SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After picking up four wins on the road, the Bronco women's water polo team improved in the rankings to No. 19. The Broncos will round out their away stretch over the weekend at the Aggie Shootout where they will face ranked completion and look to continue their winning streak.
The Broncos will also host No. 17 Wagner at 7 pm on Mon., March 9, at the Sullivan Aquatic Center.
On March 7, the Broncos will face No. 18 UC Santa Barbara in their first game of the day. The Gauchos are 9-11 on the season, falling to top ranked competition. The Gauchos return three seniors, however its junior Samantha Murphy and freshman Camila Schafer who lead the team in goals, combining for 51.
In their second game of the day, the Broncos will face Cal State East Bay. This will be the second time this season the Broncos and the Pioneers match up this season. On Feb. 21 the Broncos took home the 12-7 win over the Pioneers at the Sullivan Aquatic Center. Junior Elle Surber lead the Broncos with four goals scored, For the Pioneers, sophomore Shelbie Higginson and junior Taylor Cross lead the team with two goals scored each.
In their final game of the Aggie Shootout on March 8, the Broncos will face conference rival the No. 14 Pacific Tigers. This matchup will not count toward the teams' conference records. The two teams will play an official conference matchup on March 28 at Pacific.
The Tigers are 4-5 this season, but are currently on a two game winning streak after taking down No. 14 Michigan and No. 18 UC Santa Barbara at the UC Irvine Invitational. It is foreign-born seniors Anna Kertes of Csongrad, Hungary and Brydie Pye of Lower Hutt, New Zeland who lead the Tigers offensive and defense. Kerts has tallied 17 goals and 16 assists. Pye heads up the defensive efforts with 14 steals and 15 assists.
Last season, when the Broncos and the Tigers matched up, the Broncos came away with the 15-9 win. It was Julia Peters who played a standout game, scoring seven of the Broncos 15 goals.
Looking to escape the winter snow, the Seahawks will travel out to California for a nine-day stretch, fitting in 11 games. The Seahawks are 6-2 on the season, only falling to Indiana and Princeton. In the cage for the Seahawks is Edmonton, Alberta native, sophomore Emily Riddle. Riddle has started all eight games and has recorded 61 saves. Junior Jess Lundgren of Queensland, Aus. Leads the team with 28 goals scored.
