Stanford, CA -- Vanguard's men's volleyball got its season started Friday night against NCAA DI opposition, as the Lions traveled north to take on Stanford.  The Blue and Gold were in the mix the whole night, but the Cardinal proved to be too much in the late stages of each set, as Stanford took the win in straight sets 25-21, 25-20, 25-21.  VU will begin the 2022 campaign 0-1.

What Happened?  The first attack of the year went array but Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) quickly negated his error by blasting another ball down for a kill that tied the first set up at 1-1.  The early going saw both sides take narrow leads, only for the other team to leapfrog into the driver's seat.  Tied at 10-all, Stanford posted a 5-2 run to take a 15-12 lead in the set.  Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA) and Anema each put down kills to get the game back to within one but the Cardinal regrouped and trucked out to a 21-17 lead.  Despite a couple of late kills from Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) and Valesis Vaisuai (SO/Hayward, CA), VU could not overcome the gap and fell 25-21 in the first set. The Lions hit .269 in the first, while Stanford hit .273.

Set Two

The second frame started with the Lions going down 4-1 early, as the errors mounted.  Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) struck for a kill but that only stopped the Cardinal for a short time, as Vanguard was forced to call a timeout down 9-4.  Vaisuai and Anema each added kills to their tallies but the lead remained at about four points through the middle stages for Stanford.  Despite some strong hitting, the Cardinal maintained their lead and ended up winning set two 25-20.  VU hit .480 with 16 kills and four errors in the second, with Stanford hitting .500 to grab the win.

Set Three

The third period reverted back to how the first set went, with both teams exchanging points and neither able to grab a large lead.  Roussin recorded two kills with Anema getting an ace to push the Blue and Gold to a 5-3 lead, but Stanford quickly battled back to tie things up.  The Lions soon let the set out of their grasp a little, as the team went down by two for a number of rallies.  However, Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) dumped the ball into an open area for a kill and Anema pounded down a couple more points to tie things up at 12-12.  Linden gave Vanguard a 14-13 lead but once more, no team could establish a lasting advantage.  With the match in the balance and tied at 20-all, Stanford made their move.  A couple quick points put the home side ahead and despite a kill from Anema, the few homes fans allowed inside Burnham Pavilion could feel the final blow coming.  Another Stanford kill and blocks on attacks by Linden and then Anema gave the Cardinal the win 25-21 in the third to complete the sweep.  Vanguard hit .214 in the third while Stanford hit .455.

The Lions hit .316 for the night as a team, with Anema leading the way with 13 kills.  Roussin had nine and Nowtash had seven.  Thompson had 24 assists to top the team, with Vaisaul recording five digs to pace the lineup.  Anema and Roussin each had four digs in the losing effort.

What's Next?  The Lions will now play a pair of games at Menlo, with the Bobcats of UC Merced up first, with the game scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. in Atherton.