Feb. 13, 2002
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This Week's Action:
Saturday, February 16 -- vs. No. 1 UCLA (11-1) -- Burnham Pavilion, 7 p.m.
Cardinal Update...
Eighth-ranked Stanford will host the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on Saturday night in Burnham Pavilion at 7 p.m. The Cardinal are coming off a 3-0 win over Pacific on Tuesday night to improve to 7-6 overall and 6-4 in the MPSF. UCLA comes to Stanford unbeaten in conference play and stand at 11-1 for the year.
The Rankings...
Stanford dropped to No. 8 in the February 12 USA Today/AVCA Poll after falling 3-0 to UC Santa Barbara and sweeping CS Northridge last week. UCLA holds the top spot, followed by Pepperdine, Hawai'i, BYU and Penn State, who round out the top-five. The MPSF Conference holds ten of the 15 available spots.
Scouting The Bruins...
UCLA will play at Pacific on Friday night before facing the Cardinal. Last week the Bruins upended No. 2 Pepperdine, 3-2, and unranked USC, 3-0. Against the Waves, junior Cameron Mount posted a season-high 21 kills. In the 25th Annual Kilgour Cup against USC, the Bruins dominated their crosstown rival in every statistical category. Matt Komer was UCLA's kill leader with 14, followed by Mount with nine. Jonathan Acosta is averaging 4.15 kills per game on the season while Komer is second on the team with a 3.63 average.
Last Year Against UCLA...
Last season Stanford beat the Bruins in two out of the three matches, but lost 3-2 to UCLA in the first round of the MPSF playoffs. Curt Toppel posted match-high kill numbers of 26 and 18 in Stanford's two victories.
Stanford Sweeps Pacific...
The Cardinal defeated the Tigers on Tuesday night (30-25, 30-25, 30-25), led by Paul Bocage's team-high 13 kills. Billy Strickland added 10 kills and five digs, with Craig Buell and William Curtis each chipping in with nine kills.
Toppel That...
Junior opposite hitter Curt Toppel has had a tremendous 2002 season thus far. The Pacific Palisades, Calif., native has led the Cardinal attack in 11 of the 13 Stanford matches, including a 32-kill effort at BYU on Jan. 12 and 30 kills against Lewis on Feb. 1. For the year, Toppel has recorded 238 kills and is hitting a .394 clip. He is also averaging 5.41 kills per game, posting double-kill figures in 12 matches. In MPSF matches, Toppel leads the conference averaging 5.47 kills per game.
Set Me Up...
Redshirt freshman Kevin Hansen has made the most of his first year as Stanford's starting setter. Hansen has dished out 610 assists, good for a 13.26 assist per game average. Against Hawai'i on Jan. 29, Hansen recorded a career-high 73 and followed up with 71 on Feb. 1 against Lewis. He is currently tied for third with Northridge's Ty Tramblie in conference assist average (13.38).
Strickland And Bocage Playing Tough "D"...
Billy Strickland and Paul Bocage are leading the Cardinal defense in 2002. In 40 games, Bocage is averaging 1.00 block per game and has a team-high 40 total blocks. Strickland has recorded 80 digs this season, averaging 1.70 per game in 47 games.
Rankings From The MPSF...
Despite its 6-4 conference mark, Stanford is ranked second among the MPSF schools for team hitting percentage and kill average. The Cardinal are hitting a .370 clip and averaging 16.45 kills per game in conference play.
Don Shaw Named Head Coach...
On June 22 Don Shaw, who established himself as one of the top coaches in collegiate volleyball history during his illustrious 16-year tenure as Stanford's women's head volleyball coach, was named Stanford's men's volleyball coach. Shaw captured four NCAA Championships and eight Pacific-10 Conference Championships with the Stanford women. He also holds the top winning percentage in women's college volleyball history with his 440-70 (.863) record. As a player, Shaw was a member of the United States National Team and was one of the top beach players in the country during his playing career.
New Faces On The Farm...
The Cardinal have three true freshmen playing in their first collegiate volleyball season. Middle blockers Craig Buell (Solana Beach, CA) and Chris Sandman (San Jose, CA) and outside hitter David Vogel (Poway, CA) all join the 2002 squad. Redshirt freshmen Patrick Bomhack (Waukesha, WI) and Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, CA) will be competing for the setter spot and also playing in their first season as a Stanford Cardinal.
Recapping Last Season...
Stanford secured a place among the nation's elite last spring, finishing the 2001 season ranked fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cardinal went 14-9 overall and finished tied for third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Pacific Division with a 10-7 mark. Stanford's overall and conference records were its best since it was 15-8 overall and 13-6 in the MPSF in 1998. In addition, the Cardinal achieved the nation's No. 1 ranking from February 6-12, marking its first stint at the top shot since it captured the National Championship in 1997. Stanford also maintained its place among the nation's best thanks to 10 victories over nationally-ranked opposition.
