Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Travel to Princeton
2/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
2003 PRINCETON INVITATIONAL
vs. Bucknell
Feb. 15 • 10:05am ET
1-0 All-Time
Last: 2/19/00, W 17-7
vs. #18 Brown
Feb. 15 • 3:45pm ET
3-0 All-Time
Last: 4/26/02, W 9-4
vs. #19 Harvard
Feb. 16 • 10:30am ET
4-0 All-Time
Last: 4/28/01, W 14-8
vs. #10 UC-Santa Barbara
Feb. 16 • 2:30pm ET
0-3 All-Time
Last: 1/26/02, L 8-5
Getting Things Started
The No. 13 Indiana University women's water polo team will compete in its third week of competition, Feb. 15-16, at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J.
Indiana (3-4) is undefeated against its first three scheduled opponents. The Hoosiers are 1-0 against Bucknell, 3-0 against Brown and 4-0 against Harvard. However, IU is winless in three games against its final opponent in UC-Santa Barbara.
Indiana will begin the invitational Saturday against Bucknell at 10:05 a.m. and will follow with Brown at 3:45 p.m. Sunday's matchups begin with Harvard at 10:30 a.m., and UCSB at 2:30.
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Hoosiers will not face one of their top rivals, Princeton.
Barry King Live...
"The whole reason we played at Stanford was to prepare us for the high level of play we will face this year against our conference foes. This weekend is our first opportunity to see these teams and they will all be key games for us. I feel Brown and Harvard will contend at Easterns at the end of the year, so playing them now we be advantageous for us.
"Santa Barbara will be another opportunity to challenge a West-coast, top-ranked team. This is a team we have not beaten in three tries, and they have always been ranked ahead of us. They're No. 10 going in and it would be nice to beat them this time."
Stanford Honored CWPA Player of the Week
Indiana University All-American senior Kristin Sanford has earned her second consecutive Collegiate Water Polo Association South Division Player of the Week award. She was honored Jan. 30 for her efforts at the Michigan Invitational as well.
Stanford was a marked target for the top-ranked competition the Hoosiers faced this past weekend at the Stanford Invitational. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native managed to score 11 goals on 23 attempts however, and contributed on 14 of Indiana's 29 goals over the four-game span (11 goals, 3 assists). Stanford also managed to snag seven steals, but it was her offensive performance in the water against No.1 Stanford, No. 5 Cal and No. 9 San Jose State that demanded the respect of double and sometimes triple-teams. Stanford scored two of the Hoosiers' three goals against Cal, netted four against San Jose State, including two assists, and one against the defending NCAA champions.
Indiana's all-time scoring leader ended the weekend posting a perfect 4-for-4 shooting mark with one assist, in limited action against UC-Santa Cruz.
Can You Take Me Higher...
In the national rankings released on Feb. 12, Indiana moved into sole position of 13th in the national polls. The ranking marks the highest mark for the Hoosiers in the sixth year history of the program.
Stanford Invitational Recap
Indiana gained quite a bit of top-ranked experience at the Stanford Invitational, falling to No. 1 Stanford 15-3, No. 5 Cal 10-3, and No. 9 San Jose State 11-9.
The Hoosiers finished seventh in the Invite, after topping UC-Santa Cruz14-2. IU was led on the weekend by senior Kristin Stanford, who scored 11 goals on 24 shots, while recording seven steals and four assists.
Enjoying It While It Lasted
The Hoosiers' final game at the Michigan Invitational was a tough 10-8 win over No. 7 San Jose State, a team that Indiana had not beaten in its first three attempts. Indiana's win streak did not last long however, as the Hoosiers dropped an 11-9 decision to the Spartans at the Stanford Invitational last week.
Reaching The 200 Mark
A pair of Hoosiers will most likely reach the 200 mark in their respective categories this weekend at Princeton.
Senior Kristin Stanford needs just five goals to reach 200 goals in her career, while sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Goldner currently sits on 199 saves in her short tenure at Indiana.
A True All-American
Without a doubt, the Hoosiers' most powerful threat in 2003 is senior Kristin Stanford.
Through two tournaments, Stanford has netted 22 goals on 47 shots (.468), including 11 steals and five assists.
Stanford earned third-team AWPCA All-America honors in 2002, and was named to the CWPA All-Eastern Championship Tournament first-team as well.
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native is coming off a record-setting year. In 2002, she scored 66 goals on 173 shots and became Indiana's all-time scoring leader. She also broke her own school record of 57 goals in a season with 66 in 2002.
At her current pace of just over three goals a game, Stanford is on pace to shatter her school scoring record in a season with a possible 100 goals.
The Hoosiers' Half-Nelson
One of three Hoosiers to score 50 goals last season, sophomore Sharna Nelson entered 2003 with high expectations.
Those expectations haven't been challenged yet, due to an ankle injury at Michigan and illness at Stanford.
The Grafton, New South Wales, Australia, native did play at Michigan, but was forced to the sidelines during a couple of matches due to a tender ankle. At Stanford, Nelson did not play in Sunday's two games due to illness.
Wang Out Of The Gates Quickly
Senior Ginger Wang is making the best of her final year as she exploded on both ends of the pool in the past two weeks.
A native of the Rowland Heights, Calif., Wang set a career high six steals against UC-Santa Cruz, bettering her previous high of five that she set against Hartwick in the season-opener.
On the year, Wang has scored on 4-of-11 from the pool, and leads the team with both 21 steals and eight assists.
Wang is also moving rapidly up the career records chart as well. Currently seventh all-time in scoring with 72 goals, Wang needs just seven assists to move into sixth all-time with 61 and just four steals to move into seventh all-time with 84.
Making The Most Of It
Junior Melissa Pietras joined the water polo squad in mid-season last year, after competing on the IU swim team for the first part of the season.
This year, the Hudsonville, Mich., native has directed her attention solely to water polo and is proving herself in the pool.
Currently, Pietras holds the second best scoring average on the team (.461, 6-of-13), and is second best in assists with five.
Goalkeeping and Chart-Topping
Jessica Goldner recorded a career-high 29 attempts at the Stanford Invitational in the Hoosiers' 10-3 loss to Cal.
Even though the Los Altos Hills, Calif., native allowed 10 goals, she stopped a career-best 15 shots, which is tied for third best in school history.
Goldner All By Herself
Sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Goldner will find herself awfully lonely this year, as she is the lone keeper on the Hoosier roster.
Goldner split most of last season with veteran Kirsten Mayberry. Goldner recorded a 3.31 goals-against average in 2002, allowing 96 goals on 340 shots.
Currently on the season, Goldner has stopped 54-of-161 shots (.335).
Hoosiers Lovin' Livak
Freshman Courtney Livak (LA-Vahk) has proven her spot in the Hoosier lineup so far this year, with all-around performances at both Michigan and Stanford.
The San Jose, Calif., native has scored twice on 13 shots, but has nine steals and many earned kickouts so far this year.
Against UC-Santa Cruz, Livak scored on 1-of-2 shots, while also recording two steals.
Fresh Faces Producing
Throughout the first two tournaments, Hoosier head coach Barry King has given significant playing times to many on the roster, including Indiana's six freshmen.
Of those six freshmen, the Hoosier newcomers have combined for 11 goals on 50 shots, eight assists, and 20 steals in seven games.
Coming Up Next...
After competing from coast-to-coast at the start of February, Indiana will take one week off before hosting the Indiana Invitational, March 1-2.
Hartwick will be the lone opponent in the invitational, playing the Hoosiers once on Saturday evening, Mar. 1, and again on Sunday afternoon, Mar. 2.
Indiana Head Coach Barry King (6th Year)
Barry King is in his sixth season at Indiana. In 2002, King and his Hoosiers were just shy of making the NCAAs for the fourth time in five years. The team compiled a 21-14 record, giving IU four 20-win seasons in its five-year existence. King also won his 100th victory in 2002 and currently holds a 109-68-2 (.626) career coaching record.
The Madera, Calif., native also coached the IU club team for three years before it earned varsity status.
Assistant Coach Kristie Dickey (1st Year)
Kristie Dickey is in her first season with the Hoosiers. Known nationwide as a former player, Dickey was a four-time United States Water Polo All-American at the University of California-Davis from 1991-95. Dickey led the Aggies to a USWP National Collegiate title in 1993, while being named most valuable player for her efforts. Dickey also was a part of the Aggies squad that placed second in 1992 and recorded back-to-back third-place finishes in 1994 and 1995.
Daily wrap-ups on each game will be available at IUHOOSIERS.com. Players will be available for interviews 10 minutes after each game or via telephone. All requests to speak with players must be submitted to Jeff Smith at jepsmith@indiana.edu or (812)-855-6209.
