THIS WEEK: The No. 15 Stanford men’s volleyball team (10-14, 7-11 MPSF) travels to No. 1 Hawai’i (21-3, 16-2 MPSF) for two matches at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, April 10-11. First serve is scheduled for 10 p.m. PT on Friday and Saturday.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Live stats for the matches can be found on the men’s volleyball schedule page on GoStanford.com. OC Sports (Oceanic Cable Ch. 16 and Digital Ch. 1016) will televise the matches live with Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (color) in Hawai’i. A live stream will also be available on ocsports.tv.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Fans will have access to unique behind-the-scenes content on the team this season by liking Stanford Men’s Volleyball on Facebook or following the team on Twitter (@StanfordMVB) and Instagram (@therealstanfordmvb).
SCOUTING HAWAI'I: Hawai’i (21-3, 16-2 MPSF) has held the top spot in the AVCA national poll for four straight weeks. The Rainbow Warriors rank third in the MPSF with a .319 team hitting percentage and are holding its opponents to a .205 clip. UH is also second in the conference in kills (13.63) and assists (12.89). Redshirt senior middle blocker Taylor Averill leads the veteran squad, ranking second in the nation with a .506 attack percentage. He is also second in the MPSF in blocks (1.34), seventh in points (4.02) and 12th in kills per set (2.98). Senior opposite Brook Sedore paces the team with 3.49 kills and 4.28 points per set, ranking in the top-10 in the conference in both categories. Junior libero Kolby Kanetake anchors the defense with 2.78 digs per set, ranking third in the MPSF.
LAST TIME OUT: Stanford split its home matches last weekend, defeating Cal Baptist in four sets (April 2) before falling to No. 8 USC in three (April 4). Redshirt sophomore Gabriel Vega led the team with 4.00 kills per set on .368 hitting. For the first time this season, the Cardinal has utilized the same starting lineup for four consecutive matches.
IN THE POLL: Stanford slipped to No. 15 in the top-15 in the AVCA Division I-II Men’s Coaches Poll after it split its two matches last weekend. The Cardinal is one of 10 MPSF squads ranked in the top 15.
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: After losing five seniors to graduation, including All-Americans Brian Cook, Steven Irvin and opposite Eric Mochalski, the Cardinal is looking to replace 72 percent of its offense from 2014. Looking for consistency on the court, Stanford has used 16 different starting line-ups in 24 matches this season.
HOMECOMING: Two Stanford players will be returning to their home state this weekend. Redshirt sophomore Gabriel Vega is a native of Kailua, Hawai’i and attended Iolani School. He is third on the team with 2.35 kills per set. Freshman libero Evan Enriques is from Punalu’u Hawai’i and went to the Kamehameha Schools. Enriques is averaging 1.61 digs per set this season.
NATIONAL STATISTICS: Junior middle blocker Conrad Kaminski ranks eighth in the nation with a .395 attack percentage, which is sixth in the MPSF. As a team, Stanford is 14th in the nation with 1.42 aces per set, 15th with 9.23 digs, 16th with 12.02 kills and 19th with 11.23 assists per set. It also ranks in the top-25 in hitting percentage (.239, 24th).
THE ROAD TO STANFORD: The road to the 2015 NCAA title runs through Stanford, Calif., this season. The Cardinal will be the host site of the championship, held May 7&9 in Maples Pavilion. Stanford will also host both play-in matches on May 5. Tickets are on-sale now for the championship at gostanford.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JOHN KOSTY: Stanford head coach John Kosty is in his ninth season at the helm of the Cardinal program and his 25th overall on staff. He is 155-105 in his career and has guided Stanford to the 2010 NCAA national championship and the 2014 NCAA finals. The Cardinal has produced a first team AVCA All-America selection in each of the past seven seasons under Kosty.
