Men’s volleyball defeats No. 4 Hawaii, moves up in rankings

STANFORD, CA - January 23, 2015: The Stanford Cardinal vs CSU Northridge Matadors at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA. Stanford wins the match 3-2.
STANFORD, CA - January 23, 2015: The Stanford Cardinal vs CSU Northridge Matadors at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA. Stanford wins the match 3-2.
By Olivia Hummer
Feb. 16, 2016, 6:15 a.m.

After coming off a tough loss to No. 2 Long Beach State last weekend, the No. 6 Stanford men’s volleyball team (10-2, 8-2 MPSF) got another opportunity to make a statement against a top-five team. The Cardinal more than succeeded, twice defeating the No. 4 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (9-4, 4-4) in a home doubleheader.

STANFORD, CA - January 23, 2015: The Stanford Cardinal vs CSU Northridge Matadors at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA. Stanford wins the match 3-2.
Stanford junior Clay Jones (above) came through in key moments for the Cardinal and his strong serving helped lead the team to a 3-set victory over Hawaii. (DAVID BERNAL/isiphotos.com)

Stanford swept the Warriors 25-18, 25-19, 25-16 Friday night. The defense reigned supreme, as the Cardinal notched 10.0 team blocks and held Hawaii to a .064 hitting percentage in the match. Senior middle blocker Conrad Kaminski led the squad with 11 kills.

The Cardinal took a 7-4 lead in the first set and maintained at least a three-point cushion for the remainder of the set. The Warriors surged in the second, claiming a 19-16 lead before Stanford subbed in junior outside hitter Clay Jones, whose strong service led the Cardinal on a 9-0 run for the win. Jones capped off the set with an ace, one of two on the night. With the score tied at 7 in the third set, the Cardinal took an 18-9 tear for a set victory and completed the sweep.

On Saturday, Stanford defeated Hawaii in four sets, 25-17, 18-25, 28-26, 25-15. After struggling on Friday night, senior outside hitter Gabriel Vega led the Cardinal and tied his season-high with 17 kills.

Although Stanford never surrendered the lead in the first set, it floundered in the second, and Hawaii claimed a commanding 17-9 advantage before taking the set 25-18. In the third, the Cardinal fought off a furious Hawaii rally to take the set in extra points. The fourth set belonged to Stanford, which held Hawaii to a .029 hitting percentage to win the set and the match 25-15.

 

Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu.

Olivia Hummer '17 is a managing editor of The Daily's sports section and writes about volleyball, football and baseball. When she's not filling in as an emergency copy editor, she can be found curled up in a ball bemoaning the misfortunes of her beloved Seattle Mariners or cursing the misuse of the Stanford Athletics logo. Olivia is a senior majoring in history from Covina, California, and can be reached at ohummer 'at' stanford.edu.

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