Oct. 20, 2011

STANFORD, Calif. - It's been an eventful week for the Stanford men's volleyball team. It opened its fall season at the USC Tournament on Saturday, and then had its first official practice two days later.

The Cardinal heads down to the Southland again, this time to play in the Long Beach State Fall Tournament on Saturday.

The single-day event at the Walker Pyramid consists of four teams: Stanford, Cal Baptist, Hope International, and Long Beach State.

Here is Stanford's Saturday schedule:

9 a.m.: Stanford vs. Hope International (South Court)
10:15 a.m.: Stanford vs. Long Beach State (Center Court)
11:30 a.m.: Stanford vs. Cal Baptist (South Court)
2 p.m.: Stanford vs. Long Beach State (Center Court)

The first three matches are best-of-three, and the final match is a best-of-five.

The USC event featured eight teams, with Stanford finishing 1-3. The Cardinal beat Lewis, but lost to Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, and Cal Baptist in best-of-three matches.

Stanford will have one more tournament on its fall schedule, when it travels to Fresno for a single-day event at Clovis West High School. Stanford will play twice in the four-team event.

Here is Stanford's schedule for the Clovis West Tournament on Nov. 5:

11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Stanford vs. Pepperdine
2:30-4:30 p.m.: Stanford vs. UC Santa Barbara

To summarize, here is Stanford's remaining fall schedule:

Oct. 22: at Long Beach State Tournament
Nov. 5: at Clovis Tournament
Nov. 12: vs. Pepperdine, at Burnham Pavilion

The following is a rundown of the upcoming season, which begins officially in January:

Stanford (19-9, 15-7 MPSF)
Head Coach: John Kosty
2011 Final AVCA National Ranking: 7th
2011 Postseason Finish: MPSF First Round
2011 Final Conference Finish: 3rd
Top Returners: Evan Barry (S, 6-3, Sr., returning starter), Gus Ellis (MB, 6-6, Sr., three-year starter), Brad Lawson (OH, 6-7, Sr., 2011 AVCA First-Team All-America, 2011 First-Team All-MPSF, 2010 AVCA First-Team All-America, 2010 NCAA Tournament co-Most Outstanding Player, 2010 MPSF Player of the Year), Eric Mochalski (OH/Opp/MB, So., 2011 All-MPSF Freshman Team, Stanford single-season record-holder in hitting percentage), Erik Shoji (L, 6-0, Sr., 2011 AVCA First-Team All-America, 2011 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2010 AVCA First-Team All-America, 2009 AVCA First-Team All-America).
Top Newcomers: Matt Aiello (Fr., MB, 6-5), Sean Kemper (Fr., MB, 6-7), Spencer Haly (Fr., OH, 6-7), Dan Tublin (R-Fr., OH, 6-7).
Top Players Lost: Jordan Inafuku (L, 6-0, Team captain), Spencer McLachlin (OH, 6-7, 2011 Second-Team All-MPSF, 2009 Third-Team All-MPSF).
Coach John Kosty's Season Outlook: "In 2012, Stanford will be a veteran team, bringing back 16 players including 6 of seven starters from a year ago. Seniors Brad Lawson and Erik Shoji are first team All-Americans and started on the 2010 NCAA Championship team along with senior Gus Ellis. Senior Evan Barry will have a full year of experience as the starting setter and looks to build on a strong junior campaign. Promising young sophomores, Brian Cook, Eric Mochalski, and Steve Irvin played on the USA Junior National team that finished fourth at the World Championships in Brazil. The Cardinal should be in the hunt for a national title as we are one of the few teams with NCAA Tourney experience and a senior laden roster."