Jan. 4, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford men’s volleyball team opens the 2013 season with nonconference matches on Friday and Saturday, against Grand Canyon and No. 14 George Mason, with both at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal is ranked No. 3 in the AVCA Division I-II preseason poll, which is where it finished the 2012 season after posting a 22-7 record.

Follow the action:
Tickets: Admission is free all season to Stanford men’s volleyball.
Live stats: Follow on Gametracker. Links can be found on gostanford.com.
Webcast: Free live webcasts are available. Look for links on gostanford.com.

Friday’s match: No. 3 Stanford vs. Grand Canyon, at Maples Pavilion, 7 p.m.
A look at Grand Canyon: The ‘Lopes of Phoenix, Ariz., are coming off their best season since taking up the sport in 2009. Grand Canyon went 15-17 overall and placed a program-best fourth in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. They are predicted to finish fourth again this season. The ‘Lopes return 11 letterwinners, including outside hitter Ben Ponnet, a first-team All-MIVA selection last year and member of the Belgian national team.

Saturday’s match: Stanford vs. No. 14 George Mason, at Maples Pavilion, 7 p.m.
A look at George Mason: The Patriots of Fairfax, Va., enters the season ranked No. 14 after advancing to the finals of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament during a 13-17 season in 2012. The Patriots were also picked to finish second in the EIVA this season, collecting one first-place vote and 16 points to finish behind Penn State. Coach Fred Chao, in his 15th season, returns all but one player, including all three All-EIVA selections: outside hitters Michael Kvidahl and Mark Jones, and middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski.

Here is a capsule look at the 2013 Cardinal:

Coach: John Kosty, seventh season.

Top Returners: Brian Cook (Jr., OH/Opp., 6-5, All-MPSF Second Team), Steven Irvin (Jr., OH, 6-5, All-MPSF Honorable Mention), Eric Mochalski (Jr., MB, 6-5, All-MPSF Honorable Mention), Jake Kneller (Sr., OH, 6-1).

Newcomers: Joe Ctvrtlik (Fr., S, 6-2), Madison Hayden (Fr., OH, 6-3), Conrad Kaminski (Fr., M, 6-7), James Shaw (Fr., S/OH, 6-7), Alex Stephanus (Fr., MB /Opp., 6-6), Gabriel Vega (Fr., OH, 6-7).

Top Players Lost: Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, First-ever Four-Time AVCA First-Team All-America, All-MPSF First Team), Brad Lawson (OH, 6-7, Three-Time AVCA First-Team All-America, All-MPSF First Team), Evan Barry (S, 6-3, AVCA Second-Team All-America, All-MPSF Second Team), Gus Ellis (MB, 6-6, Four-Year Starter).