Weekly Release #5
3/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Friday, March 16 -- vs. Michigan State (Canham Natatorium), 7 p.m.
Sat-Sun., March 24-25 -- host Division Tournament (Canham Natatorium)
What's Ahead for the Wolverines
The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team will return to Canham Natatorium on Friday (March 16) to compete in an intrastate showdown against the Michigan State club team. The 7 p.m. exhibition matchup against will mark the second regular-season meeting between the two teams.
Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State University is ranked No. 3 in the CWPA Women's Collegiate Club Poll ... The Spartans finished second at the 2000 national club team championship, falling to Washington in overtime ... They have housed a club team since 1993.
Michigan vs. Michigan State
The Wolverines defeated Michigan State University 11-3 in the opening match of the Michigan Invitational on Feb. 17 in Ann Arbor. After a scoreless first period for both teams, Michigan turned up the heat, finding the net six times in the second. The Wolverines added five more goals in the second half, while holding Michigan State to only one goal per period. Senior Christy Lilley (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) led Michigan with three goals.
The Wolverines also competed in a preseason scrimmage against Michigan State on Jan. 27 in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan defeated the Spartans with a score of 7-1. Michigan received two goals from both Stephanie Morse (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) and Julie Nisbet (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS).
Wolverines Finish Spring Break Trip Strong
After playing 11 games in nine days on both sides of the country, the Wolverines completed their spring break adventures with a 4-3 record last week. The Maize and Blue dropped their final three games in California before crushing the competition in Pennsylvania against division foes.
Michigan Drops Close Battle to Long Beach State -- The Wolverines narrowly missed a victory, as they fell 7-6 to Long Beach State on Feb. 27 in Long Beach, Calif. The Wolverines received scoring from five different players, including two goals from Mandi Hagedorn (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS).
Wolverines Drop Final Two Games of Western Road Trip -- Michigan concluded its California road trip with losses to San Diego State (13-5) and Cal-San Diego (5-2) on Feb. 28. Sophomore Abbi Rowe (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) scored both goals for the Wolverines in their first loss at SDSU in San Diego, Calif.
In the finale of its doubleheader in La Jolla, Calif., Michigan and Cal-San Diego finished three periods tied at two, before the Tritons pulled away with a 3-0 run in the fourth. The Wolverines were unable to recover, despite 12 saves by freshman netminder Camille Clarendon (Redlands, Calif./Redlands HS).
Michigan Dominates Division Competition -- After traveling across the country, the Wolverines dominated the competition at the Southern Division Tournament on March 3-4 in Erie, Pa. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 67-14 during the two-day event, defeating Penn State-Behrend (14-2), Grove City (19-3), Washington and Jefferson (19-4) and Gannon (15-5).
Hat Tricks Seal Michigan Victories -- Michigan got off to an early start in the first game against Penn State-Behrend (March 3), scoring six times in the opening seven minutes while shutting out the Lions. Monica Paz (Santa Monica, Calif./Harvard Westlake HS) scored a hat trick for the Wolverines during the contest.
Michigan picked up right where it left off in the second game of the day against Grove City. The Michigan Wolverines scored seven times in the first seven minutes of play and kept the Wolverines from Grove City away from the goal. U-M recorded goals from 12 different players, including Paz, who scored her second hat trick of the day.
Wolverines Remain Strong in Second Day -- The Wolverines scored their second consecutive 19-goal game in a rout of Washington and Jefferson on March 4. Michigan found the net six times in the opening period of play and followed that up with a four-goal second. Eight different players scored two goals for the Maize and Blue during the meeting.
Michigan concluded the round-robin style tournament with an impressive win over Gannon University. Michigan took a 9-2 lead into the half and hit three goals in each of the remaining two periods. Chelsea Kay (Laguna Hills, Calif./Laguna Beach HS) led the Wolverines, knocking in five goals.
Nisbet and Hagedorn -- Leading the Wolverines
Junior Mandi Hagedorn and freshman Julie Nisbet lead the Wolverines in goal scoring, each contributing 19 goals. Both players got their first goal of the season in Michigan's Feb. 9 victory over Villanova (18-6). Each has also led the team in scoring during six individual games.
Five-Goal Outburst Leads Kay to Michigan Record
Freshman Chelsea Kay made her mark on the new Michigan record book by scoring five goals in a single game during the Wolverines' 15-5 victory over Gannon University (March 4). She crushed the previous mark of three goals, which had been done five times by four other Wolverines.
Paz Hits First Goal ... and Five More
Sophomore Monica Paz scored her first goal of the season in Michigan's 14-2 victory over Penn State-Behrend on March 3. Paz proceeded to find the net two more times in the game, registering her first career hat trick. She continued her scoring success with a second consecutive hat trick in Michigan's 19-3 win over Grove City. Paz became only the fourth Wolverine to score a regular-season hat trick and the only one to repeat the feat and do it in back-to-back games.
Michigan's "Hat Tricksters"
| Maribeth Sitkowski | 3 goals vs. Villanova (Feb. 9) |
| Stephanie Morse | 3 goals vs. Villanova (Feb. 9) |
| Julie Nisbet | 3 goals vs. Princeton (Feb. 25) |
| Monica Paz | 3 goals vs. Penn State-Behrend (March 3) |
| Monica Paz | 3 goals vs. Grove City (March 3) |
| Chelsea Kay | 5 goals vs. Gannon (March 4) |
Opening and Closing Authority
The Wolverines are outscoring their opponents 162-149 during the 19 games of this season. Much of this scoring came from the 67-14 advantage over division rivals at the Southern Division Tournament (March 3-4). The Wolverines dominate their foes in the first period, outscoring the opposition 49-34. They wrap up the event with a 43-37 advantage over the other team in the fourth period. (Numbers do not include Feb. 9 game against Princeton.)
Looking Further Ahead
The Wolverines will close out the inaugural home season at Canham Natatorium on Saturday and Sunday (March 23-24) when they host the Southern Division Tournament. The teams are battling for a chance to compete at the Eastern Championships on April 28-30, where the winner will be given a berth to the NCAA Championships on May 11-13. The two-day, round-robin event will pit Michigan against division rivals Slippery Rock University and Indiana University.
Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 20 Poll (3/7/01)
Rank, School Pts. LW 1. Stanford 100 1 2. UCLA 95 2 3. Southern Cal 90 3 4. California 85 4 5. San Jose State 79 6 6. Long Beach State 72 5 7. Hawaii 70 8 8. Cal-Santa Barbara 63 7 9. Cal-Davis 60 10 10. Loyola Marymount 57 9 11. San Diego State 48 T12 12. MICHIGAN 45 11 Cal-San Diego 45 T12 14. Princeton 31 15 15. Brown 30 14 Pacific 30 16 17. Massachusetts 14 17 18. Indiana 13 18 19. Hartwick 12 T20 20. California Baptist 7 T20
Contact: Valerie Perkin (734) 763-4423
