Indiana University Athletics
No. 9 Hoosiers Head West for Four-Game Slate
1/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Jan. 26, 2012
| No. 9 Indiana at UCSB Winter Invite | |
| Date | Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29, 2012 |
| Location | Santa Barbara, Calif. - Campus Pool |
| Social Media | @IUWaterPolo for in-game updates |
| Game Notes | Indiana Game Notes |
| Statistics | Indiana | UCSB | UCI (2011) | CSUN (2011) | Concordia (2011) |
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -
The No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers women's water polo team (2-1) will travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. on Jan. 28-29 to compete in four games at the UCSB Winter Invite. The west coast trip features three contests against teams ranked in the Varsity Top-20. The Hoosiers open the weekend with a 10:10 a.m. meeting with Concordia (Calif.) on Saturday, followed by a clash with No. 7 UC Irvine at 4:40 p.m. The Hoosiers last met the Anteaters in last season's NCAA Championship fifth place game with UCI grabbing the 12-8 win. Indiana will finish the trip on Sunday with contests against No. 19 Cal State Northridge at 11:15 a.m. and No. 17 UC Santa Barbara at 4:40 p.m.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, Jan. 28
10:10 a.m. - No. 9 Indiana vs. Concordia (Calif.)
4:40 p.m. - No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 7 UC Irvine
Sunday, Jan. 29
11:15 a.m. - No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 19 Cal State Northridge
4:40 p.m. - No. 9 Indiana at No. 17 UC Santa Barbara
FAST START
Head coach Barry King and the Hoosiers routinely begin the year with difficult matchups right out of the gate and 2012 was no exception. The Hoosiers opened the campaign with three contests at the Michigan Kick-Off last weekend, including two battles with teams ranked among the nation's top-12. Indiana finished that opening stretch with a 2-1 mark and the best start for a Hoosier team since the 2007 season. The weekend included a 6-3 rivalry win over then-No. 12 Michigan, a 10-5 loss to then-No. 3 UCLA, and a 9-6 triumph over Colorado State.
STARTS WITH THE `D'
The Indiana defense set the tone from the opening sprint against Michigan and continued to play at a high level for the majority of the weekend. Senior goalkeeper Cassie Wyckoff finished the weekend with 30 saves in three complete games and earned Western Division Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts. While Wyckoff served as the backbone, field players left their mark on that end as well. The Hoosiers registered 22 steals and 22 field blocks throughout the weekend and were consistently altering opposing shot attempts. Sophomore Shae Fournier led Indiana in both categories, finishing with eight steals and 15 field blocks. Fournier also led the squad offensively, scoring a team-high eight goals and was recognized as the Western Division Player of the Week for her performance.
INSTANT IMPACT
Nine Indiana freshmen made their collegiate debuts at the Michigan Kick-Off with contributions coming throughout the tournament. Colleen McNaught notched the first IU goal of the season against Michigan and finished the opener with two goals, two assists, and a steal. She ended the weekend with four goals, three assists, a steal, and two field blocks en route to earning CWPA Western Division Rookie of the Week.
Summer Creighton and Shelby Taylor were also active throughout the weekend. Creighton led the team in assists with four, to go along with two goals and three steals. Taylor had a pair of scores, an assist, three steals, and a field block. Alexis Jones and Shelley St. Omer Roy got in on the scoring action with each netting their first collegiate goals against UCLA. Nina Escobedo competed in all three matches, recording two assists and a field block. Katie Contreras, Devon Peterson, and Alynn Reade each also saw action during the opening weekend.
HOOSIERS IN THE POLLS
The Hoosiers moved up to No. 9 in the Varsity Top-20 after entering the season with a No. 10 ranking. Indiana remained in the top spot in the CWPA Poll, with Hartwick and Princeton rounding out the top-three.
INDIANA ALL-TIME
vs. Concordia (Calif.): Indiana leads 1-0
(last meeting: W 13-6, 3/18/11)
vs. UC Irvine: Series tied 3-3
(last meeting: L 12-8, 5/15/11)
vs. Cal State Northridge: CSUN leads 4-2
(last meeting: L 6-5, 1/22/11)
vs. UC Santa Barbara: UCSB leads 4-2
(last meeting: L 10-9 OT, 2/6/10)
STAT STUFFERS
(Top-three in each category in 2012)
Multi-goal games:
Shae Fournier - 3
Colleen McNaught - 1
Amanda Redfern - 1
Multi-assist games:
Summer Creighton - 1
Colleen McNaught - 1
Amanda Redfern - 1
Multi-steal games:
Shae Fournier - 3
Summer Creighton - 1
Amanda Redfern - 1
Shelby Taylor - 1
Double-digit save games:
Cassie Wyckoff - 2
CWPA WEEKLY AWARDS
Player of the Week:
Shae Fournier - Jan. 24
Defensive Player of the Week:
Cassie Wyckoff - Jan. 24
Rookie of the Week:
Colleen McNaught - Jan. 24
