Indiana University Athletics
Saturday, March 23
Ann Arbor, MI
11:00 AM ET
Indiana University
at
Michigan
Hoosiers Face Showdown Against Big Ten Rival Michigan
3/19/2019 1:08:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
Bloomington, Ind. – The No. 22-ranked Indiana water polo team faces a pivotal matchup in their season as they take on Big Ten rival, Collegiate Water Polo Association No. 1-ranked and the Women's Varsity Top-25 No. 6-ranked Michigan Wolverines this Saturday.
Head coach Ryan Castle commented, "It's one of the greatest rivalries in the game. Both of us have been varsity programs for over 20 years, and it has a lot of history to it."
Last Action
This past weekend, the Hoosiers ventured out west for a top-25 conference double header in Tempe, Ariz. Indiana first fell 10-5 against No. 8 Arizona St. before dropping their second game of the weekend 16-2 against No. 3 UCLA.
Leading the Way for the Hoosiers
The young freshman class continues to show their offensive dominance as they rack up goal after goal in every game of the season. Attacker Tina Doherty leads the Hoosiers in scoring with 31 points while adding 10 assists to her record. Joining her offensive efforts is freshman Izzy Mandema with 22 goals and seven assists as well as Hannah Falls-Hand with 18 goals and 10 assists.
Mandema has proven to play a key role on the defensive end as well drawing out a season high 45 exclusions while registering 17 steals and 10 field blocks. Junior Emily Powell holds the team's season high in steals, tallying 23 while Doherty comes in a close second with 22. In total, the Hoosier's defense has collected 130 steals, 95 drawn exclusions and 42 field blocks so far this season.
Scouting the Wolverines
For the past eight weeks, the Wolverines have held the No. 1-ranked spot on the Women's Varsity CWPA Top-10 poll. Michigan found themselves on a seven-game winning streak for the past four weeks, but collected their first loss since mid-February this past weekend against No. 4 California.
On average, Michigan scores around nine goals per game with 14 of their players collecting at least two goals so far this season. Leading the Wolverines in scoring is senior attacker Julia Sellers with 35 goals followed by freshman attacker Abby Andrews with another 32.
"We spend most of our preparation focusing on ourselves and our own development process," Coach Castle added in regards to Indiana's preparation for this weekend's battle against the Wolverines. "Whilst we will do a thorough review of our opponent and game plan for their personnel and tendencies, we try and keep each week as similar as possible especially when there's a big game ahead of us. In our development as a program it is far more important what we do each day and how we maintain the course."
All-Time Series
The water polo history between arch rivals Indiana and Michigan dates back 21 years ago when the two first met in 1998. There has been a battle for the first-place title at least once every year since, with the two facing each other 71 times total throughout their program history. The Wolverines hold a 48-21 winning record over the Hoosiers with another two games ending in a tie.
The last showdown between Indiana and Michigan took place last year during the 2018 season. The Wolverines traveled to Bloomington, IN, challenging the Hoosiers in their home pool. After a back and forth power struggle throughout the entire game, the Wolverines took home the last word outscoring the Hoosiers 9-7.
This year Indiana looks to put an end to Michigan's hold as they plan to break the Wolverines four game winning streak over the Hoosiers.
A message from Coach Castle
"Anytime we put on the cream and crimson there's an expectation to represent IU to the best of our abilities. That never changes, regardless of who we play. Going into the game, our expectations are to execute our schemes at a high level and to compete all over the pool. It's important that we control what we can and compete in the moment."
For all the latest on Indiana University water polo, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaWPolo on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
Head coach Ryan Castle commented, "It's one of the greatest rivalries in the game. Both of us have been varsity programs for over 20 years, and it has a lot of history to it."
No. 22 Indiana (5-12, 0-4) vs. No. 6 Michigan (14-8)
Saturday, March 23 • 11:00 a.m. ET • BTN • Live Stats
Donald B Canham Natatorium • Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, March 23 • 11:00 a.m. ET • BTN • Live Stats
Donald B Canham Natatorium • Ann Arbor, Mich.
Last Action
This past weekend, the Hoosiers ventured out west for a top-25 conference double header in Tempe, Ariz. Indiana first fell 10-5 against No. 8 Arizona St. before dropping their second game of the weekend 16-2 against No. 3 UCLA.
Leading the Way for the Hoosiers
The young freshman class continues to show their offensive dominance as they rack up goal after goal in every game of the season. Attacker Tina Doherty leads the Hoosiers in scoring with 31 points while adding 10 assists to her record. Joining her offensive efforts is freshman Izzy Mandema with 22 goals and seven assists as well as Hannah Falls-Hand with 18 goals and 10 assists.
Mandema has proven to play a key role on the defensive end as well drawing out a season high 45 exclusions while registering 17 steals and 10 field blocks. Junior Emily Powell holds the team's season high in steals, tallying 23 while Doherty comes in a close second with 22. In total, the Hoosier's defense has collected 130 steals, 95 drawn exclusions and 42 field blocks so far this season.
Scouting the Wolverines
For the past eight weeks, the Wolverines have held the No. 1-ranked spot on the Women's Varsity CWPA Top-10 poll. Michigan found themselves on a seven-game winning streak for the past four weeks, but collected their first loss since mid-February this past weekend against No. 4 California.
On average, Michigan scores around nine goals per game with 14 of their players collecting at least two goals so far this season. Leading the Wolverines in scoring is senior attacker Julia Sellers with 35 goals followed by freshman attacker Abby Andrews with another 32.
"We spend most of our preparation focusing on ourselves and our own development process," Coach Castle added in regards to Indiana's preparation for this weekend's battle against the Wolverines. "Whilst we will do a thorough review of our opponent and game plan for their personnel and tendencies, we try and keep each week as similar as possible especially when there's a big game ahead of us. In our development as a program it is far more important what we do each day and how we maintain the course."
All-Time Series
The water polo history between arch rivals Indiana and Michigan dates back 21 years ago when the two first met in 1998. There has been a battle for the first-place title at least once every year since, with the two facing each other 71 times total throughout their program history. The Wolverines hold a 48-21 winning record over the Hoosiers with another two games ending in a tie.
The last showdown between Indiana and Michigan took place last year during the 2018 season. The Wolverines traveled to Bloomington, IN, challenging the Hoosiers in their home pool. After a back and forth power struggle throughout the entire game, the Wolverines took home the last word outscoring the Hoosiers 9-7.
This year Indiana looks to put an end to Michigan's hold as they plan to break the Wolverines four game winning streak over the Hoosiers.
A message from Coach Castle
"Anytime we put on the cream and crimson there's an expectation to represent IU to the best of our abilities. That never changes, regardless of who we play. Going into the game, our expectations are to execute our schemes at a high level and to compete all over the pool. It's important that we control what we can and compete in the moment."
For all the latest on Indiana University water polo, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaWPolo on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Driver
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