Team sweeps only home meet, 3-0

For the seventh time in eight years the No. 9 IU water polo team has recorded a 20-win season. \nThe Hoosiers (20-8) wrapped up the regular season this weekend by defeating Colorado State University 11-4, No. 14 University of California-Davis 4-3 and No. 10 San Jose State University 14-9 at the Fluid Five Invitational at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. \nOn Saturday against Colorado State, IU picked up right where it left off on Jan. 30 when it beat the Rams 13-3. Senior attacker Kandace Waldthaler scored the first goal only 37 seconds into the game. The Hoosiers went on to build a 5-0 advantage in the first period. After Colorado State cut the lead to three, the Hoosiers went on a 6-0 run in the second and third periods. IU finished with a .500 shooting percentage, finding the net on 11 of 22 shots to win 11-4.\nSaturday night things were not so easy against UC-Davis. Neither team scored until there were only 41 seconds remaining in the first period, when sophomore attacker Kristin Zernicke put the Hoosier up 1-0. The Hoosiers were up 3-0 after junior attacker Janis Pardy scored at the 3:39 mark in the second. A little over a minute later the Aggies scored their first goal. Neither team scored again until the fourth period, when freshman center Carolyn Conway put the Hoosiers up 4-1. UC-Davis scored two more goals of their own, but they would not be enough as IU came away with the victory 4-3.\n"Tonight, we were able to play the way we wanted to play," said IU coach Barry King. "The girls played good solid defense all night, and when you can force the other team to make that one extra pass, which can lead to a turnover, you put yourself in a good position to win the game." \nThe Hoosiers finished the weekend on Sunday by avenging a Feb. 25 loss to San Jose State. The Spartans jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as senior Laura Scott scored two of her four goals in the game, but IU would lead 4-3 after one. The second period was much like the first as San Jose State scored two straight goals and IU scored three straight to end the period with a 7-5 lead. IU pulled away in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals and building a 10-5 lead. Both teams scored four goals in the final period. The win was the teams' fifth over a top ten opponent this season -- a school record.\n"We knew that they would be physical, but we stepped it up and used it to our advantage," King said. "We made some defensive adjustments and kept countering down the pool. When they made ball mistakes it started our counterattack. This is by far the best counterattack game we have had."\nSenior attacker Krista Peterson took advantage of her opportunities scoring three goals for a hat-trick in her last regular-season home game. \n"It was awesome," Peterson said. "It was fun to play well and finish with a bang. We knew what we needed to do and stepped it up. We wanted to show we were the better team and we came out and did that."\nPlaying in front of a home crowd made a difference, senior goalie Jessica Goldner said.\n"It is much better with a friendly crowd," she said. "The energy from the crowd adds a lot of excitement. We love to have fans."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Steve Brennan at sgbrenna@indiana.edu.