Michigan Looking to Validate Stellar Season with CWPA Title
4/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
April 29, 2016
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The No. 1 seed for the CWPA Championship, the University of Michigan water polo team will be looking to continue its 2016 success as it tries to win its first conference championship since 2010.
Winning championships is never an easy task, but this year U-M is in a good position to make a run. The Wolverines went undefeated in conference play during the regular season with a 7-0 record and tested themselves during the non-conference season, playing 23 games against ranked opponents.
"That time in California showed how much we have matured as a team," said junior Allison Skaggs. "Anything can happen in the CWPA Championship, but the intense game experience we had out in California will help us in those situations."
All but the freshmen know that the CWPA Championship can be a battle, especially after the Wolverines lost two overtime games last year after only losing one conference game during the regular season.
In the semifinals, Michigan faced its conference rival Indiana. After the first two games between the two seasons were decided by one goal, including a double-overtime win by U-M at home, the two teams knew it would be a close one.
Indiana's Candyce Schroeder scored from two meters out on a 6-on-5 chance, and Michigan could not convert its chances to tie, hitting the post twice and missing on a few more shots.
In the third-place game, the Wolverines were again defeated in extra time. Michigan and Hartwick traded goals in the first three-minute session and again in the second before Hartwick notched a two-meter goal with 36 seconds remaining.
Those two games are a constant reminder of how close the tournament games can be, but they also serve as extra motivation.
"We know how good we are this year, so that is a big motivation for us to prove it," said junior Heidi Moreland. "We have shown how well we can play, and we just need to play our game this weekend."
The Wolverines have been tested in many late-game situations this year as well but have been able to come out on top. Junior Danielle Johnson scored with one second left to send the UC Irvine game to overtime, and Moreland scored the game-winner in sudden death. Freshman Kim Johnson scored a game-winner in the final seconds against San Jose State. Both games were nailbiters with top-10 teams, and both were wins for U-M.
The goal in mind for Michigan is to make the NCAA Championship, but in order to do that they will have to do something they haven't done since 2010.
"We have worked really hard to get to the NCAA Championship," said Skaggs. "It would be great for the program if we can do that. No one on our team knows what that feeling is like, but doing well this weekend is all we are concerned about right now."
• Weekly Release: After Finals, U-M Shifts Focus to CWPA Championship
