Women's Water Polo Weekly Release
May 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
UCLA (33-0 overall/12-0 MPSF) won its fourth straight and sixth overall NCAA Championship with three wins in Palo Alto over the weekend, capped off with a 6-3 title game outcome over USC. Along with the third perfect season in NCAA women's water polo history, the Bruins also extended their overall win streak to 41 straight games dating back to April '07. In Sunday's championship, UCLA got off to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period, and would turn away 11 of 13 USC power-plays throughout the game. Junior Tanya Gandy was named NCAA Tournament MVP, while seniors Courtney Mathewson, Jillian Kraus, and Brittany Rowe, along with juniors Anne Belden and Brittany Fullen were each named to the all-tournament team.
USC (21-8 overall/10-2 MPSF) was the NCAA Tournament runner-up, with wins over No. 6 seed Michigan (12-3) and host No. 2 seed Stanford (10-6). Senior Veronika Bartunkova collected six goals in three games, while sophomore goalkeeper Tumua Anae totaled 23 saves, including 11 in the semi-final win over Stanford. Anae, Bartunkova, as well as senior Miranda Nichols were named to the All-NCAA Tournament first-team.
STANFORD (27-5 overall/11-1 MPSF) was this year's NCAA Tournament host and placed third with wins over No. 7 seed Marist (12-1) and No. 5 seed UC Davis (15-8). Junior Lauren Silver and senior Jackie Gauthier each scored five goals in three games. Gauthier was named to the All-NCAA First Team while Silver and junior Heather West were second-team selections.
SAN DIEGO STATE (31-7 overall/8-4 MPSF) won the fifth-place game over No. 6 seed Michigan (12-9). Tied at 7 after three quarters, the Aztecs exploded in the final period with five goals. Juniors Jenna Schuster, Anna Gonzales, and Erinn Greenwood all recorded hat tricks, while senior goalkeeper Heather Fenske picked up four of her eight saves in the fourth quarter. No. 4 seed SDSU also defeated No. 8 seed Pomona-Pitzer (11-4) and fell short of No. 5 seed UC Davis (9-8) during the weekend.
GANDY OF UCLA NAMED NCAA TOURNAMENT MVP UCLA junior attacker Tanya Gandy (San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS) was named the 2008 NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player. She scored three consecutive goals to open up the second half in the semi-finals against UC Davis, before scoring twice in the championship. Gandy finished the season with 47 goals.