Feb. 7, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Water Polo Weekly Release in PDF Format
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NO. 6 SDSU WATER POLO OPENS 2007 CAMPAIGN THIS WEEK
* The sixth-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team kicks off its 2007 campaign with a busy schedule this week, playing host to No. 14 Hartwick College on Thursday, Feb. 8, beginning at 3 p.m. PST at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Two days later, the Aztecs will travel across town to compete in the UCSD Triton Invitational, Feb. 10-11, in La Jolla, Calif.
SDSU opens the tournament with group play on Saturday, squaring off against Bucknell at 9 a.m. PST at the Canyonview East pool on the campus of UC San Diego. The Aztecs and Bison are joined in Group B by 12th-ranked Santa Clara and No. 16 UC Santa Barbara. If San Diego State defeats Bucknell, it will face the winner of the UCSB-Santa Clara game, starting at 3:30 p.m. PST. If the Aztecs stumble, they will take on the loser of the Gauchos-Broncos contest at 2 p.m. PST.
SDSU is the highest-ranked team in the Triton Invitational, which also includes UC Irvine (7th), UC Davis (t-9th), Loyola Marymount (11th), Michigan (13th), Long Beach State (15th) and host school UCSD (17th).
A LOOK AT HARTWICK
* The Hawks have already played eight games so far this season, opening with a 4-4 record during their current two-week swing on the West Coast. Prior to Tuesday's 9-8 loss at No.11 Loyola Marymount, Hartwick posted a 2-1 mark in the Cal Baptist Tournament on Feb. 3 in Riverside. The Aztecs are 4-1 all-time against the Hawks, who engineered a 9-7 upset of the Scarlet and Black in their last meeting on April 16, 2005, in the Long Beach State Invitational.
Following Thursday's game at the Kroc Center, Hartwick will join SDSU in the 16-team Triton Invitational over the weekend. In addition to women's water polo, the Oneonta, N.Y., school also sponsors men's soccer at the Division I Level.
SMILE, IT'S THE SEASON OPENER
* San Diego State has experienced great success in season-opening games, posting a 9-3 record since women's water polo achieved varsity status in 1995. The Aztecs sport a five-game winning streak in season openers, with the past four coming at the UCSD Invitational. SDSU's only losses came in 1995, 2000 and 2001.
BREAKING DOWN THE BISON
* Unlike its eastern counterpart Hartwick, Bucknell has yet to play a game this season, with its 2007 schedule commencing on Saturday against SDSU. The Bison return six seniors and three juniors from a squad that has posted a program-best 23 victories in each of the last two seasons. The Scarlet and Black defeated Bucknell, 10-4, in the only meeting between the two teams on March 12, 2005, in San Diego. Current Aztec senior Elana Cervantes scored three goals in that contest, while fellow classmate Stacy Werner added one score of her own.
AZTECS IN THE TRITON INVITATIONAL
* This is the 13th season in which the Aztecs have participated in the UCSD Invitational. In the previous 12 years, SDSU has compiled a 29-23 overall record in the annual event. The Aztecs have reached the championship final on just two occasions, dropping a 12-4 decision to UCLA in 1996, and suffering an 8-3 defeat at the hands of Long Beach State in 2004.
Last season, SDSU took third place after posting a 3-1 mark for the tournament. The Aztecs opened group play with a pair of victories over Santa Clara and Indiana. LBSU, however, derailed San Diego State's title hopes once again, scoring two goals in the final period to escape with a 7-6 win during the second day of competition. The Aztecs then salvaged third with a squeaker of its own, edging UC Santa Barbara, 4-3.
THEY'RE BAAACK...
* The Aztecs welcome back eight letterwinners and five starters from a 2006 squad that finished with a 22-12 overall record last season and a No. 7 national ranking. Despite the loss of two-time All-American Rachel Serna, SDSU is loaded once again as five of its top seven goal-scorers return from last year. Leading the way is the senior duo of Stacy Werner and Elana Cervantes, who combined for 82 goals in 2006. The Aztecs will also rely on the sophomore tandem of Anna Gonzales and Jenna Schuster for offensive production. Gonzales and Schuster enjoyed solid freshman campaigns last season as both players tallied 24 scores apiece. Also back is junior co-captain Becca Ur, who found the back of the net on 22 occasions in 2006.
SDSU IN THE POLLS
* San Diego State earned a No. 6 preseason ranking in the national varsity poll released Jan. 24, by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. The ranking is SDSU's highest since April 30, 2004, when the Scarlet and Black entered the MPSF Championships at No. 4 in the nation. In each of the last five seasons, the Aztecs have gone into their first game of the year ranked inside the top 10.
CRAWFORD AT THE CONTROLS
* Head coach Carin Crawford enters her ninth year at the helm of the San Diego State women's water polo team. In each of her eight seasons on Montezuma Mesa, SDSU has never finished below 11th place in the final national rankings. During her tenure, the Aztecs have garnered 11 All-America awards and claimed all-MPSF accolades on 13 occasions. Crawford's players have also earned 27 all-MPSF academic awards, as well as 27 AWPCA all-academic honors.