Indiana University Athletics
WPOLO Postseason 101
4/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
2003 CWPA SOUTHERN DIVISION
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Definite Schedule
vs. Grove City College
Apr. 11 • 3:45pm
3-0 All-Time
Last: 3/30/03, W, 12-1
vs. Villanova
Apr. 11 • 8:45pm
5-0 All-Time
Last: 4/19/02, W, 19-5
Projected Schedule
vs. Princeton
Apr. 12 • 5:45pm
2-7 All-Time
Last: 4/28/02, W, 11-10
vs. Michigan
Apr. 13 • 3:15pm
0-10-1 All-Time
Last: 1/25/03, L, 12-6
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Collegiate Water Polo Association announced Monday that the 14th-ranked Indiana women's water polo team has received the third seed for this weekend's CWPA Southern Division Championships in Lewisburg, Pa.
Indiana will open play Friday against 10th-seeded Grove City College. The Hoosiers last contest was against Grove City, one that Indiana won handily 12-1.
As expected, Michigan earned the top seed after posting a perfect 8-0 record in CWPA play this season. Princeton is seeded second, with the Hoosiers third and George Washington fourth.
"The seeding turned out as I had expected," said Indiana head coach Barry King. "We knew going into the season that our road to the NCAA Championships had to go through Princeton and Michigan."
The CWPA Southern Division Championships consist of 13 teams divided into four brackets (A, B, C, D). Indiana is the third seed overall, but the No. 1 seed in Bracket D. Villanova and Grove City are the other two teams in Bracket D.
The top five finishers out of both the Northern and Southern Divisions, including two at-large selections, will advance to the 12-team Eastern Championships, April 25-27, in Boston, Mass. The winner of the Eastern Championships (Michigan in 2002) will earn one of the four spots at the NCAA Championships, May 10-11, at UC-San Diego in La Jolla, Calif.
The following is the potential outlook for Indiana this weekend:
Indiana will first battle both teams in its bracket, facing Grove City at 3:45 p.m. EST on Friday, followed by Villanova at 8:45 p.m. In the second round of competition, teams in Brackets B, C & D take on new designations, dependent upon their record within their brackets. All advancement is determined by won/loss records. Teams tied in wins use goal differentials with common opponents to determine who advances.
With two wins Friday, Indiana will most likely face Princeton, the No. 2 seed overall, at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. If the Hoosiers defeat Princeton, IU will most likely face Michigan for the first-place title game. The championship match will be played at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday.
"Princeton is a team that we have not played against this year, but have had a strong and competitive history with. They have two of the strongest players in the East (Adele McCarthy-Beauvais and Jenny Edwards). Princeton is always a tough game for us."
If Indiana should lose to Princeton, the Hoosiers would most likely face the No. 4 seed George Washington in the third-place match at 2:00 p.m. Sunday. However, if George Washington does not advance, IU could face Washington & Jefferson or host Bucknell.
A Look Inside the Hoosiers' Opponents...
Grove City
Indiana is coming off a dominant 12-1 performance against Grove City. The Hoosiers concluded the final CWPA Conference Weekend, played two weeks ago at Washington & Jefferson, with a victory over GCC. In that game, the Hoosiers were without key players Courtney Livak, Courtney Thom, Clare Meadows and Kristy Streefkerk. Indiana is undefeated against Grove City, winning all three games in the series, and has outscored GCC, 41-6.
Villanova
Friday will mark the first time the Hoosiers have played the Wildcats since last year's Southern Division Championship, which was played at Villanova. Indiana defeated Villanova 19-5, while breaking numerous records in the process. The Hoosiers tied both the steals and assists school records with 25 and 18, respectively. Indiana's 19 goals were also one shy of the school record for scoring. IU is 5-0 all-time against Villanova, and has outscored the Wildcats, 76-28.
Princeton
No. 12 in National Poll
No. 3 in CWPA Poll
While Indiana has met the Tigers both at the Princeton Invitational and on Spring Break this year, IU has not played against them since the Hoosiers defeated the Tigers for third place in last year's Eastern Championships, 11-10. That particular win, snapped a seven game losing streak for the Hoosiers against Princeton. Indiana is just 2-7 all-time against the Tigers, and has been outscored by Princeton, 74-62. Hoosier head coach Barry King mentioned two top Princeton players as "two of the best in the East." Those Tigers are senior two-meter offense Adele McCarthy-Beauvais, and senior two-meter defender Jenny Edwards. Both however, are dominant scoring threats against Indiana. Last year, Princeton outscored Indiana 30-27 in three games, with 17 of those goals coming from the Tiger duo. McCarthy-Beauvais netted 12 against the Hoosiers, while Edwards scored five.
And speaking of that duo, the two co-captains are coming off a 10-8 win over top-seed and defending champion Hartwick College, as Princeton earned its third ECAC Championship in four years. In the title game, McCarthy-Beauvais scored four goals and Edwards had a goal, an assist, and a team-high six steals.
Princeton is 18-4 on the season, with its four losses coming to No. 1 UCLA, UC-Santa Barbara-a team which Indiana has beaten-No. 6 San Diego State, and No. 7 Loyola Marymount. The Tigers are coming off a key win over their Spring Break as well, as they defeated No. 10 UC-San Diego in its home pool, 6-5 in overtime.
Michigan
No. 12 in National Poll
No. 1 in CWPA Poll
Michigan is obviously the fiercest rival the Hoosiers face each season. While the Wolverines are now 10-0-1 against the Hoosiers since during varsity three years ago, five of those games have gone into overtime, including an 8-7 overtime thriller in Ann Arbor this past January. Last year, Indiana fell 11-7 to the Maize & Blue at the Southern Championships, and then lost 8-7 in five overtimes at Easterns.
With former Indiana assistant Matt Anderson in his first year at the helm, Michigan has compiled a record of 16-9, including 8-0 in conference play, which earned them the No. 1 seed. The Wolverines enter postseason play fresh off a landmark victory, surprising No. 9 San Jose State, 6-4, at the Arizona State Desert Challenge on April 6. The ninth-ranked Spartans are the highest ranked team Michigan has ever defeated.
Sheetal Narsai, Julie Nisbet and Erin Brown provide a strong offensive trio for Michigan, while sophomore goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong is arguably the most dominant defensive player in the East, and one of the best goalies in the country.
