Water polo preps for postseason

By Brian Betz

Sunday's dominating 14-3 win over Cal State Hayward helped the women's water polo team gain some momentum going into the WWWPA Championships.

Driver Sara Schmitt was honored as the team's only senior, before scoring a game-high three goals in the winning effort. Juniors Carly Carpenter and Elizabeth Glotzbach added two goals apiece, as did up-and-coming freshmen Katy Shumm and Kristin Glotz. Glotz's two goals were scored within 32 seconds of each other, the first at the 5:40 mark, and the second at 5:08.

A 9-1 halftime lead allowed the women to slow the game down a bit in the second half to work on drawing ejections and finishing. The Broncos refused to let their opponents back in the game as they cruised to the lopsided win.

With the victory, the women finish the regular season with a 20-13 record, but more importantly, the confidence and momentum that are needed before entering postseason play.

"Our team is in great shape as we enter the tournament this weekend," Glotzbach said. "We have played really well lately as a unit, which has allowed us to create opportunities in games that lead to strong finishes. We know the competition that we will see at WWWPA's and are making the necessary adjustments to match up with them to finish out our season strong."

The WWWPA Championships start this Friday in Santa Cruz. The nine-team tournament will be played over three days, with games going on all day. As it stands, the women look to receive the fifth seed, which might mean a pairing with Cal State Bakersfield. If so, the match should be close. In their three games against Bakersfield this season, the women have fallen by close margins of 5-4, 6-5 and 7-5. If the Broncos can make it past the first round they should expect a potential showdown against either UC San Diego, Loyola Marymount or UC Davis, all of whom are ranked in the top 10 nationally. Whatever the outcome of their draw, Santa Clara should turn some heads this weekend, especially if seeded in the lower half of the nine-team configuration.