No. 14 Stanford men’s volleyball (1-4, 0-0 MPSF) beat No. 17 UC Santa Barbara (5-1, 0-0 Big West) in a fierce five-set victory (22-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-21 and 17-15) on Thursday night. Maples Pavilion held its breath as the Cardinal twice fought back after losing the first and third sets, ultimately taking the fifth set 17-15 in an exhilarating finale. The triumph marks Stanford’s first win of the season following losses to No. 9 Lewis University (5-1, 0-0 MPSF), No. 6 Loyola Chicago (2-2, 0-0 MIVA) and Ball State (6-1, 0-0 MIVA).
Freshman setter Jacob Little-Phillips pointed toward resilience and composure as keys to the Cardinal’s success.
“UCSB is a very scrappy team, and they dug a lot of balls,” said the Winter Park, Florida native, who totaled 48 assists, six digs, four blocks, two kills and an ace. “It just made us work really hard. We worked a lot in the fall on regrouping and reframing our mindset when we get broken down, so we just go out and give it our all because that’s all we’ve got left.”
Despite the exciting result, however, Stanford was unable to carry the momentum over to its rematch against UCSB the following evening. The Cardinal, who were held to a season-low 0.155 hitting, lost in straight sets with scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-16 at Maples Pavilion. The Gauchos dominated in all aspects, turning in a 0.402 clip and totaling 42 kills, 40 assists and 31 digs as compared to Stanford’s 31 kills, 30 assists and 22 digs.
Thursday’s match proved to have a better outcome for Stanford.
The Cardinal came out strong in the first set, decisively taking the first two points of the match. A Stanford service error helped the Gauchos tie up the score, but kills by senior opposite hitter Moses Wagner and sophomore middle blocker Kaumana Carreira, an ace by Little-Phillips and a block by Wagner gave Stanford a 13-8 lead. UCSB responded with five consecutive points, however, keeping the score within one point until a kill by Gaucho redshirt sophomore outside hitter George Bruening widened the gap to 18-16. Wagner managed to get another two kills (both assisted by Little-Phillips), but a Stanford service error and attack out of bounds sealed the set for UCSB, 25-22.
The second set began with a UCSB service error, but the Gauchos quickly recovered, with a block from Bruening and an ace from freshman middle blocker Dylan Pilkvist contributing to their early 7-3 lead. Stanford responded with four powerful kills (two from redshirt junior middle blocker Luke McFall, one from Carreira and one from senior outside hitter Theo Snoey) that tied the set at 11-11. From that point, a combination of service errors and kills from both teams kept the score close, with neither side up by more than two points until Stanford pulled ahead at 23-22 with a kill by Snoey. McFall and Snoey then shut down the Gauchos with a coordinated double block, and Wagner secured the match point with yet another kill, winning the set for Stanford, 25-22.
In the first rally of the third set, Stanford’s Carreira and Wagner put up a double block that promised a dominant start for the Cardinal. Unfortunately, UCSB gained the lead at 3-2 when Stanford’s ball hit the jumbotron and bounced over the net, rendering it out of play. Although the Cardinal made a valiant attempt to come back with a block from redshirt junior outside hitter Alex Rottman, one kill from McFall and three kills from Wagner, the Gauchos maintained a 0.303 hitting percentage (compared to Stanford’s 0.143) that ultimately earned them the set, 25-18.
The fourth set proved to be the closest one of the match, with 12 tie scores and five lead changes. Cardinal freshman outside hitter Erik Ask and sophomore middle blocker Reed Wainwright made their first appearances of the night, bringing fresh energy to both attacks and blocks. The score remained within one point for the first 10 rallies, but a Stanford service error gave UCSB the momentum to take a three-point lead with 12-9. Despite lively chants and clapping from the visiting Gaucho fans, the Cardinal were undeterred, scoring five consecutive points through blocks from Little-Phillips, Snoey and Wainwright, alongside a dynamic kill by Snoey. As the score climbed into the teens, both teams struggled to widen the gap by more than one point. The Cardinal finally saw a breakthrough opportunity with a UCSB service error and seized it with fervor. In one particularly remarkable moment, Wagner dove, one fist outstretched, into the courtside chairs to keep the ball in play. A kill by Carreira and a block from Little-Phillips clinched the Stanford victory, 25-21.
Tensions were high heading into the fifth and final set. UCSB took the first point off of a Stanford service error and soon surged ahead with a worrying 4-1 lead. The Cardinal stayed calm though, battling it out as the score tied eight times, five of which occurred after the 10th rally. In the end, it was the 10 kills that ensured Stanford’s victory. The team hit a 0.500 hitting percentage and won the set, 17-15.
The team’s effort on Thursday was reflected in their impressive statistics. Wagner achieved his first double-double of the year, contributing a season-high 21 kills on 0.304 hitting, 10 digs and four blocks. Sophomore libero Kai Schmitt hit a career-high 12 digs, and Snoey added 14 kills, eight digs, two assists and two blocks.
Stanford will face off in a road doubleheader against No. 5 UC Irvine (7-0, 0-0 Big West) next Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.