The No. 1 Stanford men’s volleyball team triumphed over two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) opponents at home this weekend.
On Thursday, the Card (12-4, 10-4 MPSF) took down No. 14 UC-San Diego (6-13, 3-11 MPSF) which, coupled with a loss by first place Pepperdine on Friday, vaulted Stanford to first place in the MPSF.
“Obviously it is nice to be in first place, but we know that every match we have is a tough one and we have to stay focused for every one of them,” sophomore libero Erik Shoji said. “We are just hoping that we can play the best we can and put our best foot forward.”
Against UCSD, the Cardinal controlled the net, recording 17 total blocks and hitting .406 on offense. Sophomore outside hitter Brad Lawson led the team with 18 kills, while senior opposite Evan Romero and sophomore middle blocker Gus Ellis each recorded seven blocks.
“I think we played great defense last night,” said junior outside hitter Spencer McLachlin, who had nine kills in the match. “If we can work more on our transition offense after we get a dig, then I think our overall game will be greatly improved.”
As it was, Stanford had no trouble with UCSD in the first two sets of the match, winning 30-18 and 30-20. However, in the third set, the Card lost focus somewhat and, after being up 11-6, lost the game 30-28. The team came back with a lot more energy in the fourth set and closed out the match with a solid 30-20 win.
A day after attaining the top spot in the conference, the Card was forced to defend its standing against No. 6 Long Beach State (9-7, 7-5 MPSF). While the 30-22, 30-25, 26-30, 30-21 victory was a team effort, two players, McLachlin and senior setter Kawika Shoji, stood out for Stanford.
For McLachlin, who led the team with 21 kills, the match was his best since returning from a shoulder injury earlier in the season, and the team hopes it will be an indication of things to come. On the other hand, Shoji has excelled all season, and on Saturday, he served his way into the Stanford record books. An ace in the third set gave Shoji 91 aces for his career, a Stanford record in the rally-scoring era.
Lawson chipped in with 16 kills, and his 34 combined kills over the weekend helped him earn National Player of the Week honors.
In the first set of the match alone, McLachlin recorded seven kills, and the Card displayed its impressive offensive abilities, hitting .447 and easily winning the set on a Long Beach State service error. The second set was more of the same, as Stanford hit .548 and won the set, despite strong play by Long Beach State’s Dean Bittner, who finished with a game-high 24 kills.
The third set belonged to the 49ers, as they limited Stanford to .167 hitting, but Long Beach State had to share the limelight with Kawika Shoji as he recorded his record-breaking ace. The fourth set remained close until the Cardinal went on an 8-1 run to go up 27-20 before winning the set and match.
“We are starting to build good chemistry on the court and get into a good rhythm,” McLachlin said. “If we win the MPSF regular season, then we control our destiny by earning a berth into the Final Four.”
Stanford took another step toward extending its season, as last weekend’s wins boosted the Cardinal to the top of the national rankings, which would likely guarantee Stanford’s spot in NCAAs in May.
The Cardinal is currently beginning an end-of-quarter scheduling break and will play a match against California Baptist on March 20, before returning to conference play against UCSD on March 26.