The IU water polo team took control of the weekend as it racked up three consecutive wins in its home debut. Quick starts combined with strong defense were key for the No. 15 Hoosiers, who won each game by at least eight goals.
The team's win over No. 25 California Baptist University marks IU’s fourth victory over a ranked team in 2020, which is already three more than the total of last season.
IU welcomed three schools this weekend for the third annual Hoosier Classic at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center. The four teams participated in a round-robin tournament, playing twice on Saturday and once on Sunday.
After three straight losses last weekend, IU needed great performances. The team came out motivated Saturday and defeated St. Francis University 14-6 in the morning and California Baptist 15-7 in the afternoon.
The Hoosiers faced an early 2-1 deficit in the first match, but they used the passing game to their advantage to tally five straight goals. Sophomore Izzy Mandema scored three more in the second half while IU continued scoring late until the game got out of reach.
Sophomore Sarah Greeven performed well at goalkeeper with five saves and only three goals allowed while receiving the bulk of the minutes.
After a five hour rest, IU looked energized as it jumped on California Baptist from the start. The Hoosiers dominated the time of possession battle. Sophomore Tina Doherty scored three goals in the first quarter and the team recorded a total of eight in the first eight minutes.
Not much changed the morning after when IU won 16-3 over Villanova University. The game was knotted at one a piece before IU scored eight consecutive goals. Like the previous two matches, this one got out of hand early on.
The offense clicked for the cream and crimson throughout the whole weekend. They scored 45 goals during the weekend, the most in a three-game stretch this year.
The perfect weekend puts IU above .500 for the second time this season. The 6-5 Hoosiers’ next tournament will be the Cal Lutheran Invite on Feb. 28 in Thousand Oaks, California.
