STANFORD, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford (9-0, 3-0 MPSF) returns from a 15-day hiatus on Sunday, March 22, hosting No. 3 USC (17-2, 3-0 MPSF) in a pivotal conference game at Avery Aquatic Center.
The Cardinal can secure an important tiebreaker with a victory and maintain its edge in the MPSF regular season standings. Stanford is attempting to start 10-0 for the seventh time over the last decade, including a 15-0 debut in 2025.
• Stanford's 9-0 record is highlighted by two wins over No. 2 UCLA, with dominant fourth-quarter defensive performances a common theme in both matches. During a 10-9 road victory on March 7, Stanford limited UCLA to one goal over the final eight minutes and none in the final 4:56. Juliette Dhalluin scored a game-high four goals – three coming off penalty shots – while Jenna Flynn added a hat trick and the go-ahead goal with 3:47 remaining in the final period. Stanford's 8-7 victory on Feb. 15 came in the final of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, as the Cardinal secured its fourth tournament title in five seasons and eighth in school history. Stanford, which won the game despite being held scoreless in the fourth quarter, received a hat trick from Flynn, two goals from Dhalluin and eight saves from Christine Carpenter.
• Jenna Flynn (32 goals, 16 assists, 48 shots, 8 multi-goal games) and Juliette Dhalluin (27 goals, 20 assists, 43 shots, 9 multi-goal games) have been pacing the offense, combining for three MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week honors so far this season. Stanford has scored at least 15 goals in six of its nine games, including a season-high output in a 23-11 win over Long Beach State on Jan. 24 at the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational. Elite depth has been a key part of the team's success, with the Cardinal boasting at least 10 different goal scorers in four contests.
• The Cardinal features four players with significant international experience. Jenna Flynn (United States), Juliette Dhalluin (France) and Serena Browne (Canada) represented their country at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Last summer, the Cardinal added a fourth in Sienna Green (Australia), a 2024 Olympic silver medalist and All-American transfer from UCLA who totaled 50 goals in two seasons.
• Stanford’s already-decorated coaching staff also got even stronger this summer, with the most revered and accomplished player in the history of women’s water polo returning to The Farm. Joining the staff as associate head coach is Brenda Villa, one of only two four-time Olympic medalists (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) who won 20 medals overall in her playing career representing Team USA. A three-time All-American and Hall of Famer who led the Cardinal to its first NCAA title in 2002, Villa became Stanford’s first Peter J. Cutino Award recipient and was later named the Female Water Polo Player of the Decade (2000-09) by FINA Aquatics World Magazine.
• The nation's only program to have participated at every NCAA Championship since the event's inception, Stanford put the finishing touches on a dominant campaign in 2025. In addition to producing one of only four 15-0 starts in school history, the Cardinal recorded three wins apiece against fellow contenders USC and UCLA while holding the nation’s No. 1 ranking for most of the season. Stanford also captured both the NCAA and MPSF crowns in the same season for the fourth time in school history (2025, 2023, 2022, 2014).
• Stanford, which is chasing its fourth national championship in five seasons and 11th NCAA title overall in 2026, outlasted USC 11-7 to capture the 2025 NCAA crown. The championship match followed a similar regular-season script of the Cardinal pairing a balanced offense with a suffocating defense. Juliette Dhalluin led the offense with a hat trick and was one of four players with multiple goals while Serena Browne added timely back-to-back goals in the fourth quarter. Christine Carpenter was named MVP of the All-Tournament Team, making nine saves while anchoring a shut-down defense that surrendered only one goal in the second half and kept USC scoreless for a stretch of 14:23 overall.