April 25, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Water Polo is a tough, physical sport and it takes a special dedication to play it at the highest levels. Stanford Women's Water Polo, the top-ranked team in the country and defending national champion, shows in it's "19 Hours" project exactly how dedicated it is to being the best!
Whether it is keeping your legs moving in the "egg-beater" pattern even while out of the pool, fighting for position in line at the coffee shop, or even calling for a substitute during a stressful class session, the Stanford women are always working their hardest at being the best.
The team hopes that it's dedication will pay off this weekend as it hosts the MPSF Championship at Avery Aquatic Center this Friday through Sunday, April 27-29. STanford (21-1, 7-0 MPSF), the top seed in the draw, takes on eighth-seeded Hawai'i in the tournament opener at 11 a.m. Friday morning.
The Cardinal will also aim to extend its home winning streak this weekend. Entering the tournament, Stanford has won 34 straight games at Avery Aquatic Center, dating back to the 2009 season. The team's last home setback came on Feb. 7, 2009 when the Cardinal dropped a 12-10 overtime decision to USC.
Led by a strong core of scorers, among them freshmen Kiley Neushul (46 goals) and Ashley Grossman (40 goals), seniors Alyssa Lo (29), Cassie Churnside (25) and Pallavi Menon (18) and sophomores Kaley Dodson (24) and Kaitlyn Lo (23), the Cardinal brings the MPSF's top offense into the tournament, averaging 12.50 goals per game.
Stanford also boasts the conference's top defense, allowing just 4.64 goals a game. The dominant defensive performance is anchored by goalie Kate Baldoni, who leads the MPSF with a goals-against average of 4.48 goals per game and is second in the conference with 9.94 saves a game.
Developed by "The Cardinal Channel", the exclusive video network of Stanford Athletics, the "19 Hours" project provides every team 19 hours of total production time to create one video to publicize their program. Student-athletes from each sport are charged with establishing a unique theme or concept for a video.
Stay tuned to www.gostanford.com for additional "19 Hours" videos from Stanford's other athletic programs.