IU takes on West Coast

The IU women's water polo team never backs down from a challenge. \nThe team competed valiantly in its season opener against No. 1 UCLA, falling just short of victory. But rather than dwell on a tough loss, the team took lessons from the UCLA game and used them to defeat then-No. 9 Michigan. The Hoosiers will bring that same toughness to Palo Alto, Calif., this weekend for the Stanford Invitational.\nChallenges abound for the Hoosiers again this weekend, playing against three ranked opponents -- No. 2 USC, No. 6 California and No. 7 Hawaii.\n"I thought the women did a good job getting back from the weekend and worked hard," coach Barry King said. "We probably got better in that week off. I'm not worried about being rusty at all."\nThose two weeks of preparation will be critical as the Hoosiers try to defeat the Golden Bears for the first time in six tries. Cal returns their leading scorer from last year, All-American senior Jodie Needles and a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Junior National Team, sophomore Elsie Windes. Cal is a big, physical team, but they have a weakness at the goalie position the team hopes to exploit, King said.\nIn the second game of the weekend the Hoosiers will play a team from Hawaii -- they just don't know who will be on that team. The Rainbow Wahine could feature a dynamic squad consisting of several players who have been competing internationally, if they are eligible. If they aren't, the Hoosiers could be facing a team composed of underclassmen.\n"They're kind of a question mark," King said. "They could be the same team we played well against last year, but let it slip away at the end. They could be a whole new group. Regardless, I think the teams will be feeling each other out for the first half of the game."\nIn the third game this weekend, the Hoosiers will face defending national champion, USC. The Trojans return essentially the whole team from their title run a year ago, as well as adding one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. The Hoosiers will be tested, but hope to implement some of the lessons they learned in a loss to No. 1 UCLA at the Michigan Invitational.\n"USC is more physical than UCLA, but not as fast," King said. "They tend to be more half-court oriented. We'll have to force action from the perimeter and execute on counter attacks. I think that is where we can be better than them, in getting down the pool faster."\nSenior attacker Kandace Waldthaler, IU's leading scorer, recorded a hat trick against Michigan at the Michigan Invitational and was named the Western Division Player of the Week by the Collegiate Water Polo Association for her performance.\n"I feel pretty good (about this weekend)," Waldthaler said."We're going to have some good, close games, but we can win. I think we have a chance to pull off some upsets."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Steve \nBrennan at sgbrenna@indiana.edu.