Water polo team heads west for tournament

Coming off a successful tournament in Michigan two weeks ago, the No. 13 women's water polo team is looking to replicate that success this weekend. The Hoosiers will be in Palo Alto, Calif. from Feb. 8-9 competing in the Stanford Invitational. The Michigan Invitational provided tough competition for the Hoosier women, but this weekend will be especially competitive.\nIn their first game the Hoosiers square off with No. 5 California, a perennial powerhouse in water polo. Although Cal has a rich tradition in the sport, coach Barry King is not intimidated by the program and believes his players shouldn't be either, he said. \n"The key to playing big name programs is not getting wrapped up in the name of the program," King said. "We need to just play our game."\nSophomore All-American Krista Peterson agreed with her coach.\n"We just need to play confident, and play the same game that we know despite any of the rankings," Peterson said.\nAfter playing Cal, the Hoosiers have a rematch with No. 9 San Jose State. The Hoosiers defeated the Spartans 10-8 at the Michigan Invitational for the first time in three games.\nThe first two games for the Hoosiers should be competitive, but the real test will come in the third and final game of the tournament. In the final game of the tournament the Hoosiers will play the host team and No. 1 ranked Stanford. The Cardinals are the defending National Champions, but despite their dominance the Hoosier's coach said his team is ready for them. \n"I think we match up pretty well with them," King said. "We definitely match up a lot better with them than the last time we played them."\nThe last time the two teams met was in January 2001 when the Hoosiers were dominated by the Cardinals, losing 16-1. \n"As with Cal, the key to playing big name teams is not to be intimidated by the name but just to play our game," King said. \nStanford, Cal and San Jose State are all ranked in the top ten national poll, but the Hoosiers are not far behind. This week the rankings were released and the Hoosiers moved into a tie with California-Irvine for 13th. The ranking is the highest in the history of the six-year program. This weekend's tournament will be a chance for the Hoosiers to prove they deserve the ranking, Peterson said.\n"I am a little nervous because it is such big competition, but I am also very excited because it will give us a chance to show where we stand and prove ourselves," Peterson said.\nMany factors contribute to a successful tournament for the Hoosiers. To beat teams like Stanford and Cal the team will need to play well together as a team. \n"We need to play solid team defense," senior All-American Kristin Stanford said. "I think playing as a team will be the key to the weekend."\nThere are also specific things the team needs to do to be successful this weekend, King said. \n"The key to success will be controlling the ball, and not makings lot of mistakes in the middle of the pool," King said. "We will also need to convert our advantage situations"