Then No. 16-ranked Indiana water polo swept all competition at the Wolverine Invitational over the weekend.
Indiana defeated Marist College in its first match on Jan. 27. Falling to an early 1-0 deficit, senior attacker Sophie Wazzan scored the first goal of the season to equalize the match at 5:25 in the quarter. Graduate student utility player Zoe Crouch, sophomore attacker Louisa Downes and sophomore utility player Megan Holcomb also recorded goals to end the first with a 4-3 lead.
At the start of the second quarter, the Hoosiers notched three early goals within the first two minutes. The Red Foxes clawed their way back into the game, but Indiana sophomore attacker Grace Klingler scored a goal with 41 seconds to go to maintain an 8-6 lead at half.
Marist struck first in the third quarter, but Indiana quickly retaliated with three goals to take an 11-7 lead. Indiana held Marist to one goal in the fourth quarter while scoring four to finish the match victorious 21-5.
Later in the day, Indiana defeated Salem University 21-5, riding a strong first quarter in which it scored seven goals to Salem’s two.
The Hoosiers had a slow second quarter, scoring only four goals. Their defense held the Tigers to one goal en route to a commanding 11-3 halftime lead. During the second half, the Hoosiers outscored the Tigers 10-2, ending the match in dominant fashion to start the season off 2-0.
On Jan. 28, Indiana had a match against Saint Francis University. Indiana kept its hot start going with 13 goals in the first half while and holding Saint Francis to four, holding a 9-point lead.
The Hoosiers did not take their feet off the gas pedal, scoring 10 more points in the second half while the Red Flash were held to five in the 23-9 win.
Indiana concluded the Wolverine Invitational with a win over No. 22 Long Island University Brooklyn at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Hoosiers took a 4-1 lead as junior attacker Skylar Kidd notched a hat trick in the first quarter alone, scoring three-straight goals. The Sharks cut the lead to as small as one in the second quarter but Kidd's fourth goal and a shot in the net from Downes made it a 6-3 lead at halftime.
LIU struck first in the third, but back-to-back goals from junior attacker Grace Hathaway and sophomore utility player Nicole Tyner pushed the Hoosiers’ advantage from three to four. Indiana’s defense held the Sharks to just one goal in the fourth quarter while three Hoosiers found the back of the net to come away with the 11-6 victory.
The Hoosiers are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2022 season and moved up one spot in the Collegiate Water Polo Association poll. They could get to 5-0 for the first time under head coach Taylor McInerney, who has been head coach of the program since 2020, this weekend at the Bruno Classic.
Now No. 15-ranked Indiana will start off the Bruno Classic on Saturday at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a 10:30 a.m. match against No. 18 Harvard and a 4:30 p.m. match against Marist.
Indiana will continue the Bruno Classic at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Sunday with an 8 a.m. match against No. 25 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and an 11 a.m. match against Brown.
