Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Close Out California Swing At Cal State Bakersfield
3/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
March 12, 2007
Claremont and Cal State Bakersfield Notes
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The No. 20 Indiana women's water polo team will return to action in California when it takes on Claremont at 4 p.m. EST and No. 19 Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 13. Both games will take place in Bakersfield, Calif.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Claremont -- Claremont enters Tuesday's games with a record of 1-3 on the season. After falling to Cal State San Bernardino, 14-7, and Cal Baptist 17-9 to open the season, the Athenas defeated Sienna, 8-5. Last time out, Claremont fell to UC Santa Barbara, 16-4. The Athenas won the the 2006 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title with a record of 16-11.
UC Davis -- No. 19 Cal State Bakersfield dropped a pair of matches on Saturday, losing 13-10 to No. 11 Loyola Marymount and 14-10 to Cal State Northridige. Cal State Northridge scored three straight to break open a 7-7 tie and earn a 14-10 win over Bakersfield in the second game of a tripleheader at Loyola Marymount's Burns Recreation Center. It was a wide-open, rough affair as the team's combined for 24 goals and 25 ejections. CSUB took a 5-4 lead after one, as the teams combined for five ties and four lead changes as Northridge took a 6-5 lead on a five-meter penalty shot. Northridge took a 7-6 lead on a 6-on-5 goal just to see Bakersfield tie it again at 7-7 with 3:34 remaining in the first half. From there, CSUN scored their three straight to pull away. Christine Cruz had three goals to lead the Matadors while Paola Medina had four goals and Yulia Blinovskaya had three to lead CSUB.
Against LMU, the Lions went up 4-1 in the first and held on down the stretch to post a 13-10 win in WWPA play in the final of three games Saturday. The win pushes LMU's rescord to 10-4 while CSUB falls to 15-5. Nicole Hughes and Cara Colton each scored three goals in the win while Peterson added a pair. Paola Medina scored four goals and Amanda Ortiz added three for CSUB. The Lions led 4-1 after one, but CSUB came back to tie the score at 6-6 thanks to a five-goal second quarter. However, the Lions would take the lead at the break and for good with Katie Hicks scored with just two seconds remaining on a 6-on-5 goal, making the score 7-6.
LAST TIME OUT
Brooke Zimmerman and Melissa Soria each scored two goals as the No. 20 Indiana water polo team fell to UC Davis, 14-7, at the Schaal Aquatics Center on Sunday, March 11. The Hoosiers are now 5-9 overall on the year while the Aggies improve to 15-4 on the season.
Jaclyn Tameris, Brittany Estrada and Kristin Zernicke each also tallied scores for the Hoosiers in the loss. After Mary Lowe scored her first of two power play goals in the opening minutes, Raycraft helped UC Davis extend its early lead when her steal led to an O'Roarke score. She then drew a five-meter exclusion and converted her own penalty shot to push the lead up to 3-0. The Hoosiers got on the board as Zimmerman assisted Soria on a goal on the next possession to cut the deficit to 3-1, but the Aggies tacked on two more goals to move ahead, 5-1. A blast from Zimmerman and a power play rebound and putback by Jaclyn Tameris closed the gap to 5-3 at the end of the first period. That was as close as the Hoosiers would come in the contest.
Uribe opened the second quarter by converting on an outside shot, igniting a 9-1 Aggie run that lasted through the third period. UC Davis led 8-3 at the half. Raycraft scored three straight goals in the third frame. Indiana scored three goals in the fourth quarter to cut into the Aggie lead. Zimmerman hit a short lob at the 7:14 mark, then assisted Estrada one minute later. Kristin Zernicke finished her counter attack at the 5:15 mark to bring the score to its final tally of 14-7. Katie Carson made five saves between the pipes for the Hoosiers, while the Aggies' Amber Korner tallied seven.
AMONG THE BEST
With her team-leading 36 goals (a 2.6 goals per game average) in the Hoosiers 14 games so far this season, junior Brooke Zimmerman currently ranks 15th in the nation in goals scored. Joining her in the top 50 is senior Melissa Soria, who has tallied 32 goals in 10 contests for an average of 3.2 scores per game. IU's 117 goals as a team, an average of 8.4 per game, ranks 25th nationally.
SEASON OPENERS
The season-opening 2007 Michigan Kick-Off marked the sixth straight season in which the Hoosiers have opened play in Ann Arbor. Las season, Indiana went 1-3 at the Michigan Kick-Off, and won two of three contests at the Michigan Invitational to start the 2005 campaign. The Hoosiers have won just three season-openers at Michigan, the 16-3 win over UC Santa Cruz last week, a 6-5 overtime triumph over Arizona State on Jan. 24, 2004, and a 10-8 victory against Hartwick on Jan. 25, 2003.
IN THE RANKINGS
The water polo team opened the 2007 season where it finished the year before, ranked No. 20 in the National Collegiate Women's Top 20 Poll, which was released on Jan. 24. The Hoosiers were 11th in the preseason poll in 2006 and went on to spend the rest of the year in the rankings. The Hoosiers share their preseason ranking with Brown University. The Hoosiers are also ranked No. 4 in the inaugural CWPA Poll.
After winning its second straight regular-season CWPA Western Division title in 2006, the Indiana water polo team is looking to repeat as divisional champion, return to the CWPA Eastern Championship and compete for a national title in 2007. The Hoosiers, who went 24-11 a year ago, return four of their top five players, including returning 201 of their 311 goals from 2006.
20 WINS THE MARK
For the eighth time in its nine-year existence, the Indiana water polo program eclipsed the 20-win plateau in 2006. Indiana went 24-11 last season. The lone year IU failed to win 20 was 2001, when the Hoosiers finished 18-12-1.
Indiana head coach Barry King has led the Hoosiers during every season as a varsity sport. In his nine years, he has guided the Hoosiers to a 200-105-2 (.655) record.
The school record for wins is 26. Indiana won 26 matches in 1998 and 2003. The 2003 squad also was the first to win the CWPA and advance to an NCAA-sponsored Final Four.
LEADING THE WAY
The Hoosiers return four of their top five players from a 2006 team that won its second consecutive CWPA Western Division Championship. In goal, the Hoosiers return second team All-Western Division selection Jackie Pyrz, a year after she posted 259 saves and a 6.24 goals against average. The Hoosiers will also have plenty of experience at defender, with seniors Emily Schmitt and Claire Nicholson anchoring the position. Schmitt returns to the Hoosiers after missing the 2006 season due to injury. The Beaverton, Ore., native has 87 career steals to go along with 67 scores in her 108 games as a Hoosier. Nicholson played in 30 matches in 2006for IU, registering 22 steals on the season to go along with four goals and 12 assists.
At attacker, the Hoosiers will rely on senior Kristen Zernicke and junior Brooke Zimmerman to run the offense. Zernicke is already in the top 10 in IU history with 170 career steals, while Zimmerman scored 53 goals in her first year as a Hoosier. Zimmerman also led all returning players in 2006 with 43 assists and 66 steals. The Hoosiers also return a strong scoring threat in center Melissa Soria. Soria returns for the Hoosiers after posting 61 goals a year ago, the third-most in the history of the Hoosier program, and earning second team All-CWPA laurels. She scored five goals on three different occasions last year and earned 42 kickouts on the year.
SETTING NEW MARKS
In 2006, freshman Melissa Soria scored 61 goals, tying former Hoosier Krista Peterson for third on the single-season list, while senior Janis Pardy posted a single-season record with 47 assists on the season. She also added 47 goals and 71 assists on the year, both career highs. Sophomore Brooke Zimmerman posted outstanding numbers in her first season as a Hoosier, finishing second on the team with 53 goals, 43 assists and 66 steals. Junior Kristen Zernicke tallied 25 goals, 38 assists and 64 steals, as well. In goal, sophomore Jackie Pyrz set a new Hoosier record by facing 673 shots, while her 259 saves are the third-most by an Indiana goalkeeper in a single season. Zimmerman's 53 goals tie her for eighth-most in a single season in IU history, while her steals total is also the eighth-best single season mark. Zernicke's 38 assists on the year are the seventh-most in a single season in IU history, while her 64 steals tie her with Ginger Wang for ninth in a season.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
In 2006, five IU water polo student-athletes were named to the AWCPA All-Academic Team and eight were named Academic All-Big Ten. Junior Kristen Zernicke posted her third straight year as an "Outstanding" selection to the AWCPA team, the highest level of academic honor a player can receive from the organization.
