No. 3 Stanford men’s volleyball (15-2, 13-2 MPSF) completed its ninth sweep of the season and third in a row when it vanquished No. 10 Pepperdine (8-6, 7-6) in Malibu, California, Sunday evening. The Cardinal’s 32-30, 25-22, 25-17 win over the Waves extended their current winning streak to eight matches.
The first set was incredibly close: The teams almost literally traded points, and the score was tied an astounding 28 times. Despite trailing 24-22, the Cardinal saved the set with a clutch kill from outside hitter Madison Hayden, his fifth of the evening. The senior standout paced the squad, hitting .391 with a team-high 11 kills. An ace from senior Conrad Kaminski tied the score at 24, and while the teams continued to trade blows in extra points, Stanford was able to win the set with consecutive kills from its middle blockers, Kaminski and junior Kevin Rakestraw. Stanford has now taken the first set in each of its 17 matches this season.
Stanford found its rhythm in the second set and took it 25-22 despite a late push from Pepperdine. Kaminski tacked on 2 more service aces to tie his season high of 3. In the third, the Cardinal once again capitalized on strong service from Kaminski, while relying on the all-around play of senior outside hitter Gabriel Vega, who tallied 9 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks and an ace in the match.
Senior setter James Shaw tallied a three-set season-best 38 assists and effectively diversified Stanford’s attack. The Cardinal’s 45 kills were spread between six players, four of whom finished with 8 or more kills.
Overall, Stanford outhit Pepperdine .432 to .312 and defied the Waves’ strong defense. Although the Waves entered the matchup with an NCAA-leading 3.26 blocks per set, they recorded only 6.0 blocks across the three-set match.
These teams will face each other again next weekend – this time in Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal have yet to drop a match at home, and Pepperdine’s chances for an upset look slim. First serve is at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, and the match will be broadcast on Pac-12 Bay Area.
Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu.