Friday, April 28
Bloomington, IN
4:30 PM
Indiana University
vs
Harvard
CWPA Championships Preview
4/27/2017 10:25:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
Indiana's final weekend in Bloomington begins against Harvard
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's trek through the CWPA leg of the 2017 season has reached it's culminating tournament. Nine teams will arrive in Bloomington this weekend for the 2017 CWPA Championships. The No. 16 Hoosiers have a chance to defend their home pool as they did the last time IU hosted the tournament, clinching the 2011 CWPA crown in the waters of the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
The field is a battle-tested bunch this season, however, and it begins on Friday afternoon against fifth-seeded Harvard. Much is at stake for Indiana: the winner of Sunday's final ensures a trip to the 2017 NCAA Championships at the IU Natatorium Indianapolis.
2017 CWPA Championships
Friday, April 28 – Sunday, April 30, 2017
Bloomington, Ind. • Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center
Round 1: (4) No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers (18-9, 5-3) vs. (5) No. 20 Harvard (14-12, 4-4)
Friday, April 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET • Live Stats • Stream
Looking Back
The Hoosiers found quick success and a glimpse at a promising future in head coach Ryan Castle's first regular season. Indiana secured 10 wins over top-25 opponents with weekend sweeps at the Bruno Classic, the Hoosier Invitational, and the Harvard Invitational.
Indiana accomplished this with nearly half of their team arriving in Bloomington this season. Let by a robust junior class and senior captain Bronwyn Smith, the freshmen quickly entered the fold. Joelle Nacouzi led IU with 29 assists, and Mollie Williams finished third in points while leading the Hoosiers to victory down the stretch.
Hoosiers Land Two on All-CWPA Team
With the championships looming, the CWPA announced this year's All-Conference team earlier this week. Kelly Matthews earned her second consecutive spot on the first team, and Mollie Williams received her first appearance on the second team.
This pair led the Hoosiers in the water as two of Indiana's top playmakers. They combined for 134 total points (88g, 46a) and tallied 13 hat tricks, leading the Hoosiers with a third of their goals and assists in conference play. For Matthews, this award is the 10th CWPA honor of her career.
Indiana at the CWPA Championships
This weekend marks the third instance of the CWPA Championships taking place in the friendly confines at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers have won three CWPA Championships since joining the conference, most recently in 2014. Indiana also won the last CWPA title in Bloomington back in 2011.
The Hoosiers enter this weekend with a three-year streak of making the conference's title game.
Facing the First Round
Indiana's final home weekend of the season begins with a first round clash against No. 20 Harvard, seeded fifth in the tournament. The Hoosiers emerged on the winning side of a 7-3 result in their recent regular season meeting last weekend at Brown.
Indiana has won 15 of the 16 games in the all-time series. This will be the first postseason meeting between Harvard and the Hoosiers since 2012, when Indiana won 7-5.
Top Class
The core of this year's Hoosier unit lies in the junior class, a six-woman group that leads Indiana everywhere in the pool. Matthews continued an illustrious career to lead the goal count for the third year in a row alongside her Canadian counterpart, Sarah Myers, who led the Hoosiers with 39 steals.
Jennifer Beadle caught fire at an opportune time, scoring seven of her 25 goals in the last weekend, while Sarah Young sparked the start of the year and finish with 33 goals, her personal season record. In the cage, Jessica Gaudreault set personal season records with 253 saves, 14 assists, and 168 goals allowed.
Of Note...
• The CWPA Championships play to placement, as opposed to a single-elimination format. Regardless of result, the Hoosiers are guaranteed at least three games in their home pool this weekend.
• The Hoosiers are 7-2 at the CWPA Championships since the conference adopted the modern playoff format in 2014.
The field is a battle-tested bunch this season, however, and it begins on Friday afternoon against fifth-seeded Harvard. Much is at stake for Indiana: the winner of Sunday's final ensures a trip to the 2017 NCAA Championships at the IU Natatorium Indianapolis.
2017 CWPA Championships
Friday, April 28 – Sunday, April 30, 2017
Bloomington, Ind. • Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center
Round 1: (4) No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers (18-9, 5-3) vs. (5) No. 20 Harvard (14-12, 4-4)
Friday, April 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET • Live Stats • Stream
Looking Back
The Hoosiers found quick success and a glimpse at a promising future in head coach Ryan Castle's first regular season. Indiana secured 10 wins over top-25 opponents with weekend sweeps at the Bruno Classic, the Hoosier Invitational, and the Harvard Invitational.
Indiana accomplished this with nearly half of their team arriving in Bloomington this season. Let by a robust junior class and senior captain Bronwyn Smith, the freshmen quickly entered the fold. Joelle Nacouzi led IU with 29 assists, and Mollie Williams finished third in points while leading the Hoosiers to victory down the stretch.
Hoosiers Land Two on All-CWPA Team
With the championships looming, the CWPA announced this year's All-Conference team earlier this week. Kelly Matthews earned her second consecutive spot on the first team, and Mollie Williams received her first appearance on the second team.
This pair led the Hoosiers in the water as two of Indiana's top playmakers. They combined for 134 total points (88g, 46a) and tallied 13 hat tricks, leading the Hoosiers with a third of their goals and assists in conference play. For Matthews, this award is the 10th CWPA honor of her career.
Indiana at the CWPA Championships
This weekend marks the third instance of the CWPA Championships taking place in the friendly confines at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Hoosiers have won three CWPA Championships since joining the conference, most recently in 2014. Indiana also won the last CWPA title in Bloomington back in 2011.
The Hoosiers enter this weekend with a three-year streak of making the conference's title game.
Facing the First Round
Indiana's final home weekend of the season begins with a first round clash against No. 20 Harvard, seeded fifth in the tournament. The Hoosiers emerged on the winning side of a 7-3 result in their recent regular season meeting last weekend at Brown.
Indiana has won 15 of the 16 games in the all-time series. This will be the first postseason meeting between Harvard and the Hoosiers since 2012, when Indiana won 7-5.
Top Class
The core of this year's Hoosier unit lies in the junior class, a six-woman group that leads Indiana everywhere in the pool. Matthews continued an illustrious career to lead the goal count for the third year in a row alongside her Canadian counterpart, Sarah Myers, who led the Hoosiers with 39 steals.
Jennifer Beadle caught fire at an opportune time, scoring seven of her 25 goals in the last weekend, while Sarah Young sparked the start of the year and finish with 33 goals, her personal season record. In the cage, Jessica Gaudreault set personal season records with 253 saves, 14 assists, and 168 goals allowed.
Of Note...
• The CWPA Championships play to placement, as opposed to a single-elimination format. Regardless of result, the Hoosiers are guaranteed at least three games in their home pool this weekend.
• The Hoosiers are 7-2 at the CWPA Championships since the conference adopted the modern playoff format in 2014.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Water Polo
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