January 7, 1999

Thurs., Jan. 7  Sacramento State    Stanford, Calif.    7 p.m.

OPENING THE DOORS: The Cardinal will begin the 1999 season with an exhibition match vs. the Sacramento State Hornets. Although Stanford lost four seniors to graduation, it returns one of the country's best tandems of outside hitters in Gabe Gardner and Andy Witt, both who trained with the U.S. National Team this summer.

1998 FALL SEASON: Injuries set the tone for the fall season, as six players were sidelined with numerous ailments. Everyone is healthy to start the season, with the exception of Chris Griffith, who is still recovering from fall knee surgery. The team competed in the Canadian/American Challenge in Edmonton, Alberta in mid-October. The team also scrimmaged with Pacific twice, losing in Stockton(Oct. 31), but making up for that with a victory at home (Nov. 13). Andy Witt posted 46 kills in both Pacific matches while Gabe Gardner added 42.

1998 IN REVIEW: The team finished the season ranked eighth in the country and second in the MPSF, sporting a 15-8 record. The team began the season with a seven-match win streak, defeating Pacific twice during that run. The Cardinal swept seven matches while only being swept by Hawaii (March 27 & 28).

THE COACH: Now in his ninth season on The Farm, head coach Ruben Nieves has led the Cardinal to a top-five national ranking for the past five straight years and the 1997 NCAA National Championship, being named National Coach of the Year by Volleyball Magazine and the AVCA. Nieves served four seasons as an assistant coach to Fred Sturm, helping lead Stanford to the NCAA title match in 1989. Nieves was also an assistant to women's head coach Don Shaw when Stanford reached the Final Four in 1986 and '87. Nieves has also played an important role in the development of the U.S. National Team, coaching teams that participated in the World Championships and World University Games. Nieves played under Sturm for two years as a Cardinal setter and defensive specialist.

NATIONAL TEAM TRAINING: Junior outside hitters Gabe Gardner and Andy Witt spent this summer training with the U.S. National Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Gardner, a native of San Clemente, Calif., sat out last season after transfering from USC. In the 15 matches he played in as a Trojan in 1998, Gardner posted 20 or more kills 11 times. Witt, from Santa Ynez, Calif., was a first team All-American last season, leading the team in kills (487), hitting percentage (.362) and kills per game (6.41).

SETTER STANDBY: Sophomore Josh Lukens returns as the starting setter. He trained with the U.S. Junior National Team this past summer. Sophomore Brad Griffith started a half dozen matches last season, while newcomer Larry Witt emerged as a factor during fall training. The competition makes the setter postition the strongest for the Cardinal.

SIBLING RIVALRY: This year's team features three pairs of brothers. Sophomore setter Brad Griffith played with his brother, senior outside hitter Chris, last season. Junior Joshua Palacios will be joined by his younger brother Jonathan, at the middle blocker position. And junior outside hitter Andy Witt might attack a pass from his younger brother, Larry, a freshman who will compete for time at the setter position. In all, 23 brothers and sisters have followed each other's footsteps to play on Cardinal teams over the past 28 years.

HALL OF FAME: On Fri., Jan. 22, Stanford will induct 12 former Cardinal greats into the Unviersity's Athletic Hall of Fame. Included in that group of legends is volleyball's own Scott Fortune. He will become Stanford's first male volleyball player to receive such an honor and only the second -- male or female -- volleyball athlete overall. Fortune was Stanford's starting middle blocker from 1985-89. He redshirted the '88 season and became the only college player on the gold medal-winning 1988 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Seoul, Korea. In fact, he scored the winning point for the gold medal against the USSR. Back on The Farm, Fortune was a two-time First Team All-American. In 1989, he led Stanford to the NCAA Championship match for the first time in school history. That team finished with a 25-6 record and a No. 2 national ranking. Fortune currently ranks first in career digs (976), second in total blocks (402) and fifth in career kills (1,409). For more information about the induction ceremony, please call the Athletic Department at (650) 723-4591.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: This season will mark Stanford's 10th in Burnham Pavilion. The long-time home of Stanford Athletics was converted to office space following the completion of Maples Pavilion in 1969. Burnham Pavilion was returned to the Athletic Department in 1989 as the starting point for an entire athletic complex. Maples Pavilion will also serve as Stanford's home court for the Jan. 29 match vs. Hawaii and the Feb. 26th match vs. Long Beach State. Burhnam's capacity is 1,200 while Maples seats 7,391.

Player Profile: Andy Witt
Junior -- Santa Ynez, Calif.

"Andy is coming off an All-America season. The good news is that both he and I know that he can be even better, more complete, and lead the team to bigger things."
-- head coach Ruben Nieves

In 1998, Witt earned first team All-America honors while leading the team in three categories: kills (487), hitting percentage (.362) and kills per game (6.41). He recorded 30 or more kills in six matches and reached double figures in kills 19 times in 22 matches, including a career-high 51 kills vs. Loyola Marymount last February. He spent this summer training with the U.S. National Team. His younger brother, Larry, joined the team this year.

Career Stats

      G    K    E    TA   Pct.   A  SA    D   TB
    175  945  373  1626  .352   33  59  351  121