No. 17 Hoosiers prepare for final regular season games

This weekend the IU water polo team will take the long bus ride east to Pennsylvania to compete for what will result in its seeding in the Western Divisional Championship. On Friday, the Hoosiers will open play against Gannon before taking on Penn State Behrend, Mercyhurst and Grove City on Saturday. IU will finish weekend competition on Sunday versus Slippery Rocky and Washington & Jefferson. \nAlthough the No. 17 Hoosiers have played fairly well in their last couple of games, IU coach Barry King said the team has not been as successful as it can be.\n“We haven’t been playing poorly,” King said. “We just haven’t been finishing and have been struggling putting the ball in the back of the cage.”\nIU freshman Kara Butler said because of the teams’ inability to finish key plays, the team has spent this week working on its offensive attack.\n“We’ve been shooting all week and putting the balls in spots that we think are open so that goalie will have less of a chance of saving it,” Butler said. “We are good shooters; we just haven’t put the shots where we need to put them when under pressure.”\nThe results of the six games this weekend will give the Hoosiers their ranking for the Western Championships that will take place next weekend.\n“A lot of these teams are in our conference, so it’s a deciding factor for what our stands are at the end of the season,” Butler explained. “Because of this, it is a good time to work on the things we have implemented at practice this week, a good time for us to practice and get our skills ready for the final grind at the end of the season.”\nIU sophomore Kelly Palmberg believes this weekend will show how the Hoosiers can bounce back when there are numerous games packed into one weekend.\n“We are going to be exhausted, and I think this will show us if we can put our balls away when we are this tired,” she said.\nKing said he is looking for a balance where players can make big plays for the team.\n“Kelsey Campbell and Butler are starting to come along and get a little bit more confident in their abilities to provide some offense for us,” King said. “So this could be a good weekend for them.”\nAlthough making important shots is something the team hopes to begin doing once again, King considers its largest focus to be on something else.\n“Our focus is always to be playing our best water polo at the end of the year,” he said. “We are coming up to the end now, so we need to show ourselves that we are making real progress.”