What's Ahead
The No. 1 Stanford women’s water polo team opens up its home schedule this weekend when it hosts the 2016 Stanford Invitational at Avery Aquatic Center. The Cardinal will play No. 7 Michigan on Saturday at 11 a.m. and No. 8 San Jose State at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, Stanford opens with No. 15 Loyola Marymount at 8 a.m. and depending on its finish in Bracket ‘A’ will take on one of No. 5 Cal, No. 8 UC Davis, No. 10 UC Irvine or No. 12 Pacific that afternoon.
Tickets
All-session tickets are priced at $25 for adults and $15 for seniors and youth, while single-day tickets cost $15 for adults and $8 for seniors and youth. Stanford students with valid SUID cards will receive free admission. A full game schedule can be found at the Stanford Invitational Central on GoStanford.com. Games will be held at the both the Avery Stadium pool and Belardi Pool and begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday.
Looking Back To Last Week
The Cardinal swept its way through the LouStrong Memorial Tournament in San Jose on Jan. 16 and 17. Stanford began its NCAA title defense with Saturday wins over No. 10 Pacific (16-10) and No. 9 UC Davis (11-6). On Sunday, the Cardinal dispatched CSU Monterey Bay and No. 8 San Jose State by a combined score of 29-6. The Cardinal handled the Otters in the morning, 19-1, before taking care of the Spartans, 10-5, in the afternoon.
A photo posted by Stanford Women's Water Polo (@stanfordwwaterpolo) on Jan 17, 2016 at 11:23am PST
Strong Start
Stanford freshman Kat Klass was named MPSF/Kap7 Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 19 following a LouStrong Memorial in which she scored seven times on the tournament’s opening day and poured in eight goals overall. She notched her first career hat trick in her first career game, scoring three times in Stanford’s 16-10 victory over No. 10 Pacific on Saturday morning. Later that afternoon, Klass was responsible for four of her team’s 11 goals in the Cardinal’s 11-6 win against No. 9 UC Davis. The freshman closed out her weekend with another score in 19-1 victory against CSU Monterey Bay on Sunday. Klass tied junior All-American Jamie Neushul for the team lead in goals through the season’s first weekend.
Rewind To 2015
The Cardinal won 25 games for the ninth consecutive season in 2015 and made history by becoming the first host institution to win the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship. The national crown was the fifth in program history and the Cardinal’s fourth in the past five seasons.
A photo posted by Stanford Women's Water Polo (@stanfordwwaterpolo) on Nov 15, 2015 at 10:30am PST
World University Games
Stanford had an early start to building a cohesive unit heading into this season. Over the summer, the Cardinal represented the United States at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea. After going 1-2-1 in pool play, the U.S. went 2-1 in its final three games to come in fifth out of the 10-team field. Jamie Neushul led the U.S. at the World University Games in goals, scoring 18 (2.6 per game) and freshman Kat Klass joined her in double figures rattling the cage 11 times (1.6 per game). Defensively, Raney contributed five field blocks in South Korea, while Cassidy Papa and Shannon Cleary added four each. Gabby Stone and Jamie Neushul had nine steals apiece, Dani Jackovich added seven and Kat Klass five.
Gyeongbok Palace, built in 1395. Final adventure of the trip. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/ieQtg22GDB
— Stanford Water Polo (@Stanfordh2opolo) July 15, 2015
Junior Worlds
Stanford All-Americans Jamie Neushul and Jordan Raney helped the United States repeat as FINA Junior World Champions with an undefeated run to the title in Volos, Greece in August. Team USA outscored its opponents 106 to 46 over the six games, which were capped with a 13-10 victory over Spain in the championship. Neushul, who served as captain for the United States, scored 14 goals, including three hat tricks, while Raney, the reigning MPSF Newcomer of the Year, added six.
Congrats Jordan & @Jneushul8 on bringing home the Gold. #Volos2015. Jr Worlds. pic.twitter.com/PF8Ajkvjoe
— Stanford Water Polo (@Stanfordh2opolo) August 23, 2015
Seeing The Stats
Stanford finds itself leading the MPSF in goals per game (14.00), ahead of Arizona State (11.50) and UCLA (10.75), and tops in goals allowed per game (5.50) among teams that have started their seasons. USC begins its 2016 campaign on Friday. Individually, Kat Klass and Jamie Neushul are tied for fourth in goals per game (2.00). Dani Jackovich and Gurpreet Sohi (1.50) are tied for 11th, while Jordan Raney and Anna Yelizarova are tied for 18th (1.25). Julia Hermann’s 7.00 goals against average is fifth in the conference and her 5.00 saves per game are sixth.
Defense Wins Championships
The Cardinal’s defense has been a constant ingredient in its success. Stanford’s 16-10 season-opening win over No. 10 Pacific snapped a streak of 44 consecutive games holding its opponent to less than 10 goals. The team has led the MPSF in goals allowed per game four out of the past six years.
MPSF Pick
Stanford collected 32 points and three first-place votes to top the 2016 MPSF Women’s Water Polo Coaches’ Poll, which was released by the conference last week. USC was tabbed second with 31 points and three first-place votes while UCLA was third with 29 points and one first-place vote. California, Arizona State, San Jose State and CSU Bakersfield rounded out the preseason picks. The Cardinal has not lost an MPSF game since 2009, a stretch of 39 straight regular season conference outings.
In The Polls
Stanford maintained the top spot in the national rankings (98 points), ahead of No. 2 UCLA (96 points) in this week’s CWPA Women’s Varsity Top 20 Poll. USC (94 points) Hawaii (87 points), Arizona State (82 points) and California (82 points) round out the top five.