No. 13 Indiana water polo finished with a 2-2 record and earned 13th place at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational from Feb. 23-25 in Irvine, California.
Indiana vs. University of Southern California
On Friday, Feb. 23, the No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers took on the No. 5 University of Southern California Trojans for the Hoosiers’ first match of the invitational.
The Trojans gained a slight 4-3 lead in the first quarter against the Hoosiers with senior defender Kallie White and junior attackers Portia Sasser and Grace Hathaway scoring the first three goals for Indiana. Hathaway and White’s goals both came off powerplays.
During the second quarter, the Hoosiers tied it up 5-5 at the 4:31 minute mark with goals from junior attacker Skylar Kidd and graduate utility player Zoe Crouch. The Trojans scored two more goals before the half, and Sasser notched her second goal of the game for the Hoosiers before going into halftime down 7-6.
In the third quarter, the Hoosiers outscored the Trojans 4-2 with junior center Sophia Sollie and freshman utility player Nancy Baylor-Sefchick both scoring their first goals of the match. Crouch and Kidd logged their second goals of the match to give the Hoosiers a 10-9 lead at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans held the Hoosiers scoreless and took the lead, scoring three goals to win the match 12-10.
Indiana vs. University of California, Santa Barbara
On Saturday, Feb. 24, the Hoosiers faced the No. 13 University of California, Santa Barbara Gauchos.
The Hoosiers were held scoreless in the first quarter, watching as the Gauchos stormed out to a 3-0 lead.
Indiana tried to rally in the second quarter with Sollie getting the Hoosiers on the board, but UCSB outscored Indiana 2-1, giving the Gauchos a 5-1 lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, Indiana scored three goals with sophomore utility player Nicola Tyner and senior attacker Sophie Wazzan scoring their first goals of the match and Sollie getting her second. However, UCSB scored 4 goals, giving it a commanding 9-4 lead heading into the fourth.
Despite a hat trick from Sollie and a 3-1 advantage in the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers were unable to complete a comeback, losing the match 10-7.
Indiana vs. California State University, Fullerton
Indiana returned to action later in the day against the California State University, Fullerton Titans.
Indiana started strong in the first quarter as Sollie, Crouch, sophomore attacker Louisa Downes and junior attacker Sarah Lolli all scored, and Kidd added two more. The Hoosiers held the Titans scoreless to lead 6-0 after the first.
Domination continued for Indiana in the second quarter, outscoring the Titans 5-1 with Kidd earning a hat trick. The Hoosiers led 11-1 at the halfway point.
Indiana slowed down in the third as the Titans struck first in the second half with a couple of goals. Tyner scored one goal for the Hoosiers, extending the lead to 12-3 going into the fourth.
Indiana outscored the Titans 3-2 in the final frame. Sollie secured her second hat trick of the tournament en route to a comfortable 15-5 victory.
Indiana vs. Pomona-Pitzer
The fourth and final game Sunday was against Pomona-Pitzer for 13th place.
Pomona-Pitzer struck first, but Indiana’s Klingler and Hathaway found the back of the goal for a 2-1 Indiana lead.
In the second quarter, Pomona-Pitzer tied the game, but Hathaway recorded her second goal to give the Hoosiers a 3-2 lead going into halftime.
During the third quarter, Sollie and White extended the Hoosiers’ lead, with Sollie getting a pair in the third quarter. Pomona-Pitzer answered back with two goals of its own, but the Hoosiers entered into the fourth quarter leading 6-4.
In the fourth quarter, Pomona-Pitzer outscored Indiana 2-1, but it wouldn’t be enough, as the Hoosiers hung on to win the match 7-6 and secure 13th place overall out of 16 teams in the invitational.
Indiana will be back in Bloomington on March 2 to host No. 1 University of California, Los Angeles.
