Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Back in Action at ECAC Championship this Weekend
2/26/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 26, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - After an idle weekend, the Bucknell women's water polo team will be back in action this weekend at the ECAC Championship, which will be held at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool. The Bison will begin the two-day event Saturday at 9 a.m. against Maryland. Bucknell will then play either host Princeton or Iona at 4 p.m. or 7 p.m., depending on first-round results. Sunday's championship game is slated for 2:30 p.m.
There will be live video broadcasts of Princeton's games throughout the weekend. The video can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Notebook (3-1, 0-0 CWPA)
• Bucknell opened its 2010 season two weeks ago when it went 3-1 at the Bison Invitational. The Bison defeated Gannon, Mercyhurst and Wagner before losing to then-No. 19 Indiana to close the weekend.
• Bucknell is the eighth seed in the eight-team ECAC Championship field. The seeding is determined based on team placing at last year's Eastern Championship. Maryland is the top seed in the field, followed by Marist, Brown, Princeton, Iona, Wagner and Harvard. Five of the eight teams, including Bucknell, have season records of better than .500.
• Just two ranked teams are schedule to participate at the ECAC Championship. No. 17 Princeton and No. 20 Brown are the lone ranked squads, while Marist is receiving votes in the latest top-20 poll.
• Following its only weekend of play this year, Bucknell swept the CWPA Southern Division weekly awards. Kandis Canonica was named the Co-Player of the Week, while Alison Carter earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades and Krystle Morgan was cited as the Rookie of the Week.
• Dating back to last year, Bucknell owns a three-game winning streak at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool. The Bison were 6-1 at the facility overall last year.
• Shana Palencia, who has six goals and three assists this year, enters the weekend two points shy of 200 for her career. She will be the third current Bison to reach that plateau, joining Valentina Rozas (269) and Kandis Canonica (250).
• Just four games into the season, senior goalie Alison Carter is nearly one-quarter of the way to her 2009 save total. Last year she tallied 176 stops, while this season she already has 42, including three double-figure save outings. Her current .609 save percentage is a career high, and with 12 saves against No. 19 Indiana, she crossed the 500-save mark for her career. She stands third in Bucknell history in that category.
• After scoring 13 goals as a rookie in 2009, sophomore Hallie Kennan leads the Bison with 10 goals this season. Her 13 points rank third on the squad, and her two starts equal her total from last year when she appeared in all 35 contests.
• Bucknell is averaging 12.0 goals per game this season, a significant boost from 2009 when it tallied 9.7 goals per outing. The Bison average is inflated thanks to a 19-goal performance against Gannon that tied the school record for goals in a game.
• Bucknell last competed at the ECAC Championship in 2008 and won the title for the first time. This will be the eighth time since 2000 the Bison have competed at the ECAC Championship. They have finished in the following places: 2000 (4th), 2003 (6th), 2004 (7th), 2005 (5th), 2006 (2nd), 2007 (3rd) and 2008 (1st).
Bison on Career Record Lists
Kandis Canonica: Points (7th, 250), Goals (10th, 118), Assists (3rd, 132), Ejections Drawn (t-6th, 89)
Alison Carter: Saves (3rd, 502)
Shana Palencia: Assists (9th, 83), Shots (9th, 330)
Valentina Rozas: Points (4th, 269), Goals (t-3rd, 198), Assists (10th, 71), Steals (6th, 158), Ejections Drawn (2nd, 240), Shots (3rd, 474), Games Started (t-6th, 103)
Amanda Skonezney: Sprints Won (3rd, 87)
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2010
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Kandis Canonica (Feb. 16)
CWPA Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week
- Alison Carter (Feb. 16)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Krystle Morgan (Feb. 16)
About Maryland
• 5-2 overall record
• Went 2-1 at Bison Invitational, defeating Gannon and Wagner
• Averaging 9.5 goals per game
Bucknell vs. Possible Weekend Opponents
• No. 1 Seed Maryland: 17-8 (Bucknell has won three of last five meetings)
• No. 2 Marist: 9-1 (Bucknell has won five in a row by a total of 19 goals, only loss came in 2007)
• No. 3 Brown: 3-9 (Bucknell has lost four in a row by a total of six goals, last Bison win was in 2006 in overtime)
• No. 4 Princeton: 3-27 (Teams split four meetings in 2009, Bison are 3-5 in last eight meetings)
• No. 5 Iona: 3-4 (Bucknell has won last two meetings)
• No. 6 Wagner: 10-0 (Bucknell won meeting earlier this year 8-7 at Kinney Natatorium)
• No. 7 Harvard: 6-6 (Bucknell has lost last two games)
Up Next
• Bucknell will travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the Elite 8 Tournament next weekend. The Bison will open play at the two-day event against nationally ranked Michigan on Saturday morning (March 6) at 10 a.m.
ECAC Championship Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 27
Game 1: Maryland vs. Bucknell, 9 a.m.
Game 2: Princeton vs. Iona, 10:30 a.m.
Game 3: Marist vs. Harvard, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Brown vs. Wagner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 1, 4 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 5:30 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 28
Seventh Place: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, 10 a.m.
Fifth Place: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11:30 a.m.
Third Place: Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 1 p.m.
First Place: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2:30 p.m.
ECAC Championship Seeding
No. 1 Maryland
No. 2 Marist
No. 3 Brown
No. 4 Princeton
No. 5 Iona
No. 6 Wagner
No. 7 Harvard
No. 8 Bucknell
