Hoosiers hope to make splash at first tournament

The good news for water polo coach Barry King and his team is that after finishing last season with a 24-11 record, they start this season ranked No. 20 in the country. \nThe better news for the Hoosiers is that their season finally gets under way this weekend at the Michigan Kick-Off tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich.\n"I've been really pleased with our fitness level and our response to the training," King said. "Those things you worry about early in the season I've been pleased with and I expect good things this weekend."\nThe Hoosiers get their first taste of competition in the form of four teams in two days, including host Michigan on Saturday night after a match up against UC Santa Barbara early in the day.\nThis season's Hoosier squad has a blend of experience and talent. They are led by six seniors, including Kristin Zernicke, who returns after an outstanding junior year in which she recorded 25 goals and 38 assists.\nAlong with having senior leadership, the Hoosiers will boast a slew of talented underclassmen. Junior Brooke Zimmerman is one of them. She tallied an impressive 53 goals last season. Zimmerman was equally effective defensively, recording 66 steals and was the Collegiate Water Polo Association Western division first team. \nWhile Zernicke and Zimmerman will help pace the offense, junior goalie Jackie Pyrz will anchor the defense. Pyrz, the starter last season, recorded 259 saves, good for third best all-time in the Hoosier record books. In addition to making numerous saves, Pyrz also helped herself by accumulating 32 steals.\nAfter the Michigan Kick-Off, the Hoosiers travel to Palo Alto, Cali., for the Stanford Invitational Feb. 3-4. While they would love to start the season off hot, King believes how you finish a season is more important.\n "I think (the team) has a lot of potential and if the season goes right it will be a really good growing experience, and we'll be playing our best water polo at the end of the year," King said. "Now it's a matter of going out and finding our legs against new competition rather than playing against ourselves"