The Stanford men’s volleyball team got back in the swing of things on Wednesday night with a conference win

over visiting Pacific, 30-22, 28-30, 30-20, 30-26.

The No. 5 Cardinal (4-3, 4-3 MPSF) badly needed a win after two close losses last weekend at home, and the Tigers (4-7, 0-7), along with their 44-game conference losing streak, came at the right time on the schedule.

“This win was crucial to us getting back on track,” said senior opposite Evan Romero. “In a league where teams are very close, every win counts. Being able to right the ship before playing [UC-Santa Cruz] Friday and two big MPSF matches the following week was big.”

Romero and sophomore outside hitter Brad Lawson led the Cardinal with 17 kills each. Sophomore middle blocker Gus Ellis and senior middle blocker Garrett Werner each contributed six blocks, while senior outside hitter Jason Palacios, who received his first start of the season due to an injury, played solidly with eight kills and six digs.

“There wasn’t anything different in our game plan really,” Palacios said. “Pacific’s style of play is very similar to what we have seen thus far this season, but our play tonight was more consistent all around than it was last week.”

The Cardinal jumped out of the gate to an early 8-5 lead in the first set and never looked back. Attack errors plagued the Tigers and they soon found themselves down 20-11. A Palacios kill closed out the set for the Cardinal, giving the team some early momentum.

“I feel like we came out with a sense of urgency tonight, while at the same time focusing on our play and taking care of any opportunities — we got to score easy points,” said senior outside hitter Ed Howell. “Our coaches stressed the concept of ‘letting the score take care of itself,’ and I think it is a testament to our focus during this match that we played consistently.”

In the second set, Stanford once again jumped out to an early lead at 10-6, with kills by Romero, Ellis and Palacios leading the way. A quick five-point Pacific rally put the Cardinal down by one, and the teams continued to keep it close throughout the remainder of the set. With the score tied at 28, a kill by Pacific’s Florian Gornik and a block of a Lawson kill on the subsequent play gave the Tigers the set, 30-28.

With the score tied at one set apiece, the Cardinal rebounded quickly, opening up an 8-3 lead to start the third set. Kills by Werner, Lawson, Romero and senior setter Kawika Shoji paced the Cardinal throughout the set. Two service aces by Lawson capped off a dominating performance by the Card in the set.

The fourth set provided some tense moments, as Pacific went up early 6-3 and the Cardinal was forced to play catch-up. After Stanford regained the lead at 16-15, Pacific went on a 6-3 run to get on top 21-19. However, Stanford fought back with kills by Shoji, and errors by the Tigers put the Card back on top 24-22. Pacific tried to tie it back up, but proved unable to do so. Kills by Romero and Lawson gave the set, 30-26, and the match to the Card.

“We passed well, allowing Kawika to run the offense,” Romero commented on the victory. “Our serving was much improved as well. Also, as we continue to improve our block and defense, we will have more confidence in our all-around defensive game, knowing we could score through our serving and blocking.”

The Cardinal will face local Division III rival UC-Santa Cruz at Maples Pavilion at 7 p.m. on Friday before taking on conference opponents No. 4 UCLA and No. 11 UC-Irvine next week at home.