Michigan
Slippery Rock
Wolverines Pound Slippery Rock to Open Postseason
4/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The No. 2-seeded University of Michigan water polo team made a strong statement against No. 7 seeded Slippery Rock in a 22-4 triumph at the Southern Division Championships on Friday night (April 19) at Villanova's Swimming Center. The Wolverines (18-11, 18-1 CWPA), who broke the school single-game scoring record and tied the U-M mark for margin of victory, are 1-0 in pool play, and a Michigan win tomorrow morning against No. 11-seeded Penn State-Behrend would clinch a berth in the semifinals.
Michigan had nine different players score, with five scoring multiple goals. Jen Crisman (Hudsonville, Mich./Jenison HS), Casey Kerney (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park HS) and Julie Nisbet (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) each had four goals. Erin Brown (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's HS) and Stephanie Rupp (Hemet, Calif./Hemet HS) had three goals apiece.
The Wolverines came bursting out of the gate in the first period by lighting up the Rock 9-1. With three more tallies in the second quarter Michigan held a commanding 12-2 lead at halftime. In an effort to finish off the game on a strong note, U-M snapped the canvas five times each in the final two quarters of play while allowing only two goals during the same span. Goalie Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) posted an eight-save performance.
Michigan will round out pool play Saturday (April 20) against No. 11-seeded Penn State-Behrend at 8:30 a.m., and bracket play begins Saturday afternoon. The tournament concludes Sunday with the championship game at 12:15 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 9 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 22 |
| Slippery Rock | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Casey Kerney 4, Jen Crisman 4, Julie Nisbet 4, Erin Brown 3, Stephanie Rupp 3, Stephanie Morse, Abbi Rowe, Mandi Hagedorn, Chelsea Kay. Slippery Rock Goals: Unavailable.
N O T E S
U-M set a school record for most goals in a game, breaking the previous mark of 21 vs. Mercyhurst (4/6/02), and the 18-goal margin of victory matches the school record (21-3 vs. Mercyhurst, 4/6/02).
Julie Nisbet's four-goal output tied her career high for goals (Slippery Rock, 3/24/01), Jen Crisman's four goals tied her career best (Gannon, 4/6/02), and Casey Kerney, with four goals also, tied her career high (Harvard, 2/16/02).
With her hat-trick performance, Erin Brown tied a career high for goals (Indiana, 3/23/02), while Stephanie Rupp equaled her career high for goals in a game with three (George Washington, 4/28/01).
Betsey Armstrong's eight saves give her a total of 200 blocks on the season.
Contact: Matt Trevor, Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
