3rd place enough for championships

The Hoosiers have advanced to the Eastern Championships after taking third place at this past weekend's Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Championship. IU went 3-1 during the weekend.\nThe Hoosiers started off the weekend with a victory Friday night over host school Villanova. The Hoosiers dominated the entire match and won 19-5, tying a couple of school records along the way. The Hoosiers tied a record with 18 assists, and the team was one goal and one steal short of hitting other records with 19 and 24, respectively.\nJunior Kim Steele tied a record with five assists. Freshman Krista Peterson, junior Kristin Stanford and senior Molly Fonner each scored four goals apiece.\n"We played really well off the bat," Stanford said. "We played solid defense and good offense. It was a good way to start off the weekend."\nIU continued to play well in its first match Saturday. The Hoosiers took on Washington and Jefferson and won 18-3. Junior Ginger Wang scored five goals, and senior Melissa DeBiasse had five steals.\n"We just played our game," freshman Sharna Nelson said. "We didn't feel any pressure, and that helped with our confidence."\nIn their second match Saturday, the Hoosiers took on rival Michigan. The Hoosiers went into the half with a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, mistakes cost the Hoosiers, and they fell 11-7.\nOnly two players scored for IU. Stanford had four goals, while Nelson chipped in with three. Stanford described the loss as frustrating. Nelson said the team just couldn't capitalize.\n"Basically, we need to minimize our exclusions," Nelson said. "We lost our concentration. They were able to take the upper hand and gain confidence. We have to want to win and not be afraid to lose."\nHead coach Barry King said the level of play was similar in both halves, but the Hoosiers just failed to finish their advantages.\n"We didn't convert on our power plays," King said. "It came down to stopping everything that they threw at us, and we didn't."\nThe Hoosiers had a chance to bounce back Sunday, and they did so by defeating George Washington 16-7. The win gave the Hoosiers a third-place finish for the tournament.\nSenior Kirsten Mayberry had 11 saves in goal, tying a season-high for her. Peterson, Wang and Nelson each had three goals. Stanford said she was happy the team was able to play well following the Michigan game.\n"It was good for us (to win). We played pretty solid," Stanford said. "It was good to play solid and get us set up for next weekend."\nKing said he talked to his players prior to the George Washington match about putting the Michigan loss behind them.\n"We talked about our preparation after the Michigan loss," King said. "We wanted to prepare for Easterns. We started a little slow but finished strong. That was good. It provided a little momentum."\nThe Hoosiers are now 18-13 on the year and take that record to Princeton, N.J., to compete in the Eastern Championships this Friday through Sunday. The Hoosiers will play Brown, which they defeated 5-4 earlier this season.