Brenda Villa
Height: 5-4
Birthday: April 18, 1980
Birthplace: Los Angeles, Calif.
Hometown: Commerce, Calif.
Residence: Long Beach, Calif.
Education: Stanford (2003)
Club: Commerce/Orizzonta (ITA)
Pronunciation: Vee-ya
CAREER HIGHLIGHTSINTERNATIONAL/CLUB: Scored four goals during the 2007 Holiday Cup...Captained the team in its last three gold-medal finishes, including the 2007 World Championships, 2007 Pan American Games, and the 2007 FINA World League...Part of a host of players with 11 goals during the 2007 Pan American Games, including three in a win over Venezuela...Put home three goals during Super Final 2007...Led the team in scoring with 16 goals during the 2005 FINA World Championships, making her the second highest scorer in the tournament...Scored 10 goals at the 2005 FINA World League...In the 2004 Olympic Games, she scored four goals against Hungary and two against Russia to guarantee a medal...Olympic bronze medalist at 2004 Athens Olympic Games...Scored 10 goals for Team USA at the 2003 Pan American Games, including two in the gold-medal win over Canada to qualify for the Athens Games...Had a team-high 13 goals to lead USA to gold at the 2003 World Championships...Was named to the Media All-World Team at the 2002 World Cup, tying for most goals scored with nine...Olympic silver medalist at the 2000 Games in Sydney...Scored game-tying goal with 13.1 seconds left in eventual loss to Australia in gold medal game...Scored winning goal in Olympic qualifying game against Hungary at the Qualification Tournament in Palermo...Selected as Female Hope for Tomorrow by World Water Polo magazine...Scored eight goals to lead the US in scoring at the 1997 FINA World Cup...Is the most experienced member of Team USA, boasting a quick and powerful shot known throughout the water polo world...Been a member of the Senior National Team since 1996.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China, 2nd place
2007 Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1st Place
2007 FINA World League Super Final, Montreal, Canada, 1st Place
2007 FINA World Championships, Melbourne, Australia, 1st Place
2006 Holiday Cup, Los Alamitos, Calif., 1st Place
2006 FINA World League, Cosenza, Italy, 1st Place
2005 FINA World Championships, Montreal, Canada, 2nd Place
2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece, 3rd Place
2004 Holiday Cup, La Jolla, Calif., 1st Place
2004 FINA World League Series, Long Beach, Calif., 1st Place
2003 Holiday Cup, Los Alamitos, Calif., 1st Place
2003 Pan American Games, Dominican Republic, 1st Place
PROFESSIONAL: Spent the last three seasons playing professional water polo for the Italian Division I Team, Orizzonte...Won the LEN Champions Cup Finals in 2006, the team's seventh Champions Cup, and their third in a row.
COLLEGE: MPSF Player of the Year in 2003...Finalist for the 2003 Peter J. Cutino Award...Finished Stanford career with 172 goals (three seasons)...Honored with 2002 Peter J. Cutino Award...Finalist for the 2002 Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year Award...Member of 2002 NCAA Championship Team...All-Tournament first team honors at 2002 NCAA and MPSF Championships...In 2002, led Stanford in scoring with 60 goals...Scored team-high 69 goals in her 2001 freshman campaign, when Stanford finished second at the first Women's Water Polo NCAA Championship...Named 2001 Division I Water Polo Player of the Year...MPSF Co-Player of the Year as a freshman.
HIGH SCHOOL: Earned first-team All-CIF honors three times on Bell Gardens High School boy's water polo team...Four-time girls first team All-American.
PERSONAL
Favorite water polo moment was defeating Hungary to qualify for the first-ever Women's Water Polo Olympic Games...Hobbies include reading, shopping, and spending time with friends...Supports Women's Sports Foundation as they get women from every walk of life involved in sports for the opportunity and healthy living...Best thing about water polo is the team chemistry and traveling...Started playing water polo in order to follow around older brother (Edgar).
- Favorite Food: Mexican food (specifically her mother's chicken tortilla soup casserole)
- Favorite Movie: "Blood Diamond"
- Favorite Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
- Favorite Actress: Julia Roberts
- Favorite Songs: "Banquet" by Bloc Party, "No One" by Alicia Keys, "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, and "Numb/Encore" by Linkin Park/Jay-Z
- Personal Theme Song: "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce
- Favorite Musicians: The Strokes, Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Justin Timberlake
- Favorite Color: Purple and Red
- Facebook or MySpace: MySpace
- Coolest Person You Know: Isabella (niece)
- Best Present Ever Received: A silver box engraved for silver Olympic medal
- Best Halloween Costume: Geisha
- Magical Power if Available: To fly
- Sport to Play Other Than Water Polo: Softball or soccer