No. 15 Indiana women’s water polo lost to No. 6 University of California, Berkeley, in the first round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament Friday. The Hoosiers will receive a bye Saturday and play in the fifth-place game Sunday.
Indiana’s sophomore attacker Skylar Kidd put up the first points in the game Friday and gave Indiana the early lead with 2 minutes and 50 seconds left in the first quarter. The Hoosiers and Golden Bears continued to exchange points in the first quarter, and the teams entered the second period tied 2-2.
UC Berkeley scored three unanswered points in the second quarter and went into the break with a 5-2 lead over Indiana. The Hoosiers and Golden Bears both scored a goal in the third quarter, making the score 6-3 before the final period.
Indiana scored three straight goals in the fourth period and only trailed a point with 3 minutes and 45 seconds left in the game. However, the Golden Bears responded with two goals of their own, and they extended their lead to 8-6 late in the fourth.
Indiana’s sophomore attacker Grace Hathaway scored the final goal of the game with 19 seconds left in the game, but it was not enough to overcome UC Berkeley’s lead. Indiana lost the first round of the MPSF tournament 9-7.
The Hoosiers will return to the pool Sunday to play for fifth place. Indiana will face the winner of Saturday's game between No. 16 Arizona State and No. 21 San Jose State.
Arizona State and San Jose State are the two conference opponents Indiana has beat this season. The Hoosiers beat then-No. 15 Arizona State on April 1 and then- No. 20 San Jose State on April 15. The Hoosiers end the regular season with a 12-12 overall, 2-4 conference record.
Indiana will continue its MPSF tournament play at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center in San Jose, California.
