Bucknell University
La Salle
No. 24 Bucknell Women's Water Polo Opens 2022 Campaign at Kinney Natatorium
1/27/2022 11:18:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Bison Will Play Three Home Contests Over the Weekend
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell University women's water polo team will open its 2022 spring season at home when it hosts the Bucknell Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. The CWPA will broadcast the Bucknell games, free of charge, on CWPA TV.
BUCKNELL SPECTATOR POLICY: Bison Athletics and the Bucknell women's water polo team are pleased to welcome fans back to Kinney Natatorium this season. Please note that Bucknell's spectator policy recently changed, and proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test is now required for entry. CLICK HERE for more details on the updated policy.
Bucknell Invitational Schedule
Bucknell Schedule
Saturday, January 29 vs. La Salle - 9 a.m.
Saturday, January 29 vs. St. Francis (Brooklyn) 3:40 p.m.
Sunday, January 30 vs. Wagner - 9:20 a.m.
- Bucknell begins its campaign, its first full season since 2019, on Saturday morning against La Salle, the same team the Bison opened up with last season.
- The Bison enter the season ranked 24th in the country in the latest CWPA poll.
- Bucknell split a doubleheader against the Explorers to open the 2020 season, dropping an exciting 20-19 decision in Philadelphia before taking the second game of the day, 11-9.
- Bucknell returns two seniors and seven juniors in a young team that features 11 underclassmen (seven first-years, four sophomores).
- The Bison are coming off an 8-4 season, with three of those losses coming to nationally-ranked powerhouse Michigan. The Bison made their first-ever CWPA final last season, falling to the No. 7 Wolverines in the championship game by a score of 12-5. The Wolverines went on to the NCAA Quarterfinals, dropping a 9-5 decision to No. 4 Arizona State.
- Bucknell will also take on St. Francis (Brooklyn) and Wagner to open the season. Bucknell defeated the Terriers 15-3 in the last meeting in Lewisburg on February 11, 2017, and last faced the Seahawks in the last game of the 2020 season before the Covid-19 pandemic cut short the campaign for the Bison.
Season Preview
The Bison are set for their first full season since 2019, with intentions of building off a supremely successful three-year stretch that included the second-most wins in a regular season in program history (25, 2019) the best start to a season in school history (12-1, 2020), and its first-ever appearance in the CWPA Championship game (2021). Bucknell also secured its third straight winning season in the spring in finishing 8-4, with three of those losses coming to powerhouse Michigan, with Head Coach John McBride earning the distinction of becoming Bucknell's all-time winningest coach in program history last season. McBride currently sits at 146 career wins, and earned his 140th win for the program on March 20, 2021 in a 21-5 win over Mount St. Mary's last season, passing John Zeigler (139) for the most in program history.
Although the past success has been an impressive run for the Bison, there are a lot of uncertainties for the squad that features a lot of players who have yet to experience a full season in the Orange and Blue. The Bison will face an expanded conference slate after the return of the Ivy League schools to the fray, but Bucknell still managed its best-ever postseason finish with the full slate of teams in finishing third overall at the CWPA Championships in 2019.
"That was a real milestone for us in 2019," said McBride. "Last year's championship appearance was good for the culture, but I don't know if we can really carry that momentum with us with how short the season was. I think culturally, just having the chance to compete was great for the girls mentally. Having that taken away from you can be very difficult, but having that chance to compete during an extraordinarily stressful time was great for the program."
Seniors Paige Furano and Larissa Hodzic are the only two Bison student-athletes who have experienced the full gamut of a spring season for the Bison, and McBride noted that the team will lean a lot on their experience going forward. Hodzic has battled injuries during her time as a Bison, and saw the majority of her playing time during her first season.
"Some of our athletes have never played against the Harvards, Browns, and Princetons, so it will be a totally unique experience for the entire team," said McBride. "It's great to start at home, and hopefully the season continues."
Bucknell's two main goal scoring threats during this successful stretch, Ally Furano and Kali Hyham, moved on after graduation after helping to rewrite the Bucknello record books during their tenure. That leaves the younger Furano sister to step into a leadership role as one of the veterans of the squad. McBride stressed the importance of Furano's leadership, and how important it will be in what could prove to be a long season in comparison after the team has combined to play just 31 games over the past two campaigns.
"When we get to the dog days of April, it's a grind," said McBride. "We're back from spring break, and we have a month left in the season full of conference games. She's the only one who knows what that feels like both mentally and physically. She's going to be really important with her mental toughness to help the younger athletes navigate that, because it can become a lot later on in the season."
McBride noted that the mood in preseason is very optimistic after having more stability to hopefully look forward to as the country continues to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The girls are thrilled to be getting after it, and it was great to get back earlier than normal," said McBride. "They are very motivated, and have worked very hard this preseason."
McBride noted that losing the goals from A. Furano and Hyham will be tough to replace, but the team is looking to share the goal scoring burden more than ever in 2022. P. Furano, noted for her defensive and passing ability, proved her ability on the offensive end when set the single-game goalscoring record with 7 in 2019 against No. 14 Harvard before the record was broken by her sister one year later. Megan LaCroix has also been a reliable contributor for the Bison in her time at Bucknell, providing a hand in many of the assists for those goals. Bella Moynihan also stepped up offensively in the spring. Also returning for the Bison as juniors are Celia Foster and Chloe Smith, while sophomores Olivia Dey, Bettina Tapiero, and Kirstin Hayduchok will look to benefit from a year of experience in Lewisburg in year two.
"There's at least nine offensive weapons, so it will be nice that we could spread the goals around," said McBride. "Paige, Larissa, Izzy Lippolis, Isabelle Monaghan, Moynihan, Caroline Oates, Ali Jackson, Emma Molaski, Boati Motau, the list goes on. I would say we have the most offensive weapons we've ever had. We won't have people scoring six goals a game, but I believe we will benefit by having a lot of different goal scorers this season."
The Bison will also benefit defensively from the addition of Annika Lampen, who joins the program as a first-year goalkeeper. Sam Gove continues to practice as a goalkeeper as well, after filling in admirably for the spring season in her first collegiate action in the cage, converting from a field player right before the start of the season.
"Annika is extremely motivated and athletic, and she's learning a lot during this preseason," said McBride. "Sam provided us with the ability to compete in the spring, and she's still working as a goalie on the team. Without Sam, I do not know what we would have done. The team responded to Sam being a great teammate, stepping up defensively and taking risks that maybe they wouldn't normally take."
Bucknell is scheduled to play its most home games in recent memory in 2022, with the Bucknell Invitational this weekend, a league weekend of four games in late February, and the CWPA Championships also set to be in Lewisburg in late April.
"It's immeasurable the impact of having a home championship is," said McBride. "They don't have to travel, their fans will be showing up, and they will have that sense of familiarity."
Bucknell will be bolstered by the arrival of seven first-years in Lampen, Jackson, Flora Beleznay, Oates, Motau, Lippolis, and Sidney Finkler.
"Izzy will be a great center for us, and will be a primary player that we need to play well," said McBride. Jackson and Boati and Flora we think will have an impact early on, and Caroline Oates is a great shooter. However, they are all starting at the same level, and they will have a lot to learn for us and with our offensive and defensive philosophies."
Motau will begin her collegiate career in the Orange and Blue after an eventful summer in which she donned the colors of South Africa at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Motau saw playing time against powerhouses such as Spain, Australia, and the Netherlands in a memorable experience in the Land of the Rising Sun.
"There's a certain confidence that Boati will have," noted McBride. "She will have that mental edge. She's played against the best in the world. Skillswise, she's still learning. We're hoping that when she goes back to the Olympics, she will be even better. She will represent South Africa at the Intercontinental Tournament in Peru, and she will also travel to the Nations Tournament in South Africa this spring. She's representing Bucknell on a national scale, and the rest of the team enjoys having her around."
McBride has tempered expectations for this opening weekend, focusing on getting the team to develop chemistry, and learning what the team has during the three-game weekend.
"We have so many interchangeable parts for the first time ever," said McBride. "We really just need to see what we have. We think we know what we have, but we have so many people that can play so many positions. It's a great problem to have, and it's one we haven't had in a long time. We are going to have a lot of players get a lot of time, and we could look to play as many as 12 players this year, which is more than what we have historically done. It has benefited us in practice as well, making things competitive."
"We like to say that our juniors are freshmen," said McBride. "We're excited about this year, we're super motivated, and we'll let the chips fall where they may."
The Bison will begin their 2022 campaign on Saturday, January 29, against La Salle at 9 a.m.
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