STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford and No. 2 USC are set to clash Friday in a top-three NCAA men's water polo showdown at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.
Friday's match, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener for both teams, will air on Pac-12 Networks at 5 p.m. PT.
Stanford comes into Friday's match 4-0 on the year after the Cardinal out-scored its four opponents, 85-11, last weekend in the Bruno Classic in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Stanford downed No. 10 Harvard (21-5), MIT (24-1), St. Francis Brooklyn (21-5) and No. 15 Brown (19-0) during its trip to the Northeast. The Cardinal out-scored its opponents 54-5 over the first half in those four matches.
Junior Blake Parrish led the way offensively, totaling 13 goals. Freshman Ben Hallock was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week on Monday after recording 11 goals in his first collegiate action this past weekend. Sophomore Bennett Williams (11) and senior Jackson Kimbell (10) round out the Cardinal's double-digit scorers so far on the year.
.@Ben_Hallock's 11-goal week earns him MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors. » https://t.co/rwxUhiCaGU pic.twitter.com/eDG1JWFDTt
— Stanford Water Polo (@StanfordMWP) September 5, 2017
Senior Drew Holland and sophomore Andrew Chun split time in the cage for the Cardinal over the four matches, anchoring a strong defensive performance. With 743 career saves, Holland needs one more stop to tie Chris Aguilera (1994-98) as Stanford's all-time saves leader.
USC enters Friday 2-0 on the year with wins over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (27-3) and Pomona-Pitzer. Friday is the home opener for the Trojans.
Friday's matchup also pits two collegiate water polo coaching titans against each other in Stanford's Dunlevie Family Director of Men's Water Polo John Vargas (307-97) and USC's Jovan Vavic (518-84).
The Trojans took both matchups with the Cardinal last season, defeating the Cardinal, 8-4, last September at Avery Aquatic Center and 9-5 last November in the MPSF Tournament in Los Angeles.