Game Notes

Feb. 15, 2013

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The truest tests for the No. 3 Stanford men’s volleyball team will come on the road. That is the challenge for the Cardinal (8-4, 5-4) as it seeks to move up in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation while taking on No. 8 Cal State Northridge (6-4, 4-4) on Friday and No. 4 Long Beach State (9-4, 7-3) on Saturday. Stanford, which is in fifth place in the MPSF, is seeking to improve upon its 1-3 road record while remaining in the conference race.

THE LAST MEETING Cal State Northridge 2 Stanford 3 April 7, 2012 Maples Pavilion Big Block Seals Stanford Victory Stanford overcame two Cal State Northridge match points and the Stanford men's volleyball team won it on a block by Brian Cook and Gus Ellis (above) in a dramatic contest at Maples Pavilion on Saturday. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Long Beach State 0 Stanford 3 April 6, 2012 Maples Pavilion Defense Shines in Stanford Volleyball Rout Erik Shoji had 17 digs in No. 5 Stanford's men's volleyball sweep of No. 8 Long Beach State on Friday, keeping the Cardinal in MPSF contention. Recap | Box Score

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Week in Review
Stanford split two matches in its only home weekend in a span of 34 days. The Cardinal lost at Burnham Pavilion to No. 1 UC Irvine in four sets, despite a late surge that nearly forced a fifth. The Cardinal followed with a sweep of UC San Diego at Maples Pavilion with freshman setter Joe Ctvrtlik excelling in his first start of the season. The loss to UCI ended Stanford’s home winning streak at 12, but the UCSD result extended the Cardinal’s winning streak at Maples to 11. Steven Irvin had 21 kills against UCI, giving him three consecutive matches of at least 20.

Rankings
Stanford moved up one spot in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll to No. 3, and one spot in the Volleyball Magazine rankings, to No. 4. Stanford’s highest AVCA ranking was No. 2 on Jan. 14.

Cal State Northridge is No. 8 in the AVCA poll, it’s highest ranking of the season, after opening at No. 12. The Matadors are No. 8 by Volleyball Magazine, despite not being among the Top 10 the previous week.

Long Beach State is No. 4, having dropped one spot in the AVCA poll from its highest ranking of the season. The 49ers are No. 3 by Volleyball Magazine, remaining in the same spot as last week.

Friday’s Opponent, Cal State Northridge
Cal State Northridge is among the top teams at home, holding at 5-1 record at the Matadome, and has won its past two there -- over USC and Pepperdine. Senior opposite John Baker was named MPSF Molten Player of the Week after totaling 22 kills against USC and following with a career-best 24 in the upset of the Waves. He committed just three hitting errors against USC to hit a match-high .543 and matched his career-high by serving three of the Matadors’ six aces.

The CSUN Series
According to CSUN’s records, Stanford holds a 37-25 lead in the series and has won five consecutive. In their most recent meeting, Stanford held off two match points and won on a block by Brian Cook and Gus Ellis in a five-set victory.

Saturday’s Opponent, Long Beach State
U.S. men’s Olympic team coach Alan Knipe has returned to Long Beach State and has helped make the 49ers a contender. Taylor Crabbe is hitting 4.12 kills per set for a team wth a collective .400 hitting percentage. Long Beach has won four of its past five and is in the second weekend into a stretch of 12 matches at home over its next 13. The 49ers are 3-1 at home.

The Long Beach State Series
Stanford limited the 49ers to a hitting percentage of .098, with only 27 kills in 92 swings, in their most recent meeting, on April 6, 2012. It was the lowest hitting percentage allowed by the Cardinal in 2012, and a lot to do with Stanford libero Erik Shoji, who had 17 digs in the sweep. Stanford won both matches against the 49ers last season after losing all three in 2011. Overall, according to Long Beach State records, Stanford trails the all-time series, 41-28.

Stanford-CSUN Connections
• Stanford senior outside hitter Jake Kneller went to Westlake High School in Westlake Village, Calif., with CSUN sophomore setter Travis Magorien. • Stanford redshirt sophomore libero Grant Delgado was at Palos Verdes High School in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., where CSUN sophomore outside hitter Kyle Stevenson went.

Stanford-Long Beach State Connections
• Stanford libero Scott Sakaida went to Punahou School in Honolulu with Long Beach outside hitters Trevor and Taylor Crabb.
• Stanford junior middle Eric Mochalski went to Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., with Long Beach junior opposite Ian Satterfield.

Irvin On Fire
Stanford outside hitter Steven Irvin has played some of the best volleyball of his career over the past two weeks. During a three-match stretch from Feb. 2-8, Irvin combined for 70 kills in 125 swings with only 16 errors, for a .432 hitting percentage. His career high until that stretch was 18 kills, but Irvin went for 27, 22, and 21 in successive matches -- two against Hawai’i and one against UC Irvine.