UCLA women’s water polo geared up for another tough Stanford matchup
By Erik Rehnberg
April 11, 2014 1:17 a.m.
Friday is a big day for the No. 2 UCLA women’s water polo team. When it takes on No. 1 Stanford at Spieker Aquatics Center Friday afternoon, it will be the third meeting between the teams this season and UCLA’s fourth Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game.
Each team has won once, with UCLA (21-2, 3-0 MPSF) taking the most recent game and handing Stanford its only loss so far this season. History may be on Stanford’s (17-1, 3-0) side, however: The Cardinal are unbeaten against the Bruins in conference games since 2009.
Stanford and UCLA have a multiyear rivalry that has intensified in the previous two years. Stanford knocked UCLA out of the NCAA championship tournament last year in the semifinals, while UCLA beat Stanford for the MPSF tournament title in 2012.
Perennially top-five teams in the same conference, UCLA and Stanford frequently show up on each other’s schedules, with four games each in 2012 and 2013. Depending on how the MPSF and NCAA tournaments shake out, the teams could play as many as five times this year.
Facing a top-ranked team will give UCLA the opportunity to improve beyond where the team has been all season.
“Our team has the potential to be great,” said junior attacker Brailey Hirose-Hulbert. “Right now we’re just really good.”
Only 25 hours after the start of the Stanford game, UCLA will return to Spieker Aquatics Center to play another conference game against No. 6 San Jose State.
While San Jose State is lower ranked with a worse record than UCLA, the Spartans have been on a hot streak as of late, winning six of their last seven games, which include wins over No. 5 Arizona State and then-No. 8 Princeton. Its only loss came against then-No. 1 USC in a tight 10-9 defeat.
Compiled by Erik Rehnberg, Bruin Sports contributor.
