Water polo ranked in Top 20
By Brian Witter
The men's water polo team record currently stands at a modest 8-6. But two recent upset wins were enough to solidify the squad's confidence -- and also turn some heads.
Last week, at home in the Leavey Pool, the Broncos knocked off both No. 10 Pacific and No. 19 UC Santa Cruz.
The win over the University of Pacific Tigers last Thursday was particularly special for head coach Keith Wilbur as it was his first victory over a Top 10-ranked team as head coach of the team.
"It felt so great," Wilbur said. "Especially since the game was so close in the final few minutes and we were able to pull it out. I'll certainly never forget the experience and I'm sure the guys won't either."
There was a level of uncertainty going into halftime with Pacific up 5-2 after a strong offensive Tiger counterattack in the second quarter. In the second half, a robust defense, led by junior goalkeeper Mike Petersen, was able to stave off most of the Tiger scoring attempts.
Pacific was up a goal late in the fourth quarter when star freshman utility Jack Wall scored with about a minute and a half left in the game to even the score at 8-8.
Following a save by Petersen, Wilbur called a final timeout and organized a play that presented Wall with the opportunity to score with only three seconds left on the clock. In dramatic fashion, Wall capitalized and the Broncos captured the win 9-8.
"He's really put forth a strong effort for us this year," Wilbur said, speaking of Wall. "He was a first-team All-American in high school and is playing even better than I expected him to."
Only two days later, the Broncos followed their colossal upset with another startling result over their Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) rival, UC Santa Cruz, by a final score of 5-3.
A third consecutive upset was not to be, however, as the Broncos traveled north to the Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley where the Golden Bears routed them 17-6.
The loss may have set back Santa Clara in terms of their record, but it was not enough to stop their momentum after beating two nationally-ranked teams in two days. When the men's water polo National Collegiate Top 20 Poll came out on Wednesday, the Broncos found themselves occupying the final spot.
"Those teams came to our pool and saw what we can do in it," Petersen said. "Some teams are really fast and it can easily take away their counterattack. We were just protecting our house."
When Petersen talks about the Leavey Pool's ability to eliminate the other team's strategy, he's not kidding. The pool was not built to regulation collegiate specifications, hence the low number of home games played each season at Santa Clara.
"We practice all the time in it, so we obviously know what we're doing," Wilbur echoed. "It definitely plays to our advantage, but I do have to give credit to teams that will come in here and face off against us."
The Broncos' current record on the year stands at 8-6 and 7-4 in the WWPA. Next on the schedule for the team will be the annual Convergence Tournament in Claremont, which begins on Friday. The Broncos will again meet UC Santa Cruz on Nov. 5 and Pacific on Nov. 12 this season before the WWPA Championships later in the month.
Contact Brian Witter at (408) 551-1918 or bwitter@scu.edu.Santa Clara 2, Oakland 0
In a match handily controlled by the Broncos, Tina Estrada scored twice in the shutout of the Golden Grizzlies. In the 30th minute, Meagan Snell sent Estrada a pass in the center of the box which she was able to launch past the Oakland keeper. Estrada's fourth goal of the season came on an assist by Hayley Siegel in the 86th minute of the game. Overall, Santa Clara outshot Oakland 18-3 and prevented them from setting up any sort of offensive attack by controlling the ball for much of the 90 minutes.
VOLLEYBALL
Santa Clara 3, LMU 1
The Broncos won the first, second and fourth games at the Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles to beat the Lions of Loyola Marymount. Junior outside hitter Kim McGiven led the way with 20 kills while star freshman Brittany Lowe buried 13. Sophomore Caroline Walters saved 21 in the Broncos' winning effort. Santa Clara had an outstanding hitting percentage of .310 on the night.
Santa Clara 3, Pepperdine 1
In their seventh straight win of the year, Lowe had a career night in which she set personal records with 24 kills and a .553 hitting percentage. In all, four players had a hitting percentage over .500, including Cassie Perret and Anna Cmaylo, who had 21 and 16 kills respectively.
MEN'S WATER POLO
Cal 17, Santa Clara 6
After defeating two top-ranked teams at home, the Broncos headed north to Cal on Sunday where they were promptly squashed by the Golden Bears. Junior Whit Gilfillan and sophomore Matt Martin had two goals apiece.
--From staff reports