April 18, 2005
Stanford, Calif. -
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No. 8 Stanford (11-14/10-12) vs. No. 7 CSUN (17-13/10-12)
7:00 PM (PT), April 20 - Northridge, CA
THIS WEEK: The Cardinal enter the postseason ranked eight in the MPSF ready to face the seventh ranked Matadors of Cal State Northridge. On the year the Cardinal is 1-2 versus the Matadors, with Stanford claiming the most recent match 3-1, on the road.
STANFORD IN THE POLLS: The Cardinal, off to a 11-14 start overall with a 10-12 record in MPSF play held steady at No. 9 in the latest USA Today/AVCA poll.
LAST WEEK: The Stanford Cardinal were unable to hold on to seventh place in the MPSF standing as it dropped two matches to No. 6 ranked BYU, both 1-3. In his final home match, senior Craig Buell led the Cardinal with 20 kills and a .630 attacking percentage. Kevin Hansen (48 assists) and David Vogel (10 digs) also played in their last home matches.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS: Offensively, the Matadors are led by Nils Nielsen's 3.85 kills per game average. Setter Jeff Conover runs the Northridge offense, dishing out 12.41 assists per game. The blocking duo of Brain Waite (113 total blocks/1.21 blocks per game) and Matt Bellante (65 total blocks/0.92 blocks per game) anchor the defense.
BALANCED ATTACK: Stanford relies on a variety of players to provide its offensive firepower. Four Stanford players have at least 200 kills on the season, giving setter Kevin Hansen a wealth of options when the Cardinal need a point. Craig Buell (277 kills/ 3.11 kills per game), Ben Reddy (315 kills/ 3.80 kills per game), David Vogel (281 kills/ 3.02 kills per game), and Chris Ahlfeldt (231 kills) have all led Stanford in kills during the 2005 season.
THE 4000 CLUB: Fifth-year senior setter Kevin Hansen now sits third on Stanford's list of career leaders in assists with 4,985. With fifteen more assists, Hansen will become the third player in Stanfor men's volleyball history to amass 5,000 career assists. Hansen is a three-time All-MPSF selection and was named a third team All-American following the 2004 season. Hansen's 12.85 assists per game ranks ninth all-time among Stanford setters.