Top Talent to Descend on Canham for Michigan Invitational

» The Wolverines host seven other teams for 16 games over two days in Canham Natatorium for the 2022 Michigan Invitational.
» Michigan jumped two spots in the CWPA Varsity Poll, coming in at No. 6 this week after defeating No. 4 Arizona State, No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 10 Fresno State last weekend.
» U-M takes on No. 5 Hawaii, No. 2 Stanford, No. 22 Marist and No. 3 UCLA this weekend.

THIS WEEK
Sat-Sun., Jan. 29-30 -- host, Michigan Invitational (Canham Natatorium) | Tournament Central
Saturday, Jan. 29 -- vs. #5 Hawaii, 9 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 29 -- vs. #2 Stanford, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 30 -- vs. #22 Marist, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 30 -- vs. #3 UCLA, 3:30 p.m.

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Note: Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the University of Michigan has instituted a proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative-test protocol for indoor athletic events. Face masks continue to be required and must be worn during all home indoor athletic events. [ U-M Vaccination Policy ]

The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan water polo team continues the 2022 season, hosting the Michigan Invitational this Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 29-30) at Canham Natatorium. On Saturday (Jan. 29), the Wolverines will take on No. 5 Hawaii at 9 a.m. and No. 2 Stanford at 4:30 p.m.; on Sunday (Jan. 30) U-M is set to face No. 22 Marist at 9:30 a.m. and No. 3 UCLA at 3:30 p.m. All four contests will be streamed live on B1G+.

Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 29
9 a.m. -- #6 Michigan vs. #5 Hawaii
4:30 p.m. -- #6 Michigan vs. #2 Stanford

Sunday, Jan. 30
9:30 a.m. -- #6 Michigan vs. #22 Marist
3:30 p.m. -- #6 Michigan vs. #3 UCLA

Team Notes

• This weekend's showdown with No. 2 Stanford also the program's Pride Game. The team is coordinating efforts with Michigan's Athlete Ally to help celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.

• Michigan opened the 2022 campaign with a 3-1 weekend at the Arizona State University Cross Conference Challenge. It defeated top-10 foes Arizona State, UC Irvine and Fresno State and fell to Cal.

• The Wolverines jumped two spots in the CWPA Varsity Ratings, coming in at No. 6 this week after defeating No. 4 Arizona State, No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 10 Fresno State last weekend.

• Seniors Kayla Barone and Sophie Jackson were named CWPA Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively.

• Barone scored multiple goals in three of four contests, including a hat trick in the Wolverines' thrilling 10-8 overtime win over No. 4 Arizona State. For the weekend, she tallied eight goals and added an assist for nine total points, while also adding three steals, a drawn exclusion and an .889 sprint percentage.

• Jackson tallied 70 minutes in the cage on the weekend, playing the second half of each game and making 23 saves. In the Wolverines' upset win over No. 4 Arizona State, Jackson played 22 minutes and made eight saves for a .615 save percentage, including multiple stops in crucial overtime attacks from the Sun Devils.

• Michigan's offense scored 34 goals and posted a .351 shooting percentage in its four games over the weekend. Fifth-year Maddie O'Reilly came out of the weekend as the Wolverines' leader in points, tallying 11 (five goals, six assists).

• Sixth-year Maddy Steere had a productive weekend on both offense and defense, totaling eight points (five goals, three assists) while drawing seven exclusions. The Aussie also had four field blocks and three steals on the defensive end.

• Senior Alex Brown played the other half of the goalie tandem for the Wolverines over the weekend, making 22 saves and allowing 17 goals in 64 minutes of play.

Opponent Previews

Hawaii: The Rainbow Wahine went 11-2 in the 2021 season and checked in at No. 5 in the final 2021 poll after falling to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament. Hawaii comes into the weekend ranked No. 5 and are returning nine starters, including sophomores Lucia Gomez De La Puente (21 goals, 24 assists), Lot Stertefeld (16G, 16A), and Lara Luka (17G, 12A). Goalkeeper Molly Dilalla competed in all 13 games last season, making 78 saves for the Rainbow Wahine. Due to the cancellation of the Rainbow Invitational, Hawaii will be opening its season against the Wolverines. The two last met in the 2017 season, when Michigan won 8-6.

Stanford: The Cardinal closed out the 2021 season with a 13-6 overall record and earned a trip to the NCAA semifinals, where they fell to UCLA. Stanford enters the 2022 season as the Varsity National Preseason No. 2 team. The team's top offensive performers include sophomore Jewel Roemer (47 goals, 26 assists), senior Chloe Harbilas (38G) and junior Hannah Constandse (28G, 27A). USA Olympians Aria Fischer, Makenzie Fischer and Ryann Neushuk will be returning to Stanford for the first time in three years. Stanford leads 14-0 in the all-time series with Michigan 14-0, and kicks off its 2022 season at the Michigan Invitational.

Marist: The Red Foxes begin the 2022 campaign in Canham Natatorium this weekend after going 9-1 overall and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2021. In the final 2021 poll, the Red Foxes checked in at No. 20 and found themselves at No. 22 in the 2022 preseason poll. Top offensive performers returning from last year's squad include seniors Viktoria Orlova (23G), Myriam Lizotte (19G) and junior Shinae Carrington (18G). On defense, senior goalie Marina Hyham will be returning after tallying 62 saves in all 10 games. Michigan has a 14-0 advantage in the all-time series.

UCLA: The Bruins are coming off a strong start to the 2022 season, going 5-0 at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational on its opening weekend. UCLA dominated in the pool with wins over Wagner, California Baptist, Ouaz, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. Returning U.S. Olympian Maddie Musselman and seniors Ava Johnson and Val Ayala are proving to be threats on offense totaling 32 goals so far. In the cage, redshirt junior Georgia Phillips has competed in all five games for the Bruins and has made 50 saves on the season.

Up Next

Sat-Sun., Feb. 12-13 -- at Triton Invitational (San Diego, Calif.)