Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Open CWPA Play This Weekend
3/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
March 23, 2007
Pennsylvania Swing Notes
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The Indiana women's water polo team will head to Pennsylvania to take on six CWPA foes this weekend. The Hoosiers will open the road trip on Friday, March 23, with a 7 p.m. EDT game in Erie against Gannon and then continue with three games on Saturday, March 24. IU will face off against Mercyhurst in Erie at 9 a.m., head to Penn State Behrend for a noon game and will wrap up the day at Grove City at 7 p.m. The road trip will end on Sunday, March 25, when the Hoosiers will take on Slippery Rock at 9 a.m. and Washington and Jefferson at 1 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Gannon -- Gannon, which enters the weekend with an overall record of 10-3 and a 1-1 mark in the CWPA, is ranked fifth nationally in team goals with 157 goals scored in 13 matches. Senior Kat Bucceri is ranked 20th individually with 42 goals. California native Annie Greenhill follows with 30. Gannon also ranks first nationally in goals allowed with 66 in 13 matches. Shannon Bonsmann is the Lady Knights' leading goalkeeper. Bonsmann has seen 109 shots in 12 matches. She has allowed 62 goals and has blocked 47 shots. The Hoosiers are 9-0 all time against the Lady Knights.
Mercyhurst -- To open the 2007 CWPA season, Mercyhurst led 2-1 after the first period against the nation's top scoring defense, but Gannon regrouped to take a 10-4 final from the Lakers at Gannon on March 21. Carrie Willison led Mercyhurst (5-8, 0-1 CWPA) with two goals. Christine Somera and Rhonda Marable had one goal apiece. Gannon entered the game allowing just 3.7 goals per game, but Mercyhurst jumped out quickly to a 2-1 lead through the opening seven minutes. The Golden Knights tightened the defense after that and held the Lakers to just single goals in the second and fourth quarters. Willison leads the Lakers with 26 goals on the season and has also dished out 12 assists. IU has a record of 5-0 against Mercyhurst in the past four seasons.
PSU-Behrend -- Penn State-Behrend enters the weekend of CWPA play with an overall record of 1-6 and a 0-2 mark against league opponents. Behrend's lone win came in a 10-6 victory over Utica College in the Behrend Invitational on March 9. Indiana leads the all-time series between the two programs, 7-0.
Grove City -- Grove City has an overall record of 5-12 and is 1-0 in CWPA play entering the weekend. After dropping their first four matches to open the season, the Wolverines defeated Cal State Maritime, 12-4, for their first win of the season. Most recently, Grove City fell to Michigan and Mercyhurst at Michigan's Wolverine Invitational last weekend. The Hoosiers have a 9-0 record against Grove City.
Slippery Rock -- Slippery Rock enters the weekend with a record of 3-8 on the season. At the Wolverine Invitational last weekend, the Rock took their game vs. Gannon into triple overtime to come away with a 9-8 win in a CWPA contest. Erika Brunner led the Rock with five goals, two kick-outs and one steal in the victory. Beth Choike followed right behind with two goals, two kick-outs and one steal. Ashley Goodwill and Betsy Wilson each contributed one goal in SRU's victory over rival Gannon. Lauren Surbaugh was the definition of a "Rock" as she came away with 21 saves and two steals on the day. The Rock rounded out the match with Heather Walbright coming away with three kick-outs, two steals and one assist, while Sarah Sander ended with one steal on the day. Indiana leads the all time series between the two programs, 9-0.
Washington and Jefferson -- Washington and Jefferson will come into the weekend with a record of 1-0 overall and in the CWPA on the year after defeating Penn State Behrend on March 20. In 2006, the Jeffs finished the season with a record of 7-14, including two victories to close out the CWPA season in Bllomington against Grove City and Gannon. IU is 8-0 all time against Washington and Jefferson.
LAST TIME OUT
The Indiana water polo team wrapped up the Wolverine Invitational by defeating Wagner, 10-6, but fell to No. 11 Loyola Marymount, 12-6, on Sunday, March 18. Against Wagner, the Hoosiers opened with two goals in the first quarter to Wagner's one to take the early lead. Each team tallied three goals in the second frame to give IU the 5-4 lead heading into the break. After two goals apiece in the third, the Hoosiers outscored Wagner, 3-1, in the final quarter to take home the 10-7 win.
Brooke Zimmerman led Indiana with three goals in the contest, and she was joined by Melissa Soria and Claire Nicholson, who each tallied two. Brittany Estrada, Emily Schmitt and Kara Woolley also had two scores in the win.
Against Loyola Marymount, the Hoosiers were down just one goal, 3-2, after the first quarter. However, Loyola Marymount outscored IU, 4-0, in the second to take a 7-2 advantage into halftime. Indiana scored one goal in the third and three in the fourth, but it was not enough, as the Hoosiers fell, 12-6. Kelly Palmberg scored three times for IU, and Maggie Hannon, Kristin Zernicke and Estrada each added one goal in the loss.
AMONG THE BEST
With her team-leading 47 goals (a 2.4 goal-per-game average) in the Hoosiers 20 games so far this season, junior Brooke Zimmerman currently ranks 15th in the nation in goals scored. Following her in 16th place is senior Melissa Soria, who has tallied 42 goals in 16 contests for an average of 2.6 scores per game. IU's 174 goals as a team, an average of 8.7 per game, ranks 29th 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. Last 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, 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 shared 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 208-117-2 (.636) 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, junior 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.
