Junior driver Kiley Neushul of the Stanford women's water polo team was named Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for March 24-31.
Neushul was a force in all facets of No. 3 Stanford's 9-5 victory over top-ranked USC Sunday at Avery Aquatic Center, setting up a couple of Cardinal goals while making three field blocks on the defensive end of the pool.
The Goleta native's effort on defense underscored a Cardinal performance which limited USC, which entered the game as the MPSF's top offense at 15.9 goals per game, to a season-low five goals. Neushul and the Cardinal back line held the Trojans scoreless over a stretch of 7:33 over both ends of halftime while the Stanford offense reeled off a 6-0 run to take an 8-3 lead. Neushul set up the last goal of the run with a nice cross-body pass to Cory Dodson, who finished the sequence.
Monday's Muscle Milk honor is the first of Neushul's career and the first of the 2013-14 athletic year for the women's water polo team. Stanford (16-1, 2-0 MPSF) returns to action this Saturday, April 5 at 1 p.m. at Avery Aquatic Center against Arizona State.