Feb. 9, 2012

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Stanford’s ambition to remain in contention in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball race will be met by the one team the Cardinal could not beat last year – Long Beach State.

No. 4 Stanford (7-2 overall, 4-1 MPSF) faces two of its most difficult foes of recent years during a weekend at No. 9 Long Beach State (5-4, 1-3) and No. 12 Cal State Northridge (3-6, 1-4).

Last season, Stanford lost all three matches to Long Beach State, including at home in a five-set thriller in the first round of the MPSF tournament. Cal State Northridge beat Stanford 16 of 19 times from 2004-10, though the Cardinal has since won their past three meetings.

This Week:
Friday: No. 4 Stanford (7-2, 4-1) at No. 9 Long Beach State (5-4, 1-3), 7 p.m.
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Saturday: Stanford at No. 12 Cal State Northridge (3-6, 1-4), 7:30 p.m.
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The MPSF Race: Stanford enters the weekend second in the MPSF at 4-1, trailing only UCLA at 6-0. Four teams have two or fewer losses, including BYU (5-2) and UC Irvine (3-2).

Road Trip Continues: Stanford already has covered the longest distances of its 10-match, 40-day, 7,617-mile road stretch – the Columbus, Ohio, and Provo, Utah, sections. All that remains are two Southern California weekends before Stanford finally plays its conference home opener, Feb. 24 against Pepperdine, after playing its first nine conference matches on the road. Stanford is 4-2 on the trip so far, including 3-1 in MPSF play.

Sweep of No. 1: After winning in four on Friday and three on Saturday, Stanford became the first MPSF team since 2002 to sweep BYU in a two-match series in Provo. The accomplishment was even more remarkable considering that Stanford hadn’t done it since 1991 and because BYU entered the weekend as the nation’s No. 1 team. Stanford’s most recent previous victory over a top-ranked team? At BYU in 2008.

Player of the Week: Stanford sophomore outside hitter Steven Irvin is the reigning MPSF Player of the Week for his role in helping the Cardinal to the upset sweep at No. 1 BYU. Irvin had 14 kills, 12 digs, and a .476 hitting percentage in Friday night's four-set victory. He followed with 12 kills in Saturday's three-set victory. In Saturday's marathon first set, a 35-33 victory, Irvin had five kills and no errors on seven swings (.714), and three digs, giving the Cardinal momentum. In the two matches combined, Irvin had for 26 kills, 17 digs, and a .356 hitting percentage to help the Cardinal move into second place in MPSF play.

Rankings: Stanford moved up to No. 4 in the AVCA coaches’ poll and No. 3 in the Volleyball Magazine rankings after holding the No. 7 spot in each last week. No. 4 matches Stanford’s highest season ranking, having held the spot for all but the Jan. 30 ranking.

Friday’s Opponent, Long Beach State: The 49ers are coming off a season-best three-match winning streak – sweeping Cal Baptist, Princeton, and Cal State Northridge in succession, in their first three matches at the Walter Pyramid. The 49ers hit .423 against Northridge, with senior outside hitter Brad Hemmerling hitting a team-high 13 kills. During that three-match stretch, Long Beach has combined to hit .403 and has limited its opponents to .095.

The Long Beach State Series: Stanford can breathe a sigh of relief that middle Antwain Aguillard and reserve hitter Josh Riley, two 49ers who punished the Cardinal last season during the 49ers three-match march over Stanford, have graduated. According to Long Beach State’s records, the 49ers lead the all-time series, 41-26.

Saturday’s Opponent, Cal State Northridge: The Matadors have struggled on the road. However, the Matadome remains one of the fiercest gyms in the MPSF for visitors and the Matadors are 2-0 at home. Northridge is 10th in the MPSF in hitting percentage (.246), and 11th in opponent’s hitting percentage (.299). Freshman Julius Hoefer has been a revelation, and leads the team with 3.65 kills per set. The match follows a Northridge-Long Beach State women’s basketball game, which begins at 4 p.m.

The Cal State Northridge Series: The Matadors were one of Stanford’s most difficult opponents during a stretch from 2004-10 when they went 16-3 against the Cardinal. Since then, Stanford has won the past three matchups, beginning with the 2010 MPSF tournament final at Maples Pavilion.