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The top-ranked Stanford women's water polo team needed a strong finish to fend off a rally from UCLA to gain its first conference victory of the season.

Makenzie Fischer, Kat Klass and Jordan Raney answered the call, each scoring a goal after the Bruins recovered from a four-goal deficit, and Stanford won, 8-5, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation contest Saturday.

Fischer finished with a hat trick for the Cardinal (14-1, 1-1), which hosts No. 3 USC at 5:30 p.m. Friday in a game to be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Klass added a pair of goals.

After opening with five goals in the first period, Stanford went scoreless over the next 16 minutes, allowing the Bruins to tie the game late in the third period.

With less than a minute to go in the period, Katie Dudley drew an exclusion and Fischer ended the Cardinal drought with a skip shot past Carlee Kapana to make it 6-5.