Game Notes

Jan. 24, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford hopes to extend its men's volleyball home winning streak to 12 when it plays host to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday in a 7 p.m. match at Maples Pavilion. No. 4 Stanford (5-2, 2-2) is 5-0 at home this season after a convincing four-set victory over UCLA on Tuesday, and plays the No. 10 Gauchos (3-3, 1-2), who are seeking their first road victory.

Follow the Action
• The match will streamed live on a free Webcast. Look for the "Webcast" links on gostanford.com.
• Live stats can be found through the Gametracker links on gostanford.com.
• The match can be heard live on KZSU-2 online radio (kzsulive.stanford.edu) with Alec Winograd on the call.
• As always, admission is free for Stanford men's volleyball.

Week in Review
After a pair of weekend road losses to USC and Pepperdine, Stanford returned home on Tuesday and beat fellow No. 4 UCLA going away, 27-25, 19-25, 25-14, 25-12 on the first home match televised by the Pac-12 Networks. Steven Irvin and Brian Cook had 14 kills and eight digs apiece. Irvin also had four service aces, tying him for fourth on the Stanford single-match list for the rally-scoring era. By snapping a two-match losing streak -- Stanford's longest since 2010 -- the Cardinal avoided losing three straight for the first time since 2007.

Rankings
Stanford dropped two spots in the AVCA Coaches' Poll after its two losses last weekend, from No. 2 into a tie at No. 4 with UCLA. The Cardinal also dropped three spots in the Volleyball Magazine rankings, to No. 5.

Saturday's Opponent, UC Santa Barbara
The No. 10 Gauchos (3-3, 1-2) have lost two consecutive after a three-match winning streak over top-10 teams Lewis (then No. 5) and Loyola-Chicago (No. 10) at its own tournament, and Long Beach State (No. 6) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener. UCSB, two seasons removed from a spot in the 2011 NCAA final, is tied for 10th in the MPSF at 1-2. Chad Kingi leads the conference in digs per set with 2.77.

The UCSB Series
• UCLB holds a 43-30 series lead.
• Stanford hasn't lost to UCSB at Maples Pavilion since Feb. 24, 1988. Stanford is 11-0 in Maples matchups with UCSB in that span (they went 4-4 at Burnham Pavilion).
• Stanford is 8-2 vs. UCSB since 2008.
• Stanford won both matchups last season by a combined 6-1 in sets.

Stanford-UCSB Connections
• Stanford head coach John Kosty played at UCSB from 1985-87, earning All-America honors as a senior.
• Stanford sophomore middle blocker Spencer Haly and freshman setter Joe Ctvrtlik were at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif., with UCSB sophomore outside hitter Weston Nielsen, junior middle blocker Ryan Thompson, and senior middle blocker Dylan Davis.
• Stanford junior middle blocker Eric Mochalski was at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., with UCSB sophomore outside hitter Kevin Donohue and junior opposite Evan Licht.
• Stanford junior outside hitter Steven Irvin was at Loyola High School in Los Angeles with UCSB freshman libero Parker Boehle.
• Stanford senior outside hitter Jake Kneller was at Westlake High School in Westlake Village, Calif., with UCSB freshman setter Jacob Delson.

Starting Lineups
Stanford coach John Kosty has started five different lineups in seven matches. The most common lineup has been used three times, including the past two matches. The Cardinal is 2-1 with James Shaw at setter, Eric Mochalski and Spencer Haly at middle blockers, Brian Cook and Steven Irvin at outside hitters, Daniel Tublin at opposite, and Scott Sakaida at libero.

In the Pros
Five former Stanford All-Americans are playing professionally in Europe:
• Kevin Hansen `04 is a setter for Arkas Izmir of Turkey, which advanced to the European Champions League Playoffs 6 against Poland's Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle. Arkas Izmir beat Poland's PGE Skra Bechatow in the return leg of the Playoffs 12 on Wednesday, advancing on a Golden Set after they split two matches.
• Kawika Shoji `10 is a setter for Berlin Recycling Volleys of Germany, who lost two five-set matches to defending Euro champs Zenit Kazan in the Playoffs 12. BRV is 15-0 in the German Bundesliga with five matches to play.
• Erik Shoji `12, at libero, and Brad Lawson `12, at outside hitter, play for CV Mitteldeutschland of Merseburg, Germany.
• Evan Barry `12 is a setter for Sweden's Orkelljunga Volleybollklubb.