Hoosiers anticipate rematch with rival Michigan

The IU women's water polo team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend to compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Along with IU, other teams competing include Penn State-Behrend, Mercyhurst, Washington, Jefferson and the host school Michigan.\nThe Hoosiers take on Penn State-Behrend in the first game. At last year's CPWA Weekend, the Hoosiers played the same team and won 19-5. \nAlthough the squad knows every game this weekend is important, coach Barry King said the one focal point will be Michigan.\n"Obviously the Michigan game is the key to the weekend," King said. \nThe Wolverines are in the same division as the Hoosiers in the CPWA and are the team's biggest rivals. The two conference heavyweights only play each other twice in the regular season. Earlier this year Michigan beat IU 12-6 at the Michigan Invitational. \nThe game this weekend is important to the Hoosiers for many reasons, one being their seeding for the divisional playoffs in April. \n"This game will determine the seeding for the April tournament," King said. "It sets a lot of things up for later in the year."\nThe players are well aware of the importance of the weekend game with Michigan as well. \n"I think we have something to prove this weekend, it is time to beat them," senior Sarah Butler said. "It is a big rivalry we really want to beat them."\nThe Hoosiers have been playing very well of late and freshman Courtney Thom said the team is excited to have an opportunity to beat their biggest rival. \n"I am excited for the Michigan game, we have not had the best of luck against them but I think we are ready," she said. \nButler said everybody on the team is confident that this is the time for IU to go into Ann Arbor and beat the Wolverines. \n"We have come a long way and we are confident," Butler said. "We are ready to go in there and beat them."\nKing said he knows his team is playing very well right now and that it is time to to get a win over their rival. \n"We are playing really well, beating Michigan is just something we have to get over and be another thing that we need to do," he said.\nAlthough the Hoosiers are eager for the game, Thom said they have not been doing anything drastically different in practice to prepare for it. \n"We have just been watching videos and going over offensive plays, basically the same stuff," she said. \nAfter playing Penn State-Behrend in the first game, the Hoosiers then play Mercyhurst before squaring off with the Wolverines in the third game on Saturday. The Hoosiers then play Washington and Jefferson to end the tournament on Sunday.