STANFORD, Calif. – A top-six showdown awaits Stanford men's water polo in Los Angeles this Saturday.
No. 6 Stanford will face top-ranked and undefeated UCLA at 11:30 a.m. PT at Spieker Aquatics Center in the Cardinal's second Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) match of the season. The contest will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network.
Stanford enters Saturday 12-3 overall, coming off a 9-5 victory over No. 8 Pepperdine this past Sunday. The Cardinal's three defeats this season have come to No. 2 USC (8-4), No. 4 Pacific (9-8) and No. 7 UCSB (7-6).
Stanford is tied for sixth with Long Beach State in the Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll released this week. The Cardinal had been fifth in each of the season's previous polls.
Sophomore Blake Parrish leads Stanford offensively with 36 goals. Fellow sophomore Mitchell Mendoza has posted 28 scores, and junior Cody Smith has contributed 26 goals on the season.
Freshman Bennett Williams leads all newcomers on the Cardinal roster and is second among first-year players in the MPSF with 18 goals this season. He is coming off a four-goal week that earned him the MPSF Newcomer of the Week honor on Monday.
Junior Goalie Oliver Lewis is averaging 10.9 saves per game this season. He has posted double-digit stops in nine matches this season, with a career-best 16 against USC on Sept. 17.
The Bruins are 21-0 this season and have won their last 54 matches. Their current winning streak is an NCAA record, snapping Stanford's 51-match winning streak from 1985-87.
Stanford and UCLA faced each other twice last season at Avery Aquatic Center, with the Bruins winning both matches (8-7 and 12-8).
Stanford will return to Spieker Aquatics Center in November for the MPSF Championships, Nov. 18-20.