After suffering its first lost last week while splitting a two-match road trip at No. 4 BYU, the Stanford men’s volleyball team moved up to second in the national rankings. L

Against the Gauchos, the Cardinal lost as tough a four-set match as it possibly could, as all four sets were decided by the minimum two-point margin. Stanford dominated UCSB statistically, outhitting the Gauchos .384 to .336 and outblocking them 13 to six.

Despite the tough loss, the Cardinal will need to bounce back quickly. The match tonight, the second of six consecutive home matches for the Card, promises to be a good one, pitting two of the top three teams in the nation against each other.

And after last weekend, Stanford is ready for some hometown love to help it out. Playing in front of crowds of around 4,000 people both nights in Provo, the Cardinal fought its way to a win in one of the matches, while suffering a close defeat in the other. In all, five of the eight total sets in the matches were decided by three points or less.

“Close sets validate what I thought of the team,” said head coach John Kosty. “We have guys on the floor who have played for four straight years and it shows in those situations. Even though the crowd was over 4,000, it didn’t faze us.”

Stanford is looking to carry some of the confidence it gained in its win over the Cougars Saturday night into the match against Northridge tonight. The Matadors, who began the week tied with the Cardinal and Cougars for second in the MPSF, are one of the best defensive teams in the country.

This provides an interesting matchup for Stanford, which leads the MPSF in hitting percentage, while Northridge leads the MPSF in lowest hitting percentage allowed at .227, led by All-American middle blocker Jacek Ratajczak.

“We played against him one year already,” said Kosty of Ratajczak, who is an imposing 7-foot-2. “He’s a good player. Being seven feet tall, you get some different angles.”

However, Kosty emphasized that Stanford, when it plays its best, has the potential to succeed against anyone.

“As much as we scout our opponents and want to know our opponents, we focus just as much on ourselves,” he said. “We’re back home, back in comfortable surroundings and we’re going back to our serving and passing game. We’re going to serve and serve tough.”

The Cardinal is led by an assortment of upperclassmen, including Stanford’s all-time leader for kills in the rally era, senior outside hitter Evan Romero and senior setter Kawika Shoji, who leads the MPSF in assists per game with 14.26. These experienced players are complemented by many talented sophomores, including middle blocker Gus Ellis, libero Erik Shoji and outside hitter Brad Lawson, who lead the MPSF in blocks per game, digs per game and service aces per game respectively.

“They’re a big part of this team,” Kosty said of the younger players, “but they’re just one factor in our great team chemistry.”

The Cardinal will need everyone to step up tonight against the Matadors, who are 5-1 in their last six matches against the Cardinal. The match will take place at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.