Courtesy: Indiana Athletics
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The No. 15-ranked Indiana University water polo team will play host to the No. 1 USC Trojans for two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference games this week in Bloomington, Ind.
The Hoosiers and Trojans will play Friday, April 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET before facing off on Saturday, April 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Both games will be played at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. Live stats for each game can be found at IUHoosiers.com and live streams for both contests can be found at BTNPlus.com.
Consistent with IU Athletics’ ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of students, coaches, staff, spectators and the local community, water polo games at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center – will be played without fans indefinitely. IU Athletics’ decision is in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and is consistent with what has transpired on all Big Ten campuses.
The Hoosiers enter the weekend with an overall record of 8-8 on the season and a league mark of 0-4. The Trojans are 10-0 on the year and 4-0 in conference play.
All-Time Series
In the all-time series with USC, the Hoosiers are 0-11 dating back to the 1998 season. The two games this week will mark the first in the series played in Bloomington.
Last Time Out
Indiana dropped a pair of hard-fought games last weekend at No. 4 Arizona State. IU fell on Saturday, 9-2, before dropping a 11-6 decision on Sunday.
Indiana Ranked No. 15 in the Nation
Indiana is ranked No. 15 in the nation in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Varsity Top 25 released on Wednesday.
School Record Efforts
In the doubleheader sweep of Salem on Feb. 27, both sophomore Zoe Crouch and junior Tina Doherty tied the Indiana school record with seven goals in one game.
Crouch dominated in the first game for the Hoosiers, matching the school record with seven goals. She also tied her career-high with two steals. In the second game, Doherty matched the school record herself, netting seven goals in the victory, while grabbing a pair of steals.
Indiana’s Mandema, White Earn Weekly MPSF Honors
After helping lead the Indiana University water polo team to a perfect, 4-0 record at the Hoosier Invite, junior Izzy Mandema and freshman Kallie White earned Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) honors on Feb. 2.
Mandema was named the MPSF Player of the Week, while White earned MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors. Mandema led the Hoosiers with 18 goals over the four games, while also recording six steals in a pair of wins against both Salem and Saint Francis. The junior matched her career-high three times over the two days of competition, racking up five goals each in three of the contests.
White was impressive in her first weekend for Indiana, totaling six goals, five assists and five steals in the four games. The rookie set early career-marks with two assists and two steals in a 16-2 win over Saint Francis, before notching a personal-best three goals in a 17-8 victory over the Red Flash the next day.
Hoosiers Finish 2020 Season Ranked No. 15
Indiana finished the shortened, 2020 season ranked No. 15 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) poll. The Hoosiers finished the season with an overall record of 13-5. During the campaign, IU tallied victories over No. 11 Pacific, No. 24 Marist, No. 9 UC Davis and No. 25 California Baptist.
Doherty And Abarta Earn All-America Honors
In 2020, sophomore Tina Doherty and senior Megan Abarta earned All-America honors for the Hoosiers. Doherty was named to the ACWPC Third-Team while Abarta received Honorable-Mention honors.
Doherty led the Hoosiers and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) with 50 goals on the season and also finished with five assists and 16 steals, while recording five field blocks. Her .633 shooting percentage topped all Indiana players and she recorded her second-career six-goal game on Mar. 7, 2020 against Cal Lutheran. Doherty scored at least three goals in 11 of the Hoosier’s 18 games this season. She was also named to the All-MPSF Second Team.
Abarta finished her final season at IU scoring 37 goals, while recording 13 assists and a team-high 18 steals. In the MPSF, she was tied for seventh in goals and tied for eighth in steals. In her game against Long Beach State on Feb. 9, she scored a career-high five goals.
@IndianaWPolo
For all the latest on Indiana University water polo, be sure to follow the team at @IndianaWPolo on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.