On Saturday, the No. 1 Stanford men’s volleyball team won its first postseason match since 1997, taking down No. 7 UC-Irvine in an exciting four-set victory in the first round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament.
Playing in front of a spirited crowd of costumed students – from a fairy to a bowling pin – the Card (20-6, 16-6 MPSF) came one step closer to an MPSF Tournament title and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
“It is nice to be home,” added sophomore libero Erik Shoji. “Our fans are awesome, and we hope they continue to come out and support.”
“When you have R2-D2, Han Solo and Princess Leia walking in at the same time followed by a hundred others in costume, we all get some extra adrenaline going through our veins,” said senior opposite Evan Romero. “It truly is a home-court advantage when you have all of them there for us.”
Stanford took control of the match early, jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the first set. Irvine (15-15, 10-12) fought back, bringing the score within two at 11-9, and eventually tying the set at 22 apiece. But in the final stretch, Romero and junior outside hitter Spencer McLachlin each put down a pair of kills to win the set, 30-26.
The second set started much the same way, with the Card taking a 6-2 lead, but Irvine quickly bounced back, tying the set 6-6. The game remained close throughout, with the score tied as late as 28-28. But Stanford struggled toward the end with shanked passes, serving errors and mishit balls, and Irvine took the set, 30-28.
Stanford came out to another strong 7-2 start in set three, and this time, the lead was never relinquished. Strong hitting from sophomore outside hitter Brad Lawson and Romero helped the Card maintain a fairly steady five-point cushion. A pair of smartly executed dumps from senior setter Kawika Shoji extended Stanford’s lead to 26-19, and a McLachlin kill secured the set victory at 30-25.
The fourth set started out evenly, but four unanswered points from the Card brought the score to 11-7. The Anteaters re-tied the score at 19-19 and again at 24-24, but Irvine errors combined with the Card’s offense powered Stanford ahead in the final stretch. A perfect serve-receive pass from Romero, a set from Kawika Shoji and a definitive kill from Lawson solidified the set and match victory for Stanford, 30-27.
Stanford’s middle blockers, senior Garrett Werner and sophomore Gus Ellis, had a major presence at the net, garnering five points from blocks in the fourth set alone.
“[The middles] were huge, especially in the fourth set,” Romero said. “Their blocking was a key to our victory. It frustrated Irvine’s hitters while keeping momentum on our side.”
Romero and Lawson led the Card on offense with 24 and 21 kills, respectively. McLachlin contributed an additional 15 kills, and all three players hit over .300 for the night. Kawika Shoji shined all around, with 59 assists, 12 digs, eight kills and two aces. Erik Shoji led the defense with 18 digs.
For Irvine, sophomore opposite Carson Clark tallied 23 kills, while junior outside hitters Jordan DuFault and Cory Yoder contributed 18 and 17 kills, respectively. Redshirt freshman libero Will Montgomery led the match with 19 digs, and junior setter Jeff Schmitz set 42 assists.
Missed serves at crucial points in the match plagued Stanford, who recorded 18 total errors, including consecutive misses in the team’s final two serving opportunities of the match.
“We just need to focus on our serves and make sure to try and put pressure on our opponents” Erik Shoji said. “If we can do that, then we are executing an important part of our game.”
This win marks the first postseason victory for any member of this year’s Stanford squad.
“It feels great,” Erik Shoji said. “We’ve been working for this for a while, so it’s nice to win a playoff match. However, we are going to keep working hard to improve for our upcoming matches.”
Up next for the Card is No. 5 Hawaii. First serve will be at 7:30 p.m. at Maples Pavilion on Thursday.