No. 6 Stanford men’s volleyball (7-1, 5-1 MPSF) heads out again this weekend for a pair of matches against No. 2 Long Beach State on Friday and No. 12 Cal State Northridge on Saturday.
The Cardinal have had a string of tough matches so far this season, and these two are no exception.
Long Beach State (7-2, 4-2) has had a very strong attack, totaling 476 kills in its nine games this season. The team is currently ranked second nationally in kills and assists per set.
Adding to their offensive statistics, the Beach has also had 1,006 attacks, easily outdoing Stanford’s 830. However, Stanford has been more precise, as demonstrated by its .342 attack percentage. LBSU, meanwhile, has hit at a .319 clip this season.
Stanford will have to use its strong defense to counteract its opponent’s high attack rate. The Cardinal are currently ranked sixth in the country in blocks per set and have been employing their defensive tactics well, accumulating 79 blocks while only allowing 67 by opponents. Expect a strong performance from senior middle blocker Conrad Kaminski, who is ranked No. 2 nationally with 1.52 blocks per set.
On the other hand, LBSU’s defense has tallied 378 digs, placing them first nationally. The Beach’s dig percentage is 10.80, placing them well above most other teams. Stanford has recorded 8.68 digs per set.
Stanford’s roster features a slew of strong individual performers. Senior outside hitter Madison Hayden ranks in the top 15 in kills in the MPSF. Meanwhile, Kaminski is ranked second nationally in hitting percentage. Senior All-American setter James Shaw has impressed fans by racking up 324 assists on the season so far. Redshirt sophomore middle Kevin Rakestraw has also registered double-digit kills in multiple games.
But besides the players’ individual strengths, the Cardinal’s main asset is their well-established lineup and strong veteran presence.
“Long Beach has some pretty good young players, so they have a lot of talent but not as much experience. That’s where we’re going to try and beat them,” said Rakestraw.
Cal State Northridge (7-2, 2-2) will be the second of Stanford’s matches this weekend. The Matadors have registered fewer kills than the Cardinal (373), but their 58 aces this season give them an advantage on the serve, which will require a strong and communicative responding defense from Stanford’s side of the court.
CSUN has also had a strong defensive showing this season, ranking 11th in the NCAA with 114 blocks. However, the team has managed 200 digs to Stanford’s 269, allowing some advantage for the Cardinal.
If Stanford wins these two games, it will prolong its four-game winning streak as well as its ascension in the MPSF rankings.
“Coming off that last season [this streak] comes as a little of a surprise, but we did have the talent all along,” said Rakestraw. “The core team is the seniors now. It’s their leadership that is helping a lot more than anything else.”
Stanford will play at Long Beach State on Friday at 7 p.m. and at Cal State Northridge on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Contact Laura Sussman at laura111 ‘at’ stanford.edu.