April 21, 2009
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For the first time in Santa Clara water polo history, the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Conference Championship will be hosted at Santa Clara University. The 11-team conference tournament will be played from Friday, April 24 - Sunday, April 26, at the newly constructed Sullivan Aquatic Center. The winner of the WWPA Championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in College Park, Md., May 8-10.
The No. 20 Broncos (17-15, 10-3 WWPA) enter the 2009 Championships as the No. 3 seed. Santa Clara will play at 5:20 p.m. on Friday, April 24, after a first-round bye. SCU will take on the winner between Colorado State and Chapman, who play at 8 a.m.
A few highlights for Santa Clara:
- THE TWINS! The Broncos head into the tournament behind All-WWPA senior captain Amy Lamb. The Long Beach, Calif. native posts a team-leading 47 goals in 31 games played. Lamb plays alongside twin sister Allie. The sisters, who are captains on the team, follow in the footsteps of their father Ron '76, who played water polo for the Broncos from 1972-76.
- ALL AROUND ASSET! Fellow senior captain Claire Linney, who was named WWPA Player of the Week on March 12, has proven to be an all-around asset in the SCU lineup. She has scored 36 goals and drawn 47 kick outs this season and the Santa Cruz, Calif. native even took over cage duties for three games while goalie Wren White went down with an injury.
- BIG BLOCKER BACK! Despite missing almost four weeks early in the season with a broken finger, sophomore goalie Wren White boasts 212 blocks in 25 games. The Saratoga, Calif. native is in the top-10 in the WWPA for goalie blocks.
- DIAPER DANDIES READY! Joining the Broncos this season is the standout freshmen tandem of Marina Allen (Pleasanton, Calif.) and Laura Espinosa (Mountain View, Calif.). The duo has played in every game this season and have combined for 35 goals scored.
The Championship's schedule and all scores can be found at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com.
