April 28, 2005
At Cal's Spieker Aquatics Complex tomorrow, Stanford will play Cal in their first game of the MPSF Tournament at 12:45 PM PST. Because Stanford was seeded in the top three teams, they received a bye on the first day of competition today.
Stanford Head Coach John Tanner expects to see one of the most competitive MPSF fields in years. "The MPSF includes the top seven teams in the country, and 10 of the top 13 teams in the country, so (the Championships) is the highest-level competition held all year." Stanford, seeded third in the nation and third going into the MPSF Tournament, must place at least third or fourth in Berkeley this weekend to guarantee themselves a berth in the NCAA Tournament in mid-May.
Stanford played Cal last weekend in Berkeley at the 10th Big Splash, winning 9-8. The Cardinal holds a 23-8 all-time record over the Bears, and has posted just one conference loss to them in the last five years, at the Big Splash in 2000.