U-M to Open Home Slate with Wolverine Invitational

Promotions

• Jan. 27 vs. LIU -- Girls and Women In Sports Day

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan water polo team (0-3) will compete at Canham Natatorium for the first time this season when it hosts the six-team Wolverine Invitational on Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 27-28). All four Michigan games in the tournament will be streamed live on Overnght.com.

Notes

• U-M will welcome two ranked teams in No. 16 Indiana and No. 22 Long Island University along with Marist, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Salem. While the Wolverines will not face off against the Hoosiers, they will take on the four teams that hail from the East Coast. The Wolverines will get their portion of the tournament underway on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 2:15 p.m. against Saint Francis before taking on LIU at 5:15 p.m. for their Girls and Women in Sports Day game. Michigan will battle Marist and Salem on Sunday (Jan. 28) at 12:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., respectively.

• The Wolverines look to continue their perfect records against their opponents this weekend. All time, U-M is 14-0 against Marist, 1-0 against LIU, 12-0 against Saint Francis, and 7-0 against Salem.

• Kata Utassy is off to a strong start in 2024, scoring 13 goals and accounting for 16 total points in three games at Polo-Palooza. Her offensive output was tied for first in the tournament with a field filled with nationally ranked programs. Utassy ranks second in the nation in goals and points and third in goals per game (4.3) heading into this weekend's tournament.

• Sammi Monroe has provided versatility, ranking second on the team with six points (four goals, two assists) after the opening tournament. Monroe found the back of the net at least once in all three games at Polo-Palooza and dished out one assist in each of the final two contests in Fresno, Calif.

• Libby Alsemgeest has stepped up this season, tying with Monroe for goals with four. She picked up where she left off last season, tallying 18 drawn exclusions after setting the record for drawn kickouts in a single season in 2023.

• Lola Ciruli emerged as one of the primary distributors, logging three assists at Polo-Palooza, tied with Utassy for the team lead. Ciruli chipped in a goal to tie for third on the roster with four points.

• In the cage, Alex Brown has tallied 31 saves and sits third in the NCAA in saves per game, averaging 10.3 stops per contest. She has logged 10 saves or more in 13 of her last 14 appearances dating back to the 2023 season.

• Freshman Emma Gustafsson and Sophia Panossian both notched their first goals as Wolverines versus No. 5 Hawai'i on Saturday. Gustaffson and Panossian also tallied one assist each against the Rainbow Wahine.