Stanford claims home victory against Pacific Tigers – Volleyball news
The men’s volleyball team of Stanford University hosted a wonderful match on Tuesday, April 3 at the Maples Pavilion.
The Pacific Tigers came to challenge the Cardinal but home squad proved to be the best in every aspect of the game and seized 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-18) victory. The Tigers suffered frequent setbacks in the match and returned home with heavy hearts.
The Stanford team was led by top-gun Brad Lawson, who pulled out an amazing feat in the game. He actively participated in the offence and added team-high 11 kills. Meanwhile, he was joined by Brian Cook, who finished the match with 10 kills.
On the Pacific side, senior outside hitter Florian Gornik put up huge effort and registered match-high 16 kills. However, it proved to be a failing effort as the team could benefit from his excellent run in the match. Taylor Hughes added 11 kills and emerged
as second best scorer of Pacific.
Equipped with emotional support of home crowd, the Cardinal kicked off things in the opening set. They scored the early points of the match, while Pacific squad was yet to be on board. The Cardinal hitters provided plenty of power to their shots and added
quick points.
On the contrary, the Pacific Tigers progressed very slowly. As they scored two points, the hosts had already attained a three-point lead (5-2). Hughes of Pacific staged good action on the net but failed to put his team ahead of Cardinal. On the other hand,
hosts remained consistent in attack and stretched the gap of points 25-15 and claimed first set.
In the following frame, the Pacific Tigers changed the strategy and threw everything in attack in order to cover up the deficit. Nonetheless, it was not an easy job to break the tempo of charged-up Cardinal.
The home team firmly held the operations of game in hand and denied all the efforts of Tigers. The second set saw an exchange of long rallies and 17 ties of scores. Tigers gave a good competition to home squad but could not save the second set either. Cardinal
improved to 2-0 by sending 25-19 on board in second set.
The visiting team seemed visibly exhausted and frustrated after the loss of two sets in row, while the Cardinal were totally shaped up to finish the game in third flight. Tigers tried to resist but Cardinal maintained their dominance and closed third set
at 25-18. This was how the Cardinal went on top in three-set play.
In the next run, the Pacific team will be preparing for upcoming encounters with Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State. The next two fixtures will be held on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Alex G. Spanos Centre will provide the backdrop for the
Tigers’ next games. Likewise, the Cardinal will also join the action as they will take on Long Beach State and California State Northridge.
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