Due West, S.C. – When it was announced that Erskine (21-6) would be playing Stanford (22-8) tonight in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament, it immediately brought to most people's minds "David vs. Goliath," "Hoosiers," USA Hockey, and Rocky.  The last one is fictitious, but nonetheless there could be no more classic underdog matchup this one.
 
Stanford University, home to almost 16,000 students, is bigger than Erskine no matter how it is measured:  notoriety, national championships, campus size, student enrollment, athletic budgets, endowment, the list could possibly be endless.
 
The Stanford squad features five AVCA All-Americans, led by senior outside hitter Brian Cook.  Cook averaged a team-best 3.81 kills and 1.69 digs per set while fellow senior outside hitter Steven Irvin was second on the team averaging 3.26 kills and 1.84 digs per set.  Setter James Shaw directs the Cardinal offense, averaging just shy of 11 assists at 10.87 assists per set.
 
A win for Stanford tonight would send them back to the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 when the Cardinals won the National Championship.
 
For the Flying Fleet, sophomore Mike Michelau (Trevor, WI, Westosha Central High School) earned Honorable Mention All-American Honors recently from the AVCA and posted a team-best 4.17 kills along with 1.76 digs per set.  Fellow outside hitter Roberto Perez Vargas (Dorado, P.R., Bayamon Military Academy) earned co-National Freshman of the Year honors from Off the Block, averages 3.73 kills per set, and provides the Flying Fleet with another strong attack option.  Sophomore setter Corey Marks led Conference Carolinas in assists, averaging 11.45 assists per set, second best in the nation.
 
In just their second year of existence, almost everything for the Flying Fleet is a first, including this trip to national tournament.
 
Tonight's game will be streamed by the host Loyola University Sports Information Department.  Live stats will also be provided.  Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.