No. 13 Indiana women’s water polo hosted the Hoosier Invite this weekend. Indiana went undefeated after facing Villanova University, Harvard University, McKendree University and Marist College.
Throughout the weekend, Indiana scored most of its points in the first half and depended on defense to maintain the lead in the second half.
Indiana’s first game of the weekend came against Villanova. The Hoosiers controlled the first quarter outscoring the Wildcats 8-0. All of Indiana’s eight points in the quarter came from a different teammate.
Fifteen seconds into the second quarter, junior center Robyn Greenslade scored her second goal of the game and granted Indiana a 9-0 lead. Indiana continued to be aggressive throughout the first half and entered the break with a 13-2 lead.
Junior defender Kallie White recognized the advantage of having a substantial lead entering halftime.
“Running the score up early helps us so that we get everyone in and playing and we can work as a team,” White said. “It also helps us to stay relaxed for the rest of the game.”
The Hoosiers went on a 6-3 run in the second half and won their first home match 19-5. Indiana’s next focus was Harvard in the second game of the day.
Two minutes into the game, Indiana sophomore center Sophia Sollie was the first to put points onto the board. Harvard quickly responded with a goal from senior attacker Brooke Hourigan to tie the game 1-1.
With one second left before halftime, White secured a goal and Indiana entered the break with a 6-5 advantage.
The Hoosiers restrained the Crimson in the third quarter, denying the opposing team any points in the 8-minute stretch. In addition to efficient defense, Indiana scored six goals in the third quarter and entered the final period with a 12-5 lead.
The Hoosiers were outscored 3-2 in the final quarter. Yet, due to an early and hefty lead, Indiana beat Harvard 14-8.
The Hoosier Invite continued the following morning, where Indiana faced Mckendree. Like the game against Villanova, Indiana made it hard for McKendree to compete after scoring 7 consecutive points in the first quarter.
McKendree was able to put 6 points on the board in the duration of the game, but never caught up to Indiana’s 20 points. The Hoosiers outscored the Bearcats in every quarter, making it an easy and deserving win for Indiana.
Indiana’s final competition of the weekend was against Marist. The Hoosiers had a positive first half and went into the break with a 9-4 lead. Head coach Taylor McInerney shared what she emphasized to her team during halftime.
“At that point, we do not need any more goals to win this game, but we need defensive stops,” McInerney said. “I put emphasis on managing our clock and using our possessions as best as we can.”
Despite a scoreless fourth quarter, the team won the game 12 –9. The Hoosier completed the clean sweep this weekend and travel to San Diego, California next weekend to compete in The UCSD Triton Invitational.
