STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford (11-1, 5-1 MPSF) squares off against San Jose State (7-15, 0-6 MPSF) in the MPSF Championship first round on Friday at 11 a.m. in Berkeley, Calif.
• The Cardinal is chasing its ninth MPSF title and fourth in the past five seasons after repeating in 2022-23 and winning again in 2025. Stanford also won the MPSF championship in 2014, 2006, 2003, 2001 and 2000. There have been four seasons in which the Cardinal has won both the MPSF and NCAA titles (2014, 2022, 2023, 2025).
• Jenna Flynn’s hat trick combined with a second-half lockdown defensive effort proved to be the perfect combination in No. 2 Stanford’s 8-7 win over No. 4 California on April 4. Stanford ripped off four straight goals after falling behind 5-2 and led the rest of the way. Flynn achived her hat trick with 4:59 left in the final period before Christine Carpenter made a series of clutch stops to preserve win. Stanford continues to dominate the rivalry series, having won 23 of the last 28 matchups against California over the last 12 seasons. The outcome was especially memorable for Maggie Hawkins and Jackie King, who were honored in a postgame Senior Day ceremony.
• Stanford's 11-1 record includes two wins over 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 (40 goals, 18 assists, 68 shots, 11 multi-goal games, 9 hat tricks) and Juliette Dhalluin (34 goals, 25 assists, 57 shots, 11 multi-goal games, 7 hat tricks) 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 seven of its 11 games, including a season-high output in a 23-11 win over Long Beach State on Jan. 24. 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).