Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Puts Perfect Record on the Line this Weekend at Princeton Invitational
2/15/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 15, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Coming off a championship at the Hilton Hotels Colorado State Invitational, the Bucknell women's water polo team will try to extend its program-record 5-0 start this weekend at the Princeton Invitational. The Bison will face No. 6 San Diego State, No. 15 Michigan and No. 18 Indiana, as well as unranked Siena. Bucknell will play at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. on Sunday.
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Notebook
Bucknell Recently (5-0, 0-0 CWPA)
Hilton Hotels Colorado State Invitational (1st place):
- Feb. 9: W, 12-6 vs. Marist
- Feb. 9: W, 18-8 vs. UC Santa Cruz
- Feb. 9: W, 12-9 vs. Colorado State
- Feb. 10: W, 15-9 vs. UC Santa Cruz
- Feb. 10: W, 12-8 vs. Marist
Bucknell Notes
- Bucknell has opened the 2008 season 5-0, eclipsing its previous best start to a season. The 2006 squad started 3-0, marking the previous best unbeaten streak at the beginning of a campaign.
- Bucknell has netted at least 10 goals in each of its first five games, marking its longest streak scoring in double figures since 2006. The Bison are one game shy of equaling the program record of six straight games in double figures, established early in the 2001 campaign.
- Bucknell faced 11 ranked opponents last year. This weekend it will face its first ranked foes of this year (No. 6 San Diego State, No. 15 Michigan, No. 18 Indiana).
- Bucknell defeated UC Santa Cruz 18-8 at the Colorado State Invitational. It marked the sixth time the Bison have netted 18 goals in a game and was just one shy of the program record of 19 that they have reached three times, with the last coming in 2003 against Washington & Jefferson.
- Bucknell's 18-8 victory over UC Santa Cruz marked its largest margin of victory since defeating Macalester 10-0 in 2006.
- Senior co-captain Meagan Gins moved up to second on Bucknell's career points list with 11 points over the weekend. She tallied eight goals and three assists to move past Adrienne Schober and Elizabeth Jensen and into second place with 260 points. Gins is now 22 points shy of Meg Blitzer's three-year-old program record.
- In addition to moving up the career points list, Gins should move up the career goals list shortly. She now has 188 career goals, just 10 shy of Blitzer's program record of 198.
- Bucknell's six-person freshman class was very effective at the Colorado State Invitational. The Bison freshmen combined for 26 goals, 10 assists, 13 steals and 23 ejections drawn. Haley Prickett is tied for the team lead with 12 goals, while Kandis Canonica has 11. Canonica is second on the team in points to Valentina Rozas with 16. Whitney Allen has not scored, but she leads the team with 10 ejections drawn.
- Bucknell goalies Alison Carter and Rachel McGillis, who have been charged with filling in for four-year starter Mandy Bynum, had solid opening weekends. Carter made 29 saves and allowed 23 goals for a team-high 55.8 save percentage. She made four starts. McGillis stopped 20 shots and yielded just 17 goals while seeing action in four games, including one start. The two goalies have combined for 112 career saves and have given up just 83 goals.
- Last year Bucknell averaged just over 10 steals per game (327 steals in 32 games), but they have increased that figure this year. The Bison recorded 65 steals in five games over the weekend for an average of 13 per game. Rozas and Jennifer Swoyer pace the team with 15 steals apiece. Swoyer is already more than halfway to her career high of 29, which she established last year.
Record Watch
- Meagan Gins: 2nd in career points (260), 2nd in career goals (188), 6th in career assists (72), 1st in ejections drawn (214), 1st in shots (503), 9th in games played (101), t-5th in games started (98)
- Aubrey Rowe: 9th in career assists (56), 6th in career ejections drawn (75), 5th in career sprints won (35), 10th in career games started (55)
- Jennifer Swoyer: 10th in career ejections drawn (66)
- Alison Carter: 5th in career saves (69)
- Rachel McGillis: 6th in career saves (43)
Bucknell vs. Princeton Invitational Opponents
- Bucknell is 3-0 all-time against Siena. The Bison last faced the Saints in 2006 and won 12-3 at the Bucknell Invitational.
- Bucknell is 0-2 all-time against San Diego State. The Aztecs downed the Bison 11-3 in Bucknell's season opener last spring.
- Bucknell is 1-3 all-time against Indiana. The Bison upset the then-No. 18 Hoosiers 6-5 in overtime at the 2006 Eastern Championship the last time the two teams met.
- Bucknell is 0-9 all-time against Michigan. The Wolverines barely edged the Bison 8-7 in the first round of last year's Eastern Championship in Princeton, N.J.
Up Next
- Bucknell will continue its busy early season schedule when it travels to College Park, Md., for the Maryland Invitational next weekend. The Bison will face MAAC teams Villanova, Wagner, Iona and Marist.
Princeton Invitational Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 16
Bucknell (5-0) vs. Siena (0-0), 12 p.m.
Bucknell (5-0) vs. No. 6 San Diego State (5-0), 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 17
Bucknell (5-0) vs. No. 15 Michigan (2-6), 8 a.m.
Bucknell (5-0) vs. No. 18 Indiana (3-5), 1:50 p.m.
