Michigan Will Face No. 3 USC in NCAA Quarterfinals
5/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
May 9, 2017
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
THIS WEEK
Friday, May 12 -- vs. No. 3 USC - NCAA Championship (Indianapolis, Ind.), 5:15 p.m.
• Game Day Information: NCAA.com | Game Center | IU Natatorium
The No. 7 University of Michigan water polo team (28-8) will face No. 3 USC (28-3) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship at 5:15 p.m. on Friday (May 12) at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
THE MATCHUP
• Michigan will be making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Championship.
• U-M has twice finished fourth, making the semifinals last year with a win in their opening game for the first time in school history.
• The Wolverines have a 6-11 record all-time in the tournament and 1-2 mark under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi.
• This will be the third time U-M has faced USC at NCAAs. USC won 12-3 in the opening round in 2008 and 9-6 in the semifinals in 2016. Both years USC played in the national championship game, winning it last season.
• Michigan is looking for their first win against USC as the Trojans lead the all-time series, 11-0.
• Michigan is 3-64 all-time against top-five opponents. The Wolverines have two of those three wins in the last two seasons.
• The two teams met in the season opener with USC winning 11-3. Nine players scored for the Trojans, while Maddy Steere had two goals for U-M.
• The second meeting was at the Triton Invite in San Diego. USC was only up one goal at 5-4 with 4:30 left in the third quarter before scoring three straight. Kim Johnson led U-M with two goals in a 9-5 loss.
THINGS TO KNOW
• Michigan is in its 17th season as a varsity program (Team 17).
• Leonardi is now 77-29 (.726) as the Michigan coach, including a 23-1 (.958) record in the CWPA.
• Michigan is 28-8 overall on the year and is tied with USC (28-3) for the most wins in the NCAA heading into the NCAA Championship. U-M has an all-time record of 454-186-1 (.709).
• Michigan is riding a 16-game winning streak, its longest since a 20-game winning streak in 2010.
• Michigan won its seventh CWPA title on April 30 when it topped No. 9 Princeton, 5-4, in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the second straight year the Wolverines won the CWPA Championship. Senior Allison Skaggs was the CWPA Tournament MVP, and Leonardi was the Doc Hunkler Coach of the Tournament.
• The Wolverines went undefeated during CWPA play with an 8-0 record, marking their 10th undefeated regular season in conference play and second straight.
• Allison Skaggs was named the CWPA Player of the Year after leading the Wolverines to an 8-0 record with a team-high 23 goals and eight field blocks in conference play.
MILESTONES WATCH
• Freshman goalkeeper Heidi Ritner is two wins shy of the single-season school record set by Julia Campbell last year.
• Ritner needs just one save to hit 300 on the season. Betsey Armstrong is the only other U-M player with 300 or more saves in a season, recording 317 as a freshman, 350 as a junior and 315 as a senior.
• Freshman Maddy Steere is one point shy of becoming just the second U-M freshman to score 100 points in a season (Caroline Anderson - 108 in 2015).
• Steere is seven assists shy of the freshman record of 56 held by Anderson.
• Needing only one assist for 50 goals and 50 assists in 2017, Steere would become just the fourth Michigan player to join the 50-50 club. Allison Mantel had 56 goals and 50 assists in 2010, and Caroline Anderson had 52 goals and 56 assists in 2015. Sophomore Kim Johnson has hit the mark already this season with 58 goals and 52 assists.
• Anderson is six assists shy of becoming the first U-M player with 200 career assists.
• Anderson is also just four assists shy of her own single-season record of 71 set last year.
• Five more steals would give Anderson 150 for her career. Only nine other players have reached the milestone.
• Kim Johnson needs five points to hit 200 for her career.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
