Publication Date: Friday Jan 12, 2001

MEN'S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: Hit parade

Call 2000 a prelude. Back in the days when the Stanford men's volleyball team was struggling--if you could call finishing 11th-ranked in the country and beating the top-ranked team in the nation struggling--a foundation was set in place. Call 2001 the finished product. Of the seven starters--including the libero (defensive specialist) position-- only one belongs to a freshman, who beat out an experienced player (who still sees plenty of playing time) for the job. Everybody else brings another year to the table, and that could add up to a championship season under head coach Ruben Nieves, who is 164-70 as he enters his 11th year as coach.

"We're better now than we were on the last day of the season last year," said Nieves. "Every player has improved their game and the team is better. The offense is more diversified, we serve tougher and we block better. We all felt it was a successful, positive year last season, and it set the stage for this season. We're legitimate contenders."

The Cardinal finished 9-10 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, 10-13 overall, good for fourth in the Pacific Division. One of those victories came near the end of the season when Stanford upset then No. 1- ranked Long Beach State.

The Cardinal expect this season, which began with a victory over D'Youville College of Buffalo on Tuesday night, to be much more successful. Stanford, which hosts Arizona tonight at 7 p.m. in an exhibition match (the Wildcats have club status), entered the season ranked fifth in the country by Volleyball Magazine. That doesn't mean things will get an easier. The four teams ahead of Stanford are also from the MPSF.

Ball State, which comes to Maples Pavilion on Sunday at 3 p.m., defeated Stanford last year.

"We play ranked teams night in and night out," said Nieves, the winningest coach in the program's history. "Last year we did it with a very young team and a lot of freshmen. But we kept improving steadily and consistently."

Outside hitter Curt Toppel--he's 6-foot-8--was one of those freshmen. All he did was earn MPSF Freshman of the Year honors, and a place on the All-American second team. He led the nation with a school-record 8.65 kills per game last year, and had 30 or more kills 11 times.

"What made him an All-American was his attacking," said Nieves. "He's a great spiker. He hits the ball high and hard and can put it away against a well-formed block. He's a complete attacker. The first thing that gets your attention in his hitting."

Stanford may not have to depend on Toppel as much this season because of the emergence of other hitters such as junior Marcus Skacel and sophomore Billy Strickland. Another hitter, Seth Ring, plays the libero spot.

Skacel finished second on the team in kills (355) and kills per game (4.55) while ranking 20th in the country with 2.32 digs per game.

After redshirting as a true freshman, Ring emerged last year as a consistent player on both ends, tallying 85 kills, 20 total blocks and 142 digs.

Strickland finished the campaign with a double-double (13 kills, 10 digs) at Pepperdine, while sophomore outside hitter William Curtis, who is also in the rotation, recorded two-thirds of his kills in MPSF play.

Toppel, though, may be an even better player this season.

"He's a much more complete player," said Nieves. "His digging and defense is the difference."

What should also help is the return of senior setter Josh Lukens, one of the top at his position in the nation and a natural leader, though all three seniors on the team (Lukens, setter Brad Griffith and middle blocker Brett Youngberg) were voted team captains.

"Josh is playing the best volleyball of his career right now," said Nieves. "He plays like a senior, like a four-year starter. He probably has the biggest leadership role."

Lukens led the nation with a school-record 20.07 assists per game last year. He had 1,646 assists, third best in Stanford history.

"Getting to play with an experienced setter is very important," Nieves said. "Curt and Josh have played together a full season now, and it's a relationship that requires precision, timing and chemistry." Griffith, who sat out last year with a knee injury, will probably miss the first half of this season as a result of reinjuring the knee. Nieves hopes he'll be able to return before the season is over.

In addition to Youngberg, sophomores Paul Bocage and Kyle Strache lend experience to the middle blocker position, while 6-4 freshman (the shortest of the blockers) Billy Clayton earned a starting job.

Youngberg, who was slowed by a back injury, appeared in 20 matches in 2000, posting a team-high 71 total blocks with 3.27 kills per game. He began his career playing a little outside hitter too, and wasn't switched to full-time blocking until midway through last season.

"He's also playing his best volleyball and so far his back has not slowed him down," said Nieves. "He's good at covering the net from antenna to antenna. He's experienced and has a good feel for the game. He can read a play developing and can anticipate and react."

As a freshman, Bocage saw action in 14 matches and averaged a team-best 1.19 blocks per game to complement a .331 hitting percentage.

Strache also had a solid rookie season, showing promise on the offensive end with a 20-kill performance against Pepperdine while ranking third on the team with 60 total blocks.

Clayton has been the most pleasant surprise of the year thus far.

"He's exceeding expectations," said Nieves. "He's smaller than your typical Division I middle blocker, but he's athletic and has that competitive demeanor. He gets the job done."

Freshman middle blocker Robert Owens and freshmen setters Patrick Bornhack and Kevin Hansen are waiting in the wings for Stanford. While they'll likely be redshirted, there's no lack of talent there.

"They can both play," Nieves said of his rookie setters. "They would start on good college teams. The smart thing is to redshirt and save the year of eligibility to focus on development."

Bornhack is a two-time U.S. youth national player while Hansen was a 2000 junior national MVP.

Jonathon Anderson is also on the roster.

One name missing is Chris Lewis, the Stanford quarterback who played on the volleyball team last year.

While the team was young last year, they also had to make the adjustment to playing in Maples Pavilion, where they were 6-4, for the first time. The team had been utilizing Burnham Pavilion on campus.

"It was a good move for us," Nieves said. "It's the premiere facility on campus and the public recognizes Maples. It's a great volleyball gym. We also found that playing at Maples increased our attendance by 33 percent regardless of the opponent."

The year 2001 also presents a few rule changes that should change the way fans view the game. A rally scoring to 30 is in affect, which means every serve will result in a point whether it's a sideout or not.

"I think it's great," said Nieves. "The game progresses quickly to the climatic point and there's more sense of urgency."

In addition, a serve that hits the hit and falls into the opponent's side of the court will now be in play.

"That allows the setter to be more aggressive and throws a little twist into it," said Nieves. "These are positive changes and we've gotten used to them quickly."

Perhaps the oddest rule change is the international pursuit. If a ball is hit outside the antenna and onto the opponent's side of the net (but NOT the opponent's court), a player will be allowed to chase it down and bring it back outside the antenna within the three-touch limit.

"That usually requires a spectacular chase and recovery," said Nieves. "It creates the potential for an exciting play. I'd imagine it being attempted two or three times a match and maybe being successful once."

Against Arizona, which is self-funded and offers scholarships, Stanford will see at least one familiar face. Chris Kosty, the younger brother of Stanford assistant coach John Kosty, plays for the Wildcats. He began his college career in Hawaii, played pro in Europe and is back at Arizona to finish his undergraduate work. 

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