Women's Water Polo To Open Season In Michigan Invitational

2020 Michigan Invitational

Ann Arbor, MI – The six-time defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) water polo champions will open the 2020 season in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday, January 25 as the Seahawks compete in the Michigan lnvite.

Led by first-year head coach Ciaran Wolohan, the No. 21 Seahawks are slated to face four nationally ranked teams over the course of two days. They will kickoff the 2020 campaign on Saturday morning, facing off against the hosting No. 7 Michigan University Wolverines at 9:15 am, followed by No. 23 ranked Indiana University at 3:45 pm. The Seahawks will conclude their trip with another pair of matchups on Sunday, beginning with No. 9 UC Santa Barbara at 8:00 am and ending with No. 5 UCLA at 3:00 pm.

Wolohan will look to sophomore attacker Sofia Diaz Alvarez to lead the Seahawks throughout their challenging non-conference schedule. Selected as the 2020 Preseason MAAC Player of the Year, the 2019 All-American selection led Wagner with 109 goals and was second on the team with 157 points in her first season donning the Green & White.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
Saturday, January 25
9:15 AM – No. 21 Wagner vs. No. 7 Michigan (Live Stats | $ Live Video $)
3:45 PM – No. 21 Wagner vs. No. 23 Indiana (Live Stats)

Sunday, January 26
8:00 AM – No. 21 Wagner vs. No. 9 UC Santa Barbara (Live Stats)
3:00 PM – No. 21 Wagner vs. No. 5 UCLA (Live Stats)

ABOUT NO. 7 MICHIGAN:
The Wolverines are coming into the weekend with a record of 2-2, with wins over No. 9 UC Santa Barbara and No. 19 Cal-State University Northridge, while dropping a pair of games against No. 4 California and No. 5 UC Irvine.

They came into the 2020 season as four-time defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) conference champions, but have been forced to replace most of their top scorers from last season, including three ACWPC All-Americans in Maddy Steere, Julia Sellers, and Abby Andrews. In all, they will have to replace their top five scorers who notched a combined 242 goals and 180 assists.

So far this season, the Wolverines have yet to surpass the double-digit mark in goals, a feat they achieved in 20 out of 32 games last season. They have averaged 8.25 goals per game, while they have conceded an average of nine goals per game.

Offensively, they are led by attackers Maddie O'Reilly and Ava Morrant who have combined for 13 goals and six assists in four games.

In goal, Michigan relies on senior goalkeeper Heidi Ritner, a four-year starter, who has tallied 752 career saves in 108 career starts, resulting in an 81-27 record.

ABOUT NO. 23 INDIANA:
The Hoosiers will begin their season this weekend in Ann Arbor. They are coming off a 2019 campaign in which they finished 6-17, including an 0-6 mark in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference play, as well as an 11-2 defeat at the hands of the Seahawks.

Indiana will return all 14 swimmers from last season, led by sophomore attacker Tina Doherty, who led the Hoosiers with 42 goals and 61 points in 23 games. Additionally, first year head coach Taylor Dodson has added a freshman class of nine athletes.

ABOUT NO. 9 UC SANTA BARBARA:
The Gauchos are coming into the weekend with a record of 3-2, with wins over No. 5 UCLA, Iona, and Ottawa, while dropping a pair of games against No. 4 California and No. 7 Michigan.

Santa Barbara returns a solid core of swimmers from last season, led by senior goalkeeper Kenzi Snyder and three of their top five scorers from 2019 in Sarah and Caitlyn Snyder and Amanda Legaspi, who combined for 137 goals and 51 assists.

So far this season, excluding a 19 goal outburst against first-year National Athletic Interscholastic Association (NAIA) program Ottawa, the Gauchos have averaged 8.25 goals per game, while conceding an average of 9.5 goals per game.

Offensively, they are led by senior utility Sarah Snyder, who is currently leading the Big West Conference with 11 goals in five games. Another standout returner for the Gauchos is junior attacker Mollie Simmons who is currently 17-0 in sprints on the year. In her career, Simmons has posted an astounding 126-9 record in sprints, gifting Santa Barbara first possession in almost every match.

ABOUT NO. 5 UCLA:
The Bruins enter the weekend with a record of 4-1, with wins over No. 19 Cal-State University Northridge, No. 8 UC San Diego, Iona, and Ottawa. Their lone defeat came at the hands of the No. 9 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos by the score of 9-8.

They came into the 2020 season with their eyes set on the National Championship, having fallen just short in the semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament last season, dropping an 8-7 OT decision to the eventual champions, Stanford. UCLA returns three of their top six scorers from last season, but are also forced to replace three of their four ACWPC All-Americans. They lost Lizette Rozeboom to graduation, as well as seniors Maddie Mussellman and Bronte Halligan who have taken the season off to pursue the Olympics. Those three All-Americans combined for 120 of the Bruins 317 goals last season.

So far this season, the Bruins have tallied 62 goals, good for 12.4 goals per game, while having only conceded an average of 5.4 goals per game. They have been led by freshman utility Abbi Hill, who leads the team with 9 goals. She is followed by a trio of goal scorers tied at seven goals apiece in Katrina Drake, Ava Johnson, and Emily Skelly.

UCLA has also be forced to replace their starting goalkeeper, Carlee Kapana who recorded 234 saves while allowing a measly 6.68 goals per game last season. Through five games, the Bruins have split time between three goalkeepers, with all three playing at least six quarters on the season, combining for a 5.40 goals against average.

NEXT UP FOR THE SEAHAWKS:
The Seahawks will be back in action next weekend as they travel to Providence, RI to compete in the Bruno Classic. They will begin with a double header on Saturday, February 1, first taking on St. Francis U at 8:00 am, followed by No. 17 Harvard at 6:00 pm. They will conclude the weekend with a Sunday matchup host Brown at 12:40 pm.

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