Showdown Showdown (April 14, 2004)is looming with UCLA

Women's water polo needs win on Sunday to secure key seed

by Rick Eymer

The Stanford women's water polo team travels to Los Angeles for an important match with host UCLA on Sunday. Stanford and the third-ranked Bruins are in a second-place tie entering the final two matches of the regular season, and a Cardinal victory would all but wrap up the second seed for the upcoming Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.

The conference tournament will go a long way in determining the MPSF representatives in the NCAA tournament.

The second-ranked Cardinal (8-1, 16-3) did their part over the weekend, recording a pair of victories over California, 9-5 on Friday, and 18-5 over Pacific on Saturday, in their final regular-season home matches.

With Stanford hosting the NCAA tournament, the Cardinal would love to be one of the teams advancing out of the MPSF. A victory over the Bruins (8-1, 19-3), who just defeated host Long Beach State on Saturday by 5-3, would go a long way in making that happen.

Freshmen Katie Hansen and Christina Hewko each scored two goals in the victory over No. 8 Cal.

The Bears took a 2-0 advantage in the first period, but Stanford scored five unanswered goals to take control of the contest.

Sophomore driver Scotti Shafer sparked the rally with a first-period goal before the Cardinal exploded for four goals in the second period. Hansen scored both of her goals in the rally.

Freshman goalie Meridith McColl recorded eight saves in the contest.

On Saturday, Stanford took a 10-1 halftime lead and was never seriously threatened.

Shafer and fellow sophomore Nancy El-Sakkary each contributed three goals, while sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Matuk had four saves as Stanford's starters played sparingly or not at all..
Men's volleyball

Ninth-ranked Stanford split a pair of home matches over the weekend, beating No. 15 USC, 21-30, 30-25, 31-33, 30-22, 15-13 on Saturday after dropping a 30-20, 30-28, 30-27 decision to No. 4 Pepperdine on Friday.

Both matches were held at Burnham Pavilion.

Stanford (6-14 in the MPSF, 9-16 overall) play at Pacific on Wednesday before returning home to host the Tigers on Saturday in the regular season finale.

The Cardinal rallied from a 2-1 deficit, which included a tough 33-31 loss in the third game, against the Trojans.

"It's always tough to lose a third game that could go either way," said Stanford coach Don Shaw. "I was really pleased with the way we were able to bounce back and take game four. We changed some things up in game four that worked out for us. It was sloppy win, but a win is a win."

Three consecutive blocks by the duo of Patrick Bomhack and Craig Buell gave Stanford a 23-15 lead in game four.

In game five, the Cardinal rallied from an early deficit to grab their final lead at 13-12.

Bomhack led four Cardinal players in double figures in kills with 17. Ben Reddy added 15 kills, while Buell had 11 and David Vogel 10. Kevin Hansen had 56 assists and 11 digs.

Against Pepperdine, Buell had 13 kills.
Women's golf

Five Cardinal golfers finished in the top 10 to help Stanford capture the team title of the Peg Barnard Collegiate with a two-round score 0f 590 over the weekend at the Stanford Golf Course.

Washington finished second (604), followed by UC Irvine (609), Washington State (610) and Denver (618).

It is Stanford's first tournament win of the season.

Washington State's Kim Welch took top individual honors with a two-under par 142 for the tournament. Cardinal Kim Kouwabunpat, turned in a one-over par 145 to tie for third. Stanford freshman Jennifer Tangtiphaiboontana finished fifth with a 147.

Senior Angela Rho tied for sixth with a 148 while teammates Lauren Todd (150) and Wendra Liang (150) tied for ninth.

Stanford competes in Pac-10 championships beginning April 19 in Los Angeles.
Women's lacrosse

Stanford dropped an 11-5 nonconference match to visiting Northwestern on Friday.

Abbi Hills and Megan Burker each scored two goals and Christina Saikus had nine saves for the Cardinal (7-5), who travel to Duke for a match on Friday.
Track and field

Stanford swept the first five places of the women's 400-meter race to highlight action at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at California on Saturday.

Nashonme Johnson won the race in an NCAA regional qualifying -- and career-best -- time of 53.59. It was the second-best time in school history, just off the 53.27 by Jayna Smith in 2001. Ashley Freeman and Chinny Offor, in second and third, also qualified for the regional with career-best times of 54.36 and 54.43 respectively. Keisha Gaines finished fourth with a Pac-10 qualifying time of 54.79.

Freeman's mark was also a freshman record.

Freshman Arianna Lambie ran a NCAA regional qualifying time of 2:08.06 in the 800 meters. Other NCAA regional qualifying times or marks were set by Lindsey Johnson in the 100 hurdles (13.69) and Leila Ben-Youssef in the pole vault (12-8 3/4).

Pac-10 qualifying times or marks were set by Janice Davis in the 100 meters (24.47), Gaines in the 400 meters (54.79), Julie Allen in the 1,500 meters (4:39.85), Nick Sebes in the 200 meters (21.44), and Joaquin Chapa in the 800 meters (1:51.13).

Erin Merriman threw the javelin a season-best 150-2 to win the competition on Friday at the Rafer Johnson Invitational at UCLA's Drake Stadium.

Merriman's throw was only four inches short of her career-best set last year against California in the Big Meet. Merriman's effort was not only a Pac-10 qualifying mark, but a NCAA regional qualifying standard as well.

In other action, Kitty Currier finished fifth in the women's discus (137-6), and William O'Neil placed fifth in the men's discus (155-8).
Softball

Senior catcher Jessica Allister had seven hits in nine official trips to the plate, including four doubles, but California won two-of-three in a Pac-10 series over the weekend.

Stanford won Friday's game, 5-3, in Berkeley, but dropped a home doubleheader, 1-0 and 6-0, on Saturday.

Dana Sorensen won Friday's game, and recorded 16 strikeouts over the weekend, leaving her four shy of 1,000 for her career.

On Friday, Leah Nelson hit a home run to tie the game at 2-all, and then Catalina Morris doubled home two runs to put the Cardinal ahead.

Allister had six straight hits for Stanford (3-3, 30-10), which hosts top-ranked Arizona on Friday at 7 p.m.
Men's golf

Stanford shot a 286 on the final day of competition at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, to finish 12th with a three-round total of 862.

Arizona State won team honors with a tournament record 43-under par 821. Arizona State sophomore Alejandro Canizares won the individual honor with a 16-under 200, tying the tournament record. Freshman Zack Miller shot an 11-under-205, good for sixth place, to lead the Cardinal.

Stanford hosts the U.S. Intercollegiate at the Stanford Golf Course beginning Saturday.

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