It was only three years ago that the Stanford men’s volleyball team finished a gut-wrenching 3-25 season (2-20 in conference play), but you wouldn’t know it from looking at Monday’s AVCA coaches poll. The Cardinal earned the No. 1 spot for the first time since February 6, 2001, when they held the top rank for only a week before finishing the season at No. 5.

Now with a 12-4 record and a half-game lead over fellow Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) team Pepperdine, Stanford is trying to erase the memories of 2007. But what’s changed in just three years that has allowed the Cardinal to mount such a turnaround? They have the same coach (John Kosty), the same setter (Kawika Shoji) and the same conference (the MPSF typically boasts at least 10 of the top 15 ranked teams in the nation).

For starters, the 2007 squad featured only one senior, libero Brian Linberg, who spent most of the season on the bench due to injury. Another potential leader, junior outside hitter Jesse Meredith, suffered a season-ending injury in the form of a broken foot in the first weeks of the season and was red-shirted. 2007 was also Kosty’s first year as head coach, although he had spent the previous 16 years as the assistant. All in all, 2007 was definitely a rebuilding year for the Stanford squad and their record showed it.

Then we come to the end of 2007, when Kosty snagged five amazing recruits: Brad Lawson, Austin Gus Ellis, Erik Shoji, Dylan Kordic, and Evan Barry.

Lawson, Ellis and Shoji were all starters on the USA Boy’s Youth National team that upset world power China during the FIVB World Championships in Mexico during August 2007. At 6’6″ Lawson (outside hitter) was considered one of the premier recruits from his graduating class. Likewise Ellis, who plays the middle blocker position, was another highly sought talent. Shoji, who was named “Best Libero” and “Best Digger” at the FIVB World Championships, joined his brother Kawika, who would be entering his sophomore season at the setter position.

With Kordic and Barry rounding out the class, Kosty felt confident in his newcomers. He said at the time, “This is a great recruiting class that brings exactly what we need to continually improve in our league. This class gives us the ability to be among the best in the country.” Time has ultimately proved him right, but before these outstanding recruits could join the team, there was still the 2008 season to tackle.

The 2008 squad once again had only one senior (outside hitter Matt Ceran), although the young setter Shoji, who earned all-MPSF honors as a freshman, was proving himself a solid leader. He split time between playing outside hitter and setter as a freshman, but Shoji was tapped as the primary setter for Stanford in 2008. The Cardinal also welcomed six new recruits, who would all be competing for playing time on the young team.

Stanford posted a solid season that saw them ranked as high as No. 6 in the AVCA coaches poll before falling in the first round of the MPSF tournament to Cal State Northridge in just three games. But 2008 marked their first tournament appearance in five years, and for a team with only one senior their performance was certainly promising. The 17-11 record was a marked improvement over 2007, and sophomore setter Kawika Shoji earned AVCA All-American honors.

The 2009 season could not have been more different from the previous two in terms of returning players. Fifteen of the 17 players returned to the roster, including 5 out of 6 starters. Looking back, Kosty talked about the 2007 season as crucial for the future success of the program: “We started three freshmen,” Kosty said of Shoji, Evan Romero and Garrett Werner. “We knew we were building for the future. And, ultimately, that season could win a national championship for us, this year or next, because we had the ability to play those guys.”

The Cardinal was ranked as high as No. 3 during the season, stunned No. 2 Pepperdine with a win, and achieved an 8-match winning streak before ending the season at 21-11 with a 5-game heartbreaker to USC at home. The 21 win total was the highest for the school since their national championship run in 1997, and it continued the upward momentum started with the 2008 season. Although it graduated four seniors in 2009, only one of those was a regular starter, making the 2010 squad a force to be reckoned with. Kawika Shoji was once again named an AVCA All-American, this time joined by his brother, freshman libero Erik Shoji who also broke the national record for single-season digs.

YouTube and ESPN viewers may remember Erik Shoji as the player who made a remarkable kick save that ended up being a perfect set for the outside hitter. Check out the video if you haven’t seen it.

Look for more outstanding performances from the Shoji brothers in 2010, along with young standouts Evan Romero, Brad Lawson and Spencer McLachlin.

The 2010 National Championships are scheduled for May 6 and 8, and they’ll be held at the Maples Pavilion in Stanford. That sounds like motivation to me. With a shiny new No. 1 ranking driving them forward, the Cardinal looks like the team to beat this year.

About the Author
Andrea Fryrear is a 17-year volleyball veteran and writes about all things volleyball at Volleyball-Life.com. Browse the site for more NCAA volleyball coverage, volleyball skills tips and AVP beach volleyball news.

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