Jan. 12, 2006

Stanford, Calif. -

THIS WEEK: Stanford men's volleyball (1-3, 0-0 MPSF) travels south to open up their MPSF schedule against Pepperdine (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) and USC (1-2, 0-0 MPSF). Pepperdine is the defending National Champions, and will open their 2006 season hosting the Cardinal. USC placed fifth at last weekend's UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament with a 1-2 record. Although the Cardinal was also in the tournament, the two teams did not meet.

Stanford beat USC in both of their matches last year with match scores of 3-0 and 3-1. Pepperdine was victorious in both meetings with the Cardinal last season; both with match scores of 3-1.

STANFORD IN THE POLLS: The Cardinal, off to a 1-3 start overall, start the season with a No. 15 ranking in the January 9, 2006 USA Today/AVCA poll.

LAST WEEK: Stanford opened the 2006 season by posting a 3-0 win over UC Santa Cruz. The Cardinal then competed in the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament where they lost to conference foes UCLA, UC Irvine, and Pacific.

SCOUTING THE WAVES: Pepperdine, the 2005 National Champions, opens their 2006 campaign hosting the Cardinal. The Waves return two 2005 All-Americans: senior middle blocker Andy Hein, and sophomore setter Jonathan Winder.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS: USC enters the weekend after posting a 1-2 record at the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament, good enough for a fifth place finish. The Trojans are currently ranked No. 12 along with Pacific in the USA Today/AVCA poll.