| LINESCORE | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | F | |
| CSUN (3-4, 1-2) | 24 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 3 | 2 |
| Stanford (3-4, 2-2) | 26 | 19 | 25 | 22 | 15 | 3 |
| STAT COMPARISON | ||
|---|---|---|
| CSUN | STAN | |
| Kills | 53 | 51 |
| Attack pct. | .171 | .205 |
| Assists | 49 | 47 |
| Aces | 3 | 5 |
| Digs | 42 | 39 |
| Blocks | 15.0 | 20.5 |
STANFORD, Calif. – The 12th-ranked Stanford men’s volleyball team outlasted CSUN, 26-24, 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-3, Friday, at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal moves to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Matadors drop to 3-4 and 1-2 in the conference.
“Every match we go into I think we have opportunities to win,” said head coach John Kosty. “Every win we get isn’t necessarily going to be a confidence booster, but we just have to go out and win. If we win every match in five sets, I’ll take it.
“We have to have that mind frame that it is one point at a time and it doesn’t matter how long we are here, we just have to get it done.”
Stanford registered 20.5 team blocks, the third-most in the rally-scoring era (2001 to present) in program history. Junior Conrad Kaminski finished with a program-best (in the rally-scoring era) 12 blocks to lead the squad. Senior middle Spencer Haly added seven blocks, while junior setter James Shaw and redshirt freshman opposite Clay Jones each had six.
After four back-and-forth sets, Stanford asserted itself in the fifth, jumping out to an 8-0 lead behind tough serving from Haly. Kaminski finished with six blocks in the fifth as the Matadors were held without a kill.
“In the fifth set, I think we just played volleyball,” explained Kosty. “We played smart volleyball. Yes, Conrad Kaminski got a ton of blocks, but he was just being smart. He was playing within himself. We came out with determination and did a nice job.”
Shaw ran the offense on the night, finishing with 42 assists and 11 digs for a double-double, as Stanford outhit CSUN .205 to .171.
Redshirt senior Daniel Tublin had a team-high 14 kills to go with six digs and four blocks. Junior outside hitter Madison Hayden came off the bench to spark the team, totaling 10 kills, three digs and four blocks. Kaminski posted nine kills on .500 hitting, while Jones, who made his first collegiate start, tallied nine kills and seven digs.
“I think Clay is a good, solid volleyball player. He has good instincts and I thought he did a nice job to steady us out. He was a reliable player for us tonight,” said Kosty.
Fifth-year senior Grant Delgado took over the libero spot for freshman Kyle Dagostino in the third and recorded six digs and two assists.
“Overall, we played pretty solid volleyball,” said Kosty. “I liked what we did. I really like Grant and Madison coming in and sparking our team. They had really nice nights tonight.”
CSUN was led by Sam Holt’s 15 kills and 12 digs. Middle blocker Greg Faulkner added 12 kills and seven blocks, while Damani Lenore totaled 10 kills in three sets.
Up next, Stanford hits the road for its next six matches. First up, the Cardinal takes on No. 9 UCLA on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.