Feb. 11, 2011

STANFORD -

Friday, 7 p.m.: No. 4 Stanford (8-2, 5-2) vs. No. 12 UC San Diego (5-8, 2-5) at Maples Pavilion

Saturday, 7 p.m.: Stanford vs. No. 8 UC Irvine (5-7, 2-4) at Maples Pavilion

This Week: With the nonconference season essentially over, the No. 4 Stanford men’s volleyball team heads into the heart of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation season. Eleven of the 12 conference teams are ranked among the AVCA Top 15, including No. 12 UC San Diego and No. 8 UC Irvine on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Stanford sits fourth in conference play, but has won three consecutive matches after a seven-match in seven-city swing that covered more than 9,000 miles over a 16-day stretch.

Follow the Action:

• Live stats for both matches will be available on “Gametracker” or “live stats” links found at gostanford.com.
• Live premium Webcasts of both matches can be found through the “Watch” link on the Stanford schedule page at gostanford.com.

Last Week: Stanford won three matches in four days, all in four sets. First, Stanford beat visiting Pacific at Burnham Pavilion, and then played two matches in the Chicago area, against Lewis and Loyola. Brad Lawson combined for 60 kills in 103 swings for a .437 hitting percentage during that stretch. He had 23 kills, the most for a Stanford player in a four-set match this season, and only four errors against Pacific.

Home Streak: Stanford is riding an 18-match home winning streak into this weekend. That includes 15 at Maples Pavilion. Stanford’s most recent home loss was Jan. 29, 2010, in a five-setter to Cal State Northridge.

Record Pursuits: Brad Lawson is climbing the Stanford ladder for career kills. The junior outside hitter has 1,087, placing him No. 3 on the all-time list in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and is within range of Curt Toppel's second-place 1,143. Senior teammate Spencer McLachlin is fifth with 1,002, but needs only 15 to pass Ben Reddy and take over fourth.

Friday’s Opponent: UC San Diego

Stanford is 36-2 all-time against the Tritons and has an eight-match winning streak in the series, with UCSD’s last victory coming April 14, 2006, in La Jolla.

Saturday’s Opponent: UC Irvine

The Anteaters, only two years removed from an NCAA title, boast junior opposite Carson Clark, who traveled to the world championships last summer with the U.S. national team. Stanford holds a 27-12 lead in the all-time series, winning all three matches last season, including a four-set victory in the first round of the MPSF Tournament, at Maples Pavilion.