Stanford’s 2016-17 non-conference schedule features Texas, Gonzaga, Tenn., GWU and a sister vs. sister exhibition
Image: Stanford Athletics.
Stanford, Calif. – Stanford’s 2016-17 nonconference schedule features two games against progams that advanced to the Elite Eight a season ago, Texas and Tennessee, plus a sister vs. sister preseason contest.
The Cardinal’s season kicks off with a home exhibition against Division II UC San Diego on Friday, Nov. 4 . The Tritons’ head coach is the younger sister of Stanford’s head coach Tara Heidi VanDerveer.
The regular season campaign begins Nov. 11 against Cal Poly.
Texas visits the Cardinal on Nov. 14 in a game that will be televised on ESPN2. Last season the Longhorns topped Stanford in Austin, 77-69. Texas finished the year 31-5 and had a historic season that saw the squad reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003.
The Stanford schedule continues with home contests vs. Gonzaga and CSUN before the team heads to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge. The tournament includes games versus Northeastern, Wichita State, Purdue and CSU Bakersfield. The CSUB game will be a special one for Stanford senior forward Erica McCall as her dad coaches the Roadrunners. Last season CSUB visited Stanford and the younger McCall came out on top in a 83-41 victory for the Cardinal.
Stanford returns home for a contest against UC Davis before heading on the road again for matchups versus Tennessee and George Washington.
Last season Stanford bested GW 84-63 at Maples Pavilion. This year the Colonials have a new coach in former Connecticut star Jennifer Rizzotti who arrived after heading Hartford women’s basketball for 17 years.
The game will be a homecoming for Stanford guard Marta Sniezek who played high school ball at the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C.
The regular season finishes up with a game against Ivy League team Yale on Dec. 28.
In addition to McCall, last season’s leading scorer and rebounder, the Cardinal will have the services of two other key seniors: guards Karlie Samuelson and Briana Roberson. Last season’s second leading scorer, senior Lili Thompson, will not return although she will still be enrolled at the institution. Senior forward Kailee Johnson also left the team. She will graduate in the fall.
The younger VanDerveer’s Tritons could possibly be a Division I foe in the next several years if the institution receives an invitation to join the Big West Conference according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. In the previous academic year, students at UC San Diego voted to more than double student athletics fees to fund a move to Division I.
2016-17 Nonconference Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 4 | UC San Diego (Exhibition) | Stanford, Calif. |
| Nov. 11 | Cal Poly | Stanford, Calif. |
| Nov. 14 | Texas | Stanford, Calif. |
| Nov. 18 | Gonzaga | Stanford, Calif. |
| Nov. 20 | CSUN | Stanford, Calif. |
| Nov. 24 | vs. Northeastern | Cancun, Mexico |
| Nov. 25 | vs. Wichita State | Cancun, Mexico |
| Nov. 26 | vs. Purdue | Cancun, Mexico |
| Dec. 1 | at CSU Bakersfield | Bakersfield, Calif. |
| Dec. 4 | UC Davis | Stanford, Calif. |
| Dec. 18 | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Dec. 21 | at George Washington | Washington, D.C. |
| Dec. 28 | Yale | Stanford, Calif. |
