It’s only one week into the season and the No. 5 Stanford men’s volleyball team is already one victory away from matching its win total from a year ago. At the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament over the weekend, the then-No. 13 Cardinal beat No. 8 Cal-State Northridge and No. 7 UC-Irvine — the defending national champion — before losing to Canadian powerhouse Alberta.

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Senior Matt Ceran (right) led Stanford’s effort in the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament last weekend and was named MPSF co-Player of the Week yesterday. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8320
Alvin Chow / Stanford Daily File Photo

Senior Matt Ceran (right) led Stanford’s effort in the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament last weekend and was named MPSF co-Player of the Week yesterday.

“It was a great all-around weekend,” head coach John Kosty said. “We beat two league opponents which boosted our confidence heading into this upcoming weekend, where we’re starting MPSF play.”

Stanford claimed second place in the tournament, a vast improvement from last year’s result — the team did not win a single match in the 2007 tournament.

“One of the big changes we have made from last year to this year is that we are a little bigger and a little faster and we have a little bit better ball control,” Kosty said. “That made for a very successful tournament.”

Outside hitter Matt Ceran, the lone senior on the roster, and sophomore setter Kawika Shoji were both named to the All-Tournament Team on Saturday. Ceran, who was also named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player of the Week, led the team in kills in all three matches, finishing with 60 on the weekend.

In the first match of the tournament on Friday, Stanford earned a hard-fought four-game win over Northridge, 30-27, 30-25, 28-30, 32-30. Ceran tallied 19 kills, while freshman outside hitter Spencer McLachlin chipped in 13. Sophomore opposite Evan Romero added 12 kills and also notched a service ace on the final point of the match.

Ceran also had a match-high 18 digs while freshman libero Jordan Inafuku finished with 17. Sophomore Kawika Shoji, an All-Conference selection last year, had 44 assists and a team-high three aces in the win.

The Cardinal’s strong finish in the fourth game was a good sign for a team that struggled to finish games last season. In 25 matches in 2007, Stanford lost 14 games by only a two-point margin and eight more by just three.

Ceran matched his kill tally from the first match on Friday evening in the upset of UC Irvine, then ranked No. 5 in the country. Stanford won the first two games, 30-21 and 30-28, but the Anteaters evened the match with a pair of 30-28 wins. The Cardinal took control of the tiebreaking fifth game, however, winning 15-10. Behind Ceran, Romero had 16 kills and McLachlin added 10.

In the tournament’s championship match, the Cardinal faced Alberta, the top-ranked squad in Canada and a team that had already lost once to Stanford this season. Stanford broke Alberta’s 24-match winning streak against MPSF teams in the Husky Dino Cup back in October.

In Santa Barbara, though, Alberta came out on top, winning in four games, 30-26, 30-23, 21-30, 30-25. Ceran recorded a match-high 22 kills and Romero added 16.

“Matt Ceran had a great tournament,” Kosty said. “He had 22 kills and hit .486 against Alberta — he had a tremendous match against a very good opponent.”

Junior Jarod Keller, who has been splitting time at libero with freshman Jordan Inafuku, led all players with 15 digs.

Stanford will get no respite this week, with more top teams on their schedule. The Cardinal will begin MPSF play on the road this weekend, visiting UCLA before a rematch with Irvine.

The team’s first home match will be next Tuesday evening against UC-San Diego. Two of Stanford’s three wins on the season last year came against the Tritons.