardinal will face No. 6 Loyola Chicago (1-1) on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT and No. 16 Ball State (3-0) on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT at the Phoenix Convention Center. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford fell in straight sets to then-No. 12 Lewis in its season opener on Jan. 10. Opposite Moses Wagner led the Cardinal with 12 kills and six digs against the Flyers.
COACHES POLL: Stanford was picked to finish fourth in the MPSF by the league’s coaches. UCLA, which received four first-place votes, was selected to win the MPSF regular season title for a fifth straight year. Pepperdine and USC tied for second, garnering four and two first-place votes, respectively.
2025 IN REVIEW: In his 19th season at the helm of the program, The Birkhofer Family Head Men’s Volleyball Coach John Kosty guided the Cardinal to a 13-15 overall record and a 4-8 mark in the MPSF (7th). The Cardinal advanced to the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament for a fourth straight season - its first time doing so in program history. Opposite Moses Wagner was named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team. The junior averaged 3.77 kills on .305 hitting, 0.92 blocks and 4.50 point per set in three postseason matches. The Cardinal, which was ranked every week during the 2025 campaign, finished the season at No. 13 in the AVCA poll.
INCOMING CLASS: In November, Stanford signed four high school standouts to join the Cardinal in the fall of 2026. The group consists of Peter Debiec (Cary, N.C.), Declan Flanagan (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), Aleksey Mikhailenko (Mequon, Wis.) and Lincoln Myers (Madison, Wis.).
U23 TRAINING ROSTER: Alex Rottman, who redshirted the 2025 campaign, and Theo Snoey were named to the 21-man roster for the United States U23 National Team. The group trained for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, July 27-August 4, in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
LEGACY CEMENTED: Matt Fuerbringer (‘97) was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in October of 2024. He became the fifth men’s volleyball player to receive the prestigious honor. A member of the 1997 NCAA championship team, he was the AVCA National Freshman of the Year in 1994 and a four-time All-American. He was an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team, helping lead the Americans to bronze medals in 2016 and 2024. Fuerbringer now serves as the head coach of League One Volleyball (LOVB) Madison, a U.S. women’s professional team which began its second season on January 7.
HEAD COACH JOHN KOSTY: Stanford head coach John Kosty completed his 19th season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 35th overall on staff in 2025. He is now 273-239 in his career. He 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 nine of the 19 seasons under Kosty. Stanford has appeared in the MPSF Tournament in 17 of Kosty’s 20 seasons (missing out in 2007 and 2015. The tournament was canceled in 2020).