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After falling six spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, the Stanford women's volleyball team will attempt to climb back among the nation's elite when it competes in the 31st annual University of Pacific Banker's Classic this weekend in Stockton.

The nationally No. 11-ranked Cardinal (2-1) can take a big step in that direction when it takes on No. 5 Florida (3-0) on Friday at the Alex G. Spanos Center at 5 p.m. Host Pacific (3-0) meets San Jose State (0-3) in the later match. Friday's winners will meet in Saturday's championship match at 7 p.m.

Stanford began the season at No. 5, but has dropped six spots after being swept by Notre Dame in its second match of the year last weekend in the Shamrock Invitational. Defending national champion Penn State remains in the top spot in the poll, while Texas, Washington, Hawaii and Florida round out the top five.

Stanford will remain on the road as it travels to Hawaii to participate in the Honolulu Advertiser Volleyball Challenge, which begins Sept. 10.

Two-time All-American Alix Klineman is 59 kills away from 1,000 for her career. The junior should surpass the milestone before the Pac-10 season begins and is on pace to finish her career at Stanford among the top five in career kills.

Junior libero Gabi Ailes has already claimed the top spot in the Stanford record book for digs in a season (533) and digs per set (4.26) in a season. With 1,072 digs to date, Ailes will easily climb into the top 10 on the career list in 2009 and will make a run for the record of 1,597 set by Kristin Richards from 2003-06.

Men's swimming
Stanford, which has finished the season in the top three nationally 25 times in Skip Kenney's 30 years, begins its season in New Orleans on Monday. This will be the first meet at the Lakefront Aquatics Center since Hurricane Katrina, home to the Privateers since 1991.

Stanford, with the nation's No. 1-rated recruiting class, is coming off a strong summer in which its athletes competed in nine meets in six countries -- winning a combined 27 medals, including 12 golds over a six-week span.

Sophomore Chad La Tourette won a combined five medals over the summer, including two silvers and a gold at the World University Games in Serbia and two more gold medals at the U.S. Open in Washington state.

Returning swimmers Curtis Lovelace (gold) and Bobby Bollier (silver) each won medals at the U.S. Open, while Scotty Korotkin won two golds in the freestyle at the Maccabiah Games in Israel. In addition, Michael Zoldos and recruit Matthew Swanston won two medals a piece at a tri-meet with Canada, Great Britain and Russia.

Though not swimming internationally, the team is also bolstered by senior Eugene Godsoe, a Pac-10 champion and All-American in the 100 and 200 backstrokes, and NCAA 100 butterfly champion and junior Austin Staab.

Four Cardinal swimmers swam at the World Aquatic Championships in Italy in late July. Paul Kornfeld, who won three medals at the Canadian Trials in Montreal, and was a competitor in the 200-meter breaststroke, while David Dunford and Jason Dunford and Markus Rogan, also competed.

Among the newcomers from the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, Aaron Wayne won a gold and silver medal at the Junior National Championships in mid-August, and Mack Montgomery, Matt Thompson and Swanston each swam at world championship trials.

-- PA Weekly Online Sports