Stanford men’s volleyball (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) took on British Columbia last night in a preseason exhibition match, registering a 3-0 win. The first set proved to be close, although senior outside Will Rottman, senior middle Nathaniel Gates and freshman opposite Theo Snoey had some strong attacks. While the Cardinal maintained the lead for most of the first set, the Thunderbirds were able to tie the game at 17-17 and eventually take the lead at 18-17. However, a surprise setter dump and two aces by senior Nathan Lietzke allowed Stanford to take the lead. Gates brought the Cardinal to game point with an effective tip, and senior outside Kevin Lamp executed a kill to achieve a 25-21 set win for Stanford.

Despite the first set being close, the Cardinal dominated sets two and three. Lietzke and redshirt junior middle blocker Ethan Hill connected for a huge block to shift momentum in favor of the Cardinal, which was followed by a dynamic kill to put them up 8-5. The Cardinal maintained their lead, and a backrow attack by Lamp and an ace by Rottman brought the score to 15-8. Stanford continued to serve well this set, as Rottman continued the pace with a service run and freshman outside Ryan DuRoss made his collegiate debut with an ace. The Cardinal took the second set 25-12.

In set three, Stanford continued to serve well against British Columbia. Lietzke, first up to serve, set the momentum with an ace. Lamp, junior setter Chris Kelly and Rottman also contributed aces later in the set. Libero redshirt senior Justin Lui covered the court, allowing Lietzke to effectively set up the hitters. Snoey also performed well, with a notable down the line kill early on to set the tone. Rottman’s powerful cross court kill brought the score to 17-7, extending an impressive Cardinal lead. In the final moment of the match, Gates finished things off with a kill, concluding a 25-10 set and 3-0 match win. 

The Cardinal take on British Columbia again this afternoon at 4 p.m. PT in Burnham Pavilion, and return to action after the new year against Saint Francis on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7 at Maples Pavilion.