April 14, 2005
On Friday at 7 pm at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center, No. 3 Stanford (15-4, 7-2) will go head-to-head with No. 1 UCLA (24-0, 9-0) in the first conference match-up between the teams this season. Stanford last played the Bruins at the Stanford Invitational on February 12th, and lost by a close margin of just 1 point, going 5-6.
The Cardinal has a historic rivalry with UCLA, and is looking forward to challenging the Bruins at home once again. Stanford is home following a four-game winning streak on the road, and will play two more games at home before heading to the MPSF Championships on April 28th. Stanford's seniors will be acknowledged on Friday, April 22nd when the Cardinal play San Jose State.
UCLA, coming off wins over Pacific and No. 7 California, has one of the largest winning streaks ever in women's collegiate water polo behind them.
Stanford Head Coach John Tanner anticipates an exciting showdown on Friday night. "UCLA is a highly talented team. With four women returning from the (2004) Olympic team and a handful of top recruits, they have 16 or 18 top-notch players on their roster," he said. This could mean a physically challenging game for the Cardinal, who have a roster almost half the size of UCLA's.
The Stanford team has been playing confidently and accurately as of late, and five players have scored over 20 goals so far this season: Scotti Shafer, Hannah Luber, Katie Hansen, Nancy El-Sakkary, and Christina Hewko. Defensively, Cardinal goalie Meridith McColl and 2-M players Kelty Luber and Laurel Champion will have their hands full on Friday.
"UCLA relies on their counter attack for much of their offense, and they play great defense," added Tanner, who notes that their coaching staff is also very well-respected.
On Sunday at 1:00 pm at Avery Aquatic Center, No. 3 Stanford will face No. 14 UC Davis (17-15), the second time this season the two teams have met. Stanford last played UC Davis at the Stanford Invitational on February 13th, and won 11-1. According to Tanner, this match-up could be more challenging than it was two months ago. "Davis has improved substantially over the course of the season. They play a methodical, efficient style that has put them in contention to qualify for the NCAA Championships," he noted.