Kawika Shoji, who was named the AVCA National Player of the Year earlier in the week, was brought to Stanford four years in hopes he could help turn around a men's volleyball program that had fallen on hard times.
On Saturday, May 8, 2010, Shoji and a group of dedicated student-athletes joined together one last time and gave the record home crowd of 6,635 fans at Maples Pavilion the best performance of the season.
Taking Home the Championship Trophy
The Cardinal, which finished with an overall 3-25 record in 2007, defeated a strong Penn State team in three sets, 30-25, 30-20, 30-18, to win its first NCAA men's volleyball title since 1997. Outside hitter Brad Lawson recorded 24 kills to share co-MVP honors with Shoji.
Shoji was the first piece of the puzzle. A hard-working young man from Miami, Evan Romero, was another piece. Shoji was raised in Hawaii, where volleyball rules. His father, Dave, was already a legend with a pair of NCAA titles with the Hawaii women's team to his credit when Kawika was born.
Romero came to Stanford with a lot of bluster and talent but lacked technique and temperament. He grew into an All-American by his senior year.
Spencer McLachlin was also raised in Hawaii with a legendary high school coach as a father. Chris McLachlin, in fact, as a student at Stanford in the late 60s, was charged with guiding the volleyball program from the club level to the varsity level. Chris was sitting on the bench Saturday night, in his role as an assistant coach.
Assistant Coach was an Inspiration
Another assistant coach was absent from the bench. Long-time coach and teacher Al Roderigues passed away from cancer two months ago. Stanford took a moment to pay tribute to his memory moments after winning the national title.
It was Roderigues, after all, who told Shoji as a freshman that the Cardinal would go from "Worst to First," a mantra that stuck as the program began building toward its climatic finish.
The day Roderigues died, the Cardinal was ranked first in the nation for the first time in nine years. That they finished the season in the same place ranks as one of the glorious achievements in a glorious Stanford sports history.
"It's been a fairy tale," Romero said. "We wanted to end this the right way. We all had different experiences coming in, and the coaching staff had extreme patience working with all of us. It’s a testament to them and to all the guys involved in this team, Al included, who wanted us to go from worst to first. We were first when the time came, and from then on he was with us, and it was Stanford that finished first. We couldn't want anything more."
The History of Stanford Volleyball
Stanford coach John Kosty, involved as an assistant coach at Stanford for 15 years before becoming the head coach in 2007, struggled right along with his players through the years. He'd been to the mountain top as an assistant in 1997, and then fell with the rest of the program before rebuilding it once again.
"It's been a long road for us. It’s just a tribute to how hard the team worked," Kosty said. "We paid tribute to Al in the locker room. He's helped us, he's with us. It’s an incredible, incredible feeling to watch this team grow over the past four years. It just shows what kind of hard work and dedication can do for you."
Brad Lawson, who was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year, recorded an improbable 24 kills on an .821 hitting percentage. Stanford hit .495 as a team. All-American libero Erik Shoji added 10 digs.
Penn State's All-American Program
The only thing missing was an evil empire to defeat. Spend any time with the Penn State players and coaching staff and you realize that's a class program with men of high character.
The Nittany Lions were chasing their own dreams, and had a pair of All-Americans of their own in Max Lipsitz and Dennis Del Valle.
"It's been an incredible experience," said Lipsitz, a senior who was a member of Penn State's 2008 national championship team. "This whole run we put together; we had fun with it. We ran into an unstoppable team."
"Playing a team like that at home, in front of that atmosphere is a memory I’m going to have for the rest of my life," Penn State's Will Price said. "Granted we didn't exactly come out on the right side of things as far as we were concerned. But it was intense, it got the adrenaline going, and they’re memories we’re going to hold onto for the rest of our lives. It was fun. Win or lose, we had fun."
Rick Eymer - I have written for The San Mateo Times, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and am currently working part-time as an assistant sports editor at ...
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