Stanford won the 2019 NC women's water polo championship in a 9-8 thriller against defending national champion Southern California. Both teams advanced to the championship after overtime wins in the semifinals.
NCAA WATER POLO: 2019 NC women's water polo championship bracket | Printable bracket
It's Stanford's seventh national title in program history since the women's water polo national championships began in 2001. The Cardinal's Makenzie Fischer led the way in the title match with three goals and an assist.
USC clinched its spot in the finals with a 10-8 victory over Cal in overtime. Stanford followed with a tight 8-7 win in extra time over UCLA to complete the finals matchup. USC and Stanford were the top two seeds in the 2019 tournament.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆@Stanfordh2opolo takes home NCAA title No. 7 after outlasting USC 9-8 at Avery! 🤽♀️ #NCAAWWP #BackThePac pic.twitter.com/vN8ysgX8VV
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 12, 2019
The tournament began May 7 with two first-round games: Wagner vs. UC San Diego and Pacific vs. Cal Lutheran. UC San Diego defeated Wagner 12-8 to earn the chance to play top seed USC in the quarterfinals while Pacific took down Cal Lutheran 16-4 to play Stanford.
In the quarterfinals, USC took down San Diego, California topped Hawaii, Stanford defeated Pacific and UCLA outlasted Michigan to round out the day.
2019 NC women's water polo championship schedule
NCAA.com will live stream Sunday's national championship match. The entire tournament is being held at the Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, California. See below for the full tournament schedule and how to watch:
| ROUND | TEAMS | DATE/TIME | LIVE STREAM/STATS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST-ROUND | Wagner vs. UC San Diego | May 7, 3 p.m. | UC San Diego 12, Wagner 8 | |
| Pacific vs. Cal Lutheran | May 7, 4:45 p.m. | Pacific 16, Cal Lutheran 4 | ||
| QUARTERFINALS | No. 1 USC vs. UC San Diego | May 10, 3 p.m. ET | USC 14, San Diego 8 | |
| No. 4 California vs. Hawaii | May 10, 4:45 p.m. ET | California 17, Hawaii 13 | ||
| No. 2 Stanford vs. Pacific | May 10, 6:30 p.m. ET | Stanford 18, Pacific 9 | ||
| No. 3 UCLA vs. Michigan | May 10, 8:15 p.m. ET | UCLA 13, Michigan 7 | ||
| SEMIFINALS | No. 1 USC vs. No. 4 California | May 11, 6 p.m. | USC 10, California 8 (OT) | |
| No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 UCLA | May 11, 8 p.m. | Stanford 8, UCLA 7 (OT) | ||
| FINALS | No. 1 USC VS. No. 2 Stanford | May 12, 6 p.m. | Stanford 9, Southern California 8 |
FULL NCAA.COM LIVE STREAMING SCHEDULE
2019 NC women's water polo championship bracket
Ten teams were originally selected to the 2019 NCAA women's water polo bracket on April 29, with six getting automatic byes into the quarterfinals. The top four seeds, in order, were Southern California, Stanford, UCLA and California.
See the final bracket below.
INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET
NC women's water polo championship history
Southern California won the 2018 women's water polo tournament and had the No. 1 seed in this year's tournament. Below is the full NC women's water polo championship history:
| YEAR | CHAMPION (RECORD) | COACH | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Stanford (23-2) | John Tanner | 9-8 | Southern California | Stanford |
| 2018 | Southern California (26-1) | Jovan Vavic | 5-4 | Stanford | Southern California |
| 2017 | Stanford (23-3) | John Tanner | 8-7 | UCLA | IUPUI |
| 2016 | Southern California (26-0) | Jovan Vavic | 8-7 | Stanford | UCLA |
| 2015 | Stanford (24-2) | John Tanner | 7-6 | UCLA | Stanford |
| 2014 | Stanford (25-1) | John Tanner | 9-5 | UCLA | USC |
| 2013 | Southern California (27-1) | Jovan Vavic | 10-9 | Stanford | Harvard |
| 2012 | Stanford (26-2) | John Tanner | 6-4 | Southern California | San Diego State |
| 2011 | Stanford (28-1) | John Tanner | 9-5 | California | Michigan |
| 2010 | Southern California (25-3) | Jovan Vavic | 10-9 | Stanford | San Diego State |
| 2009 | UCLA (25-6) | Adam Krikorian | 5-4 | Southern California | Maryland |
| 2008 | UCLA (33-0) | Adam Krikorian | 6-3 | Southern California | Stanford |
| 2007 | UCLA (28-2) | Adam Krikorian | 5-4 | Stanford | Long Beach State |
| 2006 | UCLA (29-4) | Adam Krikorian | 9-8 | Southern California | UC Davis |
| 2005 | UCLA (33-0) | Adam Krikorian | 3-2 | Stanford | Michigan |
| 2004 | Southern California (29-0) | Jovan Vavic | 10-8 | Loyola Marymount | Stanford |
| 2003 | UCLA (23-4) | Adam Krikorian | 4-3 | Stanford | UC San Diego |
| 2002 | Stanford (23-2) | John Tanner | 8-4 | UCLA | Southern California |
| 2001 | UCLA (19-4) | Adam Krikorian | 5-4 | Stanford | Stanford |
