If the No. 13 Ball State University men's volleyball team needed any more proof of what Stanford University outside attacker Evan Romero could do in a match, it got another example Wednesday night.
Romero had a match-high 16 kills as No. 4 Stanford swept Pacific University 30-27, 30-26, 30-25 in Stockton, Calif. - three days before it will play Ball State at Worthen Arena.
Ball State coach Joel Walton said Wednesday morning that for Ball State to beat Stanford on Saturday it would be critical to prevent Romero from getting a large amount of kills.
This was the second consecutive match Romero led the Cardinal in kills. The junior had team-high 18 kills in a four-game loss to No. 2 Cal State Northridge last weekend.
After winning the first game against Pacific, Stanford trailed 24-19 in the second game. The Cardinal, though, would go on a 11-2 run to win the game and take a two-game lead.
In the third game, Stanford would never trail as Romero had a team-high six kills in the final game.
Stanford (3-1, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) out-hit Pacific .275 to .176. Romero led all players who had at least five attack attempts with a .419 attack percentage.
Along with Romero, outside attacker Spencer McLachlin had 13 kills and was the only other Cardinal to finish the match with more than 10 kills.
Stanford will now travel to the Midwest on Thursday afternoon and will play No. 14 Ohio State University on Friday in Columbus, Ohio before its match against Ball State.
Walton said he intends to make the almost three-hour drive to Columbus for the Stanford-Ohio State match so he can gain first-hand knowledge of the Cardinal. The coach also said he would talk to his players prior to their match about what he learned from watching Stanford.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
