With Final Four on the line, IU hosts Western tourney

As postseason play begins Friday for the No. 16 IU water polo team, the Hoosiers have their sights set on something they have only done once before -- compete in the Final Four for the NCAA water polo championship.\nBefore that happens, however, the Hoosiers are going to have to finish in first or second place this weekend at the Collegiate Water Polo Associate Western Division Championship at the Counsilman-Billingsly Aquatic Center, in Bloomington. This is the first time the Hoosiers will play host to the CWPA Western Championship.\n"I don't think the seeding has anything to do with the way we play," coach Barry King said. "It comes down to playing solid team defense and being successful in our power play. If we can get into the 50, 60 percent range in our power plays and play good defense, then I think we'll be in good shape."\nThe Hoosiers retained the top seed in the tournament after finishing 7-0 in their conference, with one of their wins coming against rival Michigan. The No. 17 Wolverines are seeded second in the tournament.\nThe top two finishers this weekend will compete in one week at the CWPA Eastern Championship in Providence, R.I.\nShould the Hoosiers get past the Eastern Championship, they will be one of eight teams vying for a chance to play in the Final Four. The only time IU has reached the Final Four was in 2003, when they finished fourth.\nSophomore goalkeeper Jackie Pyrz said she believes the Hoosiers can contend to win the national championship.\n"I know we can do it for sure," Pyrz said. "I feel that as a group, we're really strong. From our first game until now, we've definitely grown as a team."\nThe Western Championship begins Saturday morning for the Hoosiers as they play the No. 5 seed, Gannon University. The Hoosiers defeated Gannon 15-5 March 3. Later that night, the Hoosiers take on No. 4-seeded Slippery Rock University, who lost to IU 11-3 March 4. The three teams will compete against each other in a round-robin tournament to decide who will play against the winner of the rest of the field in the championship game.\nThe Hoosiers are a combined 16-0 all-time against their two initial opponents.\nWhile the Hoosiers have only lost two games in the past two months -- with both losses coming to ranked opponents -- King said they will need to play good defense to be successful this weekend.\n"I think we need strong contributions up and down the roster," King said. "Matchup-wise, Melissa Soria should have a really good weekend on the offensive end. But most of all, we're looking for people to contribute a lot on the defensive side and gain offensive opportunities out of that team defense."\nSoria scored 22 goals in the last seven games to finish the regular season.\nBoth Pyrz and King agree that the Hoosiers have the talent to make it to the Eastern Championship and the Final Four. In order for that to happen, the team will have to take the rest of the season on a game-by-game basis, Pyrz said.\n"I definitely think we can go past Eastern for sure," Pyrz said. "We just have to play it game-by-game and not take anything for granted"