Michigan
UC Davis
Wolverines Finish in 11th Place at Gaucho Tournament
2/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Event: Cal-Santa Barbara Gaucho Tournament
Results: #11 Cal-Davis 10, #9 Michigan 4; #9 Michigan 10, #17 Princeton 9
Records: Michigan (6-6-1)
Next Event: Tuesday, Feb. 27 -- at Long Beach State (Long Beach, Calif.), 4 p.m. PST
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The University of Michigan women's water polo team split a pair of games Sunday (Feb. 25) and finished in 11th place at the Cal-Santa Barbara Gaucho Tournament. The No. 9-ranked Wolverines fell 10-4 to No. 11 Cal-Davis before defeating No. 17 Princeton 10-9 at the Recreation Center Pool on the UCSB campus.
In the first game, both Michigan and Cal-Davis opened with only one goal in the first period. The Aggies moved ahead of the Wolverines the following period, finding the net four times. Down 5-1 at the start of the second half, the Wolverines notched three more goals in the remaining 14 minutes but were unable to stop Cal-Davis, which added five more goals to its total.
Michigan received each of its goals from a different player. Freshman Julie Nisbet (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS), sophomore Stephanie Morse (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS), junior Sara Kowal (Rockville, Mich./Rockville HS) and senior Melissa Karjala (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) each tallied a goal for the Maize and Blue.
The loss put the Wolverines in the final-round game to determine 11th place, and Michigan faced off against Princeton for the second time this season. The first period ended with the two teams tied at two, and Michigan found the net three times in the second to take a two-goal lead at the halfway mark. The Tigers tried to rebound in the remaining half, but the Wolverines added five more goals to keep Princeton one goal down as time ran out.
The Wolverines received strong scoring from Nisbet, who tallied three goals, as well as freshmen Rachel Burkons (Van Nuys, Calif./Harvard Westlake HS) and Stephanie Rupp (Hemet, Calif./Hemet HS), who accounted for two goals apiece.
One of only three non-California teams in the tournament, Michigan finished 11th in the two-day, 16-team event with a split record of 2-2. Top-ranked Stanford was the Gaucho Tournament champion.
The Wolverines (6-6-1) have a day off before heading to Long Beach, Calif., to take on No. 7 Long Beach State. The 49ers finished fifth in the Gaucho Tournament and hold a 6-3 record on the season. The sprint begins at 4 p.m. PST at the Campus Pool.
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Cal-Davis | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Stephanie Morse, Sara Kowal, Julie Nisbet, Melissa Karjala. Cal-Davis Goals: Tiffany Hodgens 3, Kim Parker 2, Melissa Agee, Laura Tognolini, Cat Bell, Katie Dodds, Missy Duncan.
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Princeton | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Julie Nisbet 3, Rachel Burkons 2, Stephanie Rupp 2, Abbi Rowe, Christy Lilley, Melissa Karjala. Princeton Goals: Adele McCarthy-Beauvais 4, Jenny Edwards 4, Katherine Kixmiller.
Contact: Valerie Perkin (734) 763-4423
