Brown University
University of Michigan
Women's Water Polo Prepared for 2018 CWPA Championship
4/24/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – No. 7 seed Brown University women's water polo will meet No. 2 seed University of Michigan in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Bucknell University's Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
Live Video: CWPA Championship Portal
CWPA Info: Schedule | Bracket
On Twitter: @brownwaterpolo | @BrownAthletics
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Via Hashtag: #GoBruno
THE MATCHUP
Brown (15-16) and Michigan (29-8) have squared off twice this season with the Wolverines taking 16-5 decisions in both match-ups. Junior Carmen Rosas (Schaumburg, Ill.) scored three goals in the Mar. 10 meeting while junior Maigrie McDougal (Sacramento, Calif.) netted a hat trick in the Apr. 7 contest.
The winner of the contest will advance to the semifinals to face either No. 3 Hartwick (28-10) or No. 5 George Washington (13-13) on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The loser of the Brown-Michigan game will proceed to the consolation and take on the loser of the Hartwick-GW game on Saturday at noon.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan brings a 29-8 overall record and 7-1 CWPA mark into the tournament. The Wolverines have won 22 of their last 23 contests and have not lost in regulation since Feb. 23. Michigan's only CWPA setback came in an 8-7 overtime loss against Princeton. Caroline Anderson leads the team with 115 points on 39 goals and 76 assists while Julia Sellers has posted 105 points on a team-best 74 goals and 31 assists. Heidi Ritner has started 33 games in goal, totaling 190 saves on a .528 save percentage with a 6.05 GAA.
BRUNO AT THE CWPA CHAMPIONSHIP
At the CWPA Championship, Brown has reached the semifinals five times, finished as the runner up in 2003, and won the tournament title in 2001. The Bears have come in fourth at the championship three times, most recently in 2012 as well as in 2004 and 2009. Brown placed fifth in three straight years from 2013-15 and came in seventh in both 2016 and 2017.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Senior Jessica Heilman (Menlo Park, Calif.) has scored a team-high 50 goals alongside 62 steals, 43 ejections drawn, 12 assists, and 13 field blocks. Junior Carmen Rosas (Schaumburg, Ill.) ranks second on the team with 40 goals and has added 35 steals and 29 ejections drawn.
Junior McKenna Miller (Danville, Calif.) paces the Bears with 72 steals and 64 ejections drawn and has posted 34 goals, 21 assists, and 12 field blocks. Sophomore Lexi Atwell (La Jolla, Calif.) has registered 37 goals, 46 steals, and 10 assists.
Junior Maigrie McDougal (Sacramento, Calif.) has tallied 24 goals, 44 steals, 15 ejections drawn, and a team-high 20 field blocks while freshman Carissa Perez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) leads the team with 35 assists and has totaled 21 goals, 43 steals, 21 ejections drawn, and 16 field blocks.
IN THE CAGE
Senior goalkeeper Marisol Dakan (Pasadena, Calif.) has made 207 saves on the season on a .523 save percentage. She has made double-figure saves in each of nine games this season, including three times in CWPA play. Dakan has gained CWPA Defensive Player of the Week accolades four times this season and eight times in her career.
WEST COAST SWING
Brown took its annual trip to the state of California over spring recess from March 24-31, closing its eight-day, nine-game West Coast swing with a 6-3 record. During the trip, the Bears defeated Azusa Pacific (8-6), Whittier (15-9), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (11-7), Concordia (9-3), Occidental (10-3), and Cal Lutheran (10-3).
CWPA PLAY
The Bears logged a 3-5 mark in Collegiate Water Polo Association play this season, including a 10-8 overtime win over then-No. 19 Harvard on Apr. 11. Brown also beat St. Francis (Pa.), 12-4, and Bucknell, 9-7. Brown dropped decisions to Hartwick (13-8), Indiana (12-4), Michigan (16-5), Princeton (12-7), and George Washington (8-7) in conference play.
HOSTING PUERTO RICO
Last weekend, Brown hosted the Puerto Rico men's and women's national teams at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center as part of an exhibition weekend. The Bears squared off with Puerto Rico in a pair of special exhibitions on Friday, Apr. 20 with the men's teams playing at 4:00 p.m. and the women's teams squaring off at 5:30 p.m.
