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12/16/1999 Match #5 (1/4) against Long Beach State 49ers
In Your Face!
The Tom and Kagawa Show

What! No photos by me! It's a pity that I was not in Hawaii to watch the game in person. Instead I  listened to the game on Stanford Radio Station KZSU 90.1FM while I was on my new rowing machine.

Here were the snapshots that I took from the time delayed showing of the game on ESPN2. Stanford Women Volleyball team is the team of the decade. Can they finish the 1990's on a high note?

Game 1

The game began.

Stanford has a reputation of starting slow. Not tonight. Logan Tom went to work right away with a spike.

Lindsey Yamasaki complemented Logan Tom well tonight. No jitters for her tonight.

Lindsey Yamasaki was all smiles as Stanford lead game 1 by 13 to 7 at this point.

Logan Tom in her defensive position.

Logan Tom in her serve position.

Logan Tom with her killer instincts.

Stanford led game 1 most of the way until they won it 15-10! It was a close game though.

Logan Tom's kill won game 1. Look how high she can jump! It's amazing. Are you sure that she does not have springs at the bottom of her shoes! Don't try to block her because her hard-driven spike will be "In Your Face!"

Was Stanford coach Don Shaw happy because Stanford won game one, or was he happy because he was wearing a colorful aloha shirt :-)

Stanford dominated game 1 with 32 kills versus the opponent's 21 kills.

Game 2

Logan Tom was ready to win another game.

Long Beach State actually jumped to the lead and was ahead 3-1. However, Kerri Walsh was not going to let Long Beach State pull away.

Logan Tom had a career-best game with 27 kills. She also blocked (1 solo and 3 assists) and served 3 aces. Sure there were a lot of excellent players on the team this evening (Walsh, Yamasaki, and even the 4 service aces by their setter Kagawa), but this night belonged to Logan Tom!

You have heard of the "Tom and Jerry Show," but tonight we had the "Tom and Kagawa Show." Lindsay Kagawa was setting, and Logan Tom was hitting away mercilessly.

Oh no. It was the Stanford band playing. Maybe they would  stay in Hawaii and  wouldn't come back--(you know, I did graduate from Cal Berkeley :-)

Stanford went on and won the second game 15-10.

Game 2 stats showed that Stanford dominated the first two games with 61 kills, 6 blocks, and 6 service aces.

Game 3

Was Coach Don Shaw telling Kerri Walsh that he was hungry and wanted to have a bagel for dinner? You see, a bagel is a goose egg. Stanford was leading 4 to 0 at this point.

Lindsey Yamasaki was having a great time as Stanford pulled away with 7-0.

Stanford with up 2 games to none, and serving with game 3 at 12-0. A bagel by Long Beach State seemed inevitable.

Okay, Long Beach did wake up for a few minutes and scored three points.

The Stanford women volleyball players on the sideline looking intently at the game and match point being served.

Stanford won.

Now it's show time as Stanford will meet the #1 ranked Penn State.

Game Summary

From ( www.ncaavolleyball.net/ )

 Stanford's Logan Tom (15) spikes the ball against Long Beach during their NCAA volleyball national semifinal game. (AP Photo/Ronen Zilberman)

by CRAIG WELLS
Senior Editor, Total Sports

HONOLULU (Dec. 16) -- Freshman Logan Tom had 27 kills to lead No. 2 ranked Stanford to a 15-10, 15-10, 15-3 win over Long Beach State Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship semifinal match.

The Cardinal (31-2) advances to face top-ranked Penn State, a 3-2 winner over Pacific earlier this evening, in the national championship match on Saturday. Long Beach State, the defending national champ, finishes its season at 31-4.

"I didn't think it was one of our best performances. We were a little sloppy, especially in game two, but we settled in and played well enough to win," Stanford coach Don Shaw said. "I know we can play a lot better."

The first two games boded a long, tough-fought match as neither team gained a large advantage, either on the scoreboard or in terms of momentum. However, Stanford roared out to a 13-0 lead in the third game, largely behind powerful attacks from Tom and fellow All-American Kerri Walsh, before the 49ers got on the board.

"In the third game, we were trying too hard and trying to do things we couldn't do," Long Beach State coach Brian Gimmillaro said. "Then, they gained emotional control of the match. I don't think they were in control until then."

LBSU's All-American, sophomore Cheryl Weaver, who came into the match averaging 4.56 kills per game was held to 11 kills and was the only 49er in double figures in that category. The Cardinal out-dug the 49ers, 48-34, and fired in eight service aces. Both stats played a key role in the match, according to the respective coaches.

"When they do the things they do well, they're a difficult team to beat," Shaw said of Long Beach. "I knew all along that the key to the match was serving and serve receiving. They really struggled with serve receiving all night."

Gimmillaro concurred. "Defensively, we were tight all night," he said. "They gave us some opportunities. We were outdug [badly], and I don't think that's ever happened to us," he added.

Walsh finished with 14 kills for Stanford while freshman Lindsey Yamasaki recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Setter Lindsay Kagawa handed out 54 assists.

"It wasn't that easy," Walsh said. "They gave us a run for our money. But I was surprised by the open shots that we got, which is a credit to Lindsay."

Notes
Stanford Stanford will attempt to win its fifth NCAA title on Saturday. Stanford also won NCAA titles in 1992, '94, '96, and '97. This will be the Cardinal's eighth national championship match appearance. Saturday's final is a rematch of the 1997 NCAA championship match when Stanford defeated Penn State, 3-2 (15-10, 15-6, 2-15, 15-7, 15-9). Stanford has now won 30 of its last 33 NCAA tournament matches. Penn State and Stanford are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in both major polls (AVCA and Volleyball Magazine). The Cardinal has now won 20 consecutive matches.

Long Beach State

The 49ers are now 0-3 versus Stanford in NCAA tournament play.

Long Beach had its nine-match win streak and its bid to repeat as national champs ended.