No. 11 Stanford will participate in the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix on January 17-18. The team is set to play No. 6 Loyola Chicago on Saturday and No. 16 Ball State on Sunday, with both matches taking place at the Phoenix Convention Center and streamed live on ESPN+.
Stanford opened its season with a loss against then-No. 12 Lewis, falling in straight sets. Moses Wagner led the team during that match, recording 12 kills and six digs.
In the preseason coaches poll for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Stanford was predicted to finish fourth. UCLA was chosen as the favorite to win the regular season title for a fifth consecutive year, while Pepperdine and USC tied for second place in the poll.
During the previous season, head coach John Kosty guided Stanford to an overall record of 13-15 and a conference record of 4-8, placing seventh in MPSF standings. The Cardinal reached the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament for a fourth consecutive time—a first in program history. Moses Wagner earned a spot on the MPSF All-Tournament Team after averaging notable statistics throughout postseason play. The team maintained a weekly ranking throughout last season and concluded at No. 13 in the AVCA poll.
Stanford recently signed four high school recruits who are expected to join for fall 2026: Peter Debiec from North Carolina, Declan Flanagan from California, Aleksey Mikhailenko from Wisconsin, and Lincoln Myers also from Wisconsin.
Additionally, Alex Rottman and Theo Snoey were selected for the United States U23 National Team training roster ahead of last summer’s NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup held in Guatemala City.
Matt Fuerbringer was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame last October as only the fifth men’s volleyball player to receive this honor. He played on Stanford’s championship-winning team in 1997 and has served as an assistant coach for Team USA before becoming head coach of League One Volleyball Madison.
Coach John Kosty completed his nineteenth season leading Stanford’s men’s volleyball program last year—his thirty-fifth overall with staff—and now holds a career record of 273-239. Under his leadership since taking over as head coach, Stanford has won one NCAA national championship (2010) and made another finals appearance (2014). The program has produced several All-America selections during his tenure and qualified for most MPSF Tournaments since he took charge.
