LA VERNE, Calif. — The University of La Verne women's water polo team will begin the quest for its first SCIAC Championship when it faces Redlands in a first round match of the 2016 SCIAC Championships on Friday, April 22. Game time at Redlands' Thompson Aquatic Center is slated for 1:45 p.m.
The Leopards have faced Redlands twice this season and won both games. The Leopards topped the Bulldogs, 15-6, at the Claremont Convergence on March 4 and won, 12-7, on April 13.
The winnter of Friday afternoon's game between La Verne and Redlands will face the winner of the Pomona-Pitzer versus Cal Lutheran game in a semifinal on Saturday.
2016 SCIAC Women's Water Polo Championships Central
WATCH ONLINE
All games for the SCIAC Women's Water Polo Championships will be broadcasted through the SCIAC portal. Per SCIAC policy, viewers will be charged $10 per day during the tournament. Fans can also find updated results by visiting the tournament's central website via GoRedlands.com (click here).
RECAPPING THE REGULAR SEASON
La Verne is having its best season ever in 2016. The Leopards have already won more games this season than in any of the previous 10 years and will finish above .500 for the first time in recent memory. La Verne beat four NCAA Division I teams and have won six SCIAC games, the most in recent memory. The Leopards' two SCIAC losses came against Pomona-Pitzer, which has won seven of the last nine SCIAC championships and Whittier, who claimed the SCIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA National Championship Tournament last year.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS
La Verne (6-2 SCIAC) sits in third place heading into the championships with six dual points. The Leopards need to make up at least two points against Whittier (8-0) and one point against Pomona-Pitzer (7-1). With how the three teams have dominated the SCIAC this season, the clearest scenario for the Leopards to win the conference title and a berth to the NCAA Tournament is to win the SCIAC tourney. That would give La Verne 16 total points and while Whittier may also end up with the same amount of points, the Leopards will take the NCAA bid by virtue of winning the SCIAC tournament.
TOP SCORERS
Guarina Garcia has scored a team-leading 56 goals in her freshman campaign. Fellow newcomer Stephanie Rosero is right behind with 55 goals. Rounding out the Leopards' list of top five scorers are Megan Little (23), Jasmine Bustamante (18) and Catie Tuning (17).
LEADING THE LEOPARDS
In just his second season as head coach, William Rodriguez has turned the Leopards into a championship contender. In Rodriguez's first season, La Verne earned its first wins over Cal Lutheran and Occidental in nearly a decade and notched five SCIAC wins for the first time in recent memory up until that point. The Leopards shattered expectations once again this season and goes into the SCIAC Championships with the grand prize squarely within reach.