SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After opening the season Saturday at Cal State Monterey Bay, the Santa Clara women's water polo team begins a stretch of three straight home games on Thursday.
The Broncos (1-0) play Hawai'i (3-2) at Sullivan Aquatic Center. The Rainbows, ranked No. 8 nationally, are led by some top international players including, Brazilian National Team member, Gabi Mantelato.
Coach Keith Wilbur is looking forward to the challenge having said, "it will be a fun experience to play against them, but it'll be a tough game."
Santa Clara hopes to build off of its 11-9 win against the Otters. Hannah Buck put up a career-high five goals, along with drawing four kickouts. Buck's strong performance at the 2- meter led to freshman Hailey Eberle's strong start to the season with three goals on the power play.
Seniors Blair Akerland and Cathy Cantoni combined for three goals. In addition, senior Francesca Puccinelli racked up 14 blocks in net, including some key stops in the final moments.
"We have a really solid senior class, and they all contributed," Wilbur said.
Santa Clara then goes on to play a pair of games Saturday against Cal St. East Bay (9:30 a.m.) and Sonoma State (4:30 p.m.).
"Both teams will be good challenges for us, and they'll be a good test to see where we are at," Wilbur said.
There will also be a pair of neutral site games at Sullivan Aquatic Center Saturday. Fresno Pacific faces Sonoma State at 11 a.m. and Cal State East Bay at 3 p.m.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION |
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| Video | Hawaii |
| Live Stats | Hawaii |
| Video | Cal St. East Bay | Sonona St. |
| Live Stats | Cal St. East Bay | Fresno Pacific-Sonoma | Fresno Pacific-CSEB | Sonona St. |
Tickets: Single-game tickets are available for $5. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Sullivan Aquatic Center, as well as its ticket office, is open one hour prior to the start of the game. Only cash is accepted at Sullivan Aquatic Center.
Parking: For weekday games, the Leavey Center lot, located on Accolti Way off El Camino Real, is free beginning one hour prior to the start. Any other parking facility on campus will be subject to normal daily rates or restrictions, including the main structure, located on Palm Drive. During the weekend, campus parking facilities are free (except for permit required locations). Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.
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