May 6, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Complete NCAA Championship Notes in PDF Format
SDSU GEARS UP FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE
San Diego State (29-6) begins its quest for a national title this weekend when it heads north for the 2008 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship, May 9-11, in Stanford, Calif. The Aztecs, who secured an at-large berth for the second straight year, are seeded fourth in the eight-team field and will square off against No. 5 seed UC Davis (26-8) in an opening-round match beginning at 6:45 p.m. PT on Friday, May 9. All games will be played at Avery Aquatic Center on the Stanford University campus.
If the Aztecs emerge victorious over the Aggies, they will take on the winner of the UCLA/Pomona-Pitzer game in the semifinals on Saturday, May 10, starting at 4 p.m. If SDSU stumbles, it will lock horns with the loser of the Bruins-Sagehens showdown at 2:15 p.m. that same day. The national championship game will be contested at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 11, and will be telecast live on College Sports Television (CSTV).
The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was established in 2001. UCLA has captured five tournament crowns (2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007), while Stanford (2002) and USC (2004) have claimed one title apiece. Prior to NCAA sponsorship in 2001, San Diego State competed in the Collegiate National Championships for six consecutive seasons from 1995-2000. The Aztecs' best showing in the defunct tournament was a runner-up finish in 1995, the program's first year of varsity competition. SDSU cruised to four straight wins before dropping an 8-7 heartbreaker to Slippery Rock in the championship finals. The Scarlet and Black also placed third in 1996 and 1997.
SDSU CAPTURES FIFTH PLACE AT 2008 MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS
San Diego State posted a 3-1 record en route to a fifth-place finish at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, April 24-27, at the Aztec Aquaplex. The Scarlet and Black earned the fourth seed and opened the tournament with a dominating 16-2 performance over 13th-seeded Pacific. Jenna Schuster netted a hat trick, while Erinn Greenwood, Ronni Gautschi and Danielle Pelke each scored twice to pace the Aztecs as they notched a season-high 16 goals. SDSU's defense held the Tigers to just two tallies in the second period with Heather Fenske and Katie Bentley combining for a total of 15 saves in front of the cage.
With the win, the Aztecs advanced to face fifth-seeded Hawai'i in the quarterfinals where they were looking to avenge a 19-12 loss to the Rainbow Wahine in the same round of the MPSF tournament a year ago in Tempe, Ariz. SDSU, which had defeated UH, 10-7, earlier in the season, looked like it was on the same track after jumping out to a 2-0 lead with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter. But the Rainbow Wahine quickly evened the match by scoring twice in the final two minutes of the period. Hawai'i pulled ahead in the third frame, taking its largest lead of the game at 7-4 before Pelke converted on a power play to bring the Aztecs within a pair of goals heading into the final stanza. Despite a four-point outburst from the Scarlet and Black in the fourth period, UH was able to hold on for the 10-9 win.
Relegated to the consolation bracket, the Aztecs rebounded with a 9-7 victory over San Jose State. SDSU took a 6-3 advantage into the fourth period and held a comfortable 9-5 lead with 3:04 left to play. SJSU tacked on two more goals, but with the clock winding down the Scarlet and Black was able to emerge triumphant. Schuster paced SDSU with her second hat trick of the tournament.
The stage was then set for the fifth-place match against seventh-seeded California, whom San Diego State defeated at the Aztec Aquaplex on March 27. The contest went down to the wire as SDSU experienced its first overtime game of the season. Cal held an early 3-0 advantage in the first quarter, but the Aztecs came back to take their first lead of the game with 6:47 remaining in the second period. From that point on, the two teams were neck-in-neck with eight tie scores before the end of the match. Gautschi scored one of her game-high four goals in the first extra session to give SDSU a thrilling 12-11 victory. Fenske anchored the defense with 13 saves, while Becca Ur also had an outstanding performance with five assists and four steals. Schuster was named to the all-tournament team after collecting eight goals on the weekend.
A LOOK AT THE AGGIES
UC Davis (26-8) earned the Western Water Polo Association's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament with a 10-9 win over Loyola Marymount in the WWPA championship final on April 27 in Los Angeles, Calif. With the victory, the Aggies extended their winning streak to 13 games and has now claimed 17 out of its last 20 contests.
Attacker Christi Raycraft and center Laura Uribe have both amassed a team-leading 49 goals to lead UC Davis. Lindsay Kiyama is also in the mix with 32 tallies to her credit, while pacing the team on defense with 49 steals. Meanwhile in front of the net, Casey Hines has logged 175 saves and possesses a 5.94 goals-against average in 31 games played.
Veteran head coach Jamey Wright is in his 25th season at the helm for UC Davis, which made its only NCAA tournament appearance in 2006 when the Aggies captured fifth place with a 12-10 overtime win against Hartwick.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UC DAVIS
San Diego State leads in its all-time series with UC Davis by a 14-4 count, dating back to 1995. The two teams met once previously this season with the Aggies upsetting the Aztecs, 8-7, in the first round of the UC Irvine Invitational on Feb. 23. The Scarlet and Black trailed 7-5 heading into the fourth quarter before notching two goals in the final stanza to even the score. However, the Aggies' Christi Raycraft responded with a tally at the 1:23 mark and UC Davis was able to hold off SDSU for the remainder of the game to emerge with the win. Despite the loss, the Aztecs own a better record (19-3) against common opponents than the Aggies (13-8).
THREE AZTECS EARN ALL-MPSF HONORS
Juniors Anna Gonzales and Jenna Schuster were selected to the all-MPSF second-team, while Sarah Brady was named to the all-freshman squad. Gonzales netted 24 goals in the Aztecs' 12 regular-season conference games, including a team-high five strikes at Cal State Northridge (April 13). Schuster, meanwhile, racked up 26 tallies in MPSF action and lifted SDSU to a key victory over Hawai'i with four goals. Schuster also recorded two hat tricks to lead the Scarlet and Black to a 3-1 record at the MPSF championships.
Brady had a stellar freshman campaign, appearing in all 35 games on the season. The Los Alamitos, Calif., native amassed 15 goals, 17 assists and 18 steals, while shooting at a .306 clip. Brady put together a six-game scoring streak from March 15-27, which included three straight two-goal performances.
MOVIN' ON UP
Jenna Schuster increased her career goal total to 184 with eight tallies at the MPSF tournament, taking sole possession of fifth place in the Aztec record book. Anna Gonzales also made strides on the all-time charts as she is just five scores away from the sixth spot with 175 tallies to her credit. Becca Ur remained second in school history with 240 career ejections drawn, while Erinn Greenwood is No. 3 in the same category (212). Gonzales (fifth, 100 assists), Greenwood (seventh, 88 assists) and Ur (eighth, 79 assists) also rank among the career assists leaders.
ON THE SINGLE-SEASON CHARTS
Erinn Greenwood has already established an SDSU single-season record with 112 ejections drawn this year, topping her previous school record of 91 set in 2007. Becca Ur's 55 assists rank third on the charts, while Jenna Schuster is sixth with 76 goals and Anna Gonzales is tied for seventh (71 goals). Heather Fenske rounds out the Aztec single-season record holders as she sits in third place with 307 saves.
FAMILY TIES
This year's NCAA tournament will be a family outing for the Greenwoods as Aztec 2-meter player, Erinn, will be competing against her older sister, Ashley, who is a senior center for San Diego State's first-round opponent, UC Davis. The siblings, who hail from Sanger, Calif., have been on the opposite side of the ball twice in their collegiate careers. Erinn picked up the first victory when the Scarlet and Black defeated the Aggies, 8-4, at the Triton Invitational on Feb. 11, 2007, but Ashley evened the family series earlier this year when Davis handed SDSU its first loss of the season at the UC Irvine Invitatioinal (Feb. 24).
FENSKE ON FIRE
Senior Heather Fenske has waited three years for her chance to take on a starting role and now that she is the Aztecs' primary goalkeeper, the Lompoc, Calif., native is making the most of the opportunity. After notching 75 saves in her first three seasons on The Mesa, Fenske has turned away 307 shots in 34 matches played in 2008. She has 15 double-digit save games under her belt, including a career-high 16 stops against Cal State Bakersfield (March 16). Fenske also played a pivotal role in the Aztecs' key regular-season MPSF wins over Long Beach State (13 saves), California (14 saves) and Hawai'i (11 saves).
UR LENDS A HAND
Senior Becca Ur, who totaled 24 assists in her first three years on The Mesa, has amassed a team-high 55 helpers this season. The Lompoc, Calif., native notched a season-best five assists on two different occassions. She first accomplished the feat against Hawai'i on SDSU's senior day at the Aztec Aquaplex (April 8) before repeating her performance in the Scarlet and Black's 12-11 overtime win against California at the MPSF championships. Ur, who made the transition from a 2-meter player to the utility position this year, has recorded more than one assist in 15 contests.
GAUTSCHI FINDS HER GROOVE
Sophomore Ronni Gautschi had her biggest game of the season when the Aztecs needed it most. The Morgan Hill, Calif., native netted four goals in San Diego State's overtime victory against California at the MPSF championships. In a seesaw battle, SDSU and Cal were locked at 9-9 heading into the final stanza. Gautschi put the Scarlet and Black up 10-9 and 11-10, before the Golden Bears tied the game with 2:10 left to play, forcing the two overtime periods. In the first extra session, Gatuschi scored the eventual game-winner at the 1:06 mark as SDSU was able to hold off the Bears for the remainder of the game. Gautschi has come on strong in the latter half of the season, scoring 17 of her 26 goals in the last 13 games.