April 27, 2011
MPSF Championship - San Jose, Calif.
Friday, April 29 - 1:30 p.m.
- vs. -
No. 8 Arizona State
STANFORD, Calif. - The postseason has arrived for top-ranked Stanford women's water polo, as the Cardinal begins MPSF Tournament play Friday at San Jose State with a 1:30 p.m. quarterfinal contest against No. 8 seed Arizona State.
Last Time Out
The Cardinal completed an unbeaten regular season and sent its senior class off in style last Friday with a 17-5 win over No. 7 San Jose State at Avery Aquatic Center.
Cassie Churnside, Annika Dries and Melissa Seidemann each scored three times to pace the Cardinal attack in the win. All three Cardinal goalies saw action in the contest as sophomore Kate Baldoni got the start and made eight saves in the first half. She then gave way to senior Amber Oland, who made six saves and allowed just one goal over a quarter and a half before senior Kim Hall came on to finish things up, making a pair of saves.
About The Opposition
Arizona State (11-12, 0-7 MPSF), will be the eighth seed at this weekend's MPSF Tournament in San Jose, and will face the Cardinal in quarterfinal action.
The Sun Devils are led in the pool by the scoring of Mariam Salloum, who has scored 35 goals so far in 2011 and ranks sixth in the MPSF with 1.84 goals per game. Sarah Harris (34 goals) and Shannon Haas (33) are right behind Salloum on the team's scoring list.
The Arizona State defense ranks last in the conference in team defense, allowing 9.35 goals per game, while the offense is seventh with 9.57 goals a game.
Friday's meeting will be the fourth of the season between the two schools. Stanford captured the prior three contests over Arizona State by a combined score of 39-11.
In The National Rankings
The Cardinal remained atop the Varsity Top 20 Poll this week, and have been in the No. 1 spot since the beginning of the season.
Stanford Goes For Fifth MPSF Tournament Title
Top seed Stanford will attempt to capture its fifth MPSF Tournament title in San Jose this weekend, and first crown since 2006. The Cardinal won MPSF Tournament crowns in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006.
Should the Cardinal win Friday's quarterfinal contest against Arizona State, it would move on to a semifinal meeting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday with either No. 4 seed UCLA or No. 5 USC.
Melissa Seidemann Named MPSF Mikasa Player Of The Week
Junior two-meter Melissa Seidemann was named MPSF Mikasa Player of the Week Monday afternoon, three days after scoring three goals for her fifth hat trick of the season in Stanford's 17-5 win over San Jose State. Over the past three games, Seidemann has been on a good scoring run, netting seven goals total.
Oland Pulls Double Duty On Senior Night
Senior goalie Amber Oland got to enjoy a unique experience in Friday's contest. The Santa Ana, Calif. native played in her customary goalie spot for a quarter and a half, making six saves and allowing just one goal, then played the final four minutes in the field, scoring her first collegiate goal. When the Cardinal drew a five-meter penalty in the waning minutes, Oland was chosen to step up for the attempt, and she buried it for her first goal at Stanford.
Stanford Completes Another Unbeaten Home Season
Friday's 17-5 win over San Jose State wrapped up Stanford's home slate for 2011, as the Cardinal finished the year 7-0 at Avery Aquatic Center. It marked the second straight season that the Cardinal has turned in an unbeaten record at its home pool, bringing the overall home winning streak to 17 games dating back to the beginning of the 2010 campaign.
Hat Tricks Come In Threes
The contest against San Jose State also showcased Stanford's potent offense as not only did the team score 17 goals (the second-highest output of the season) but three players netted hat tricks. Cassie Churnside, Annika Dries and Melissa Seidemann all scored three goals to lead Stanford's attack in the win.