W. water polo sweeps weekend, West Coast trip looms large

Even though they missed out on this weekend's better-than-average weather, the members of the women's water polo team were not that disappointed. This weekend the Tigers did a little shining of their own as they made a clean sweep in Salem, WV, where they took on Bucknell, George Washington and Salem International.

Played over the course of two days, these games improved Princeton's record to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

The Tigers' first opponent Saturday was Bucknell (4-4, 3-2) whom they had little trouble defeating, 20-5. Princeton's toughest problem, it turned out, was adapting to the pool.

"It's a completely different game with a shallow pool," senior captain two-meter Adele McCarthy-Beauvaus said. "Jenny [Edwards] is six-feet and I'm six-foot-one, so we can't help but stand on the bottom of the floor."

Princeton, however, was able to overcome this difficulty. This was proven by McCarthy-Beauvaus, senior co-captain two-meter defender Edwards, sophomore two-meter Kathryn Parolin and freshman defender Keala Carter each managing to put in three goals.

Sophomore driver Julie Miller and freshman defenders Megan Donahue and Anne-Lise Maag also put in two goals apiece, while sophomore goalie Madeline McCarthy registered five saves for the game to help propel the Tigers to victory over Bucknell.

Princeton's next game was against George Washington (4-4, 4-2). The Colonials are coming off their most successful season in program history. With the loss of only three players, George Washington could have proven to be a tougher opponent than it has been in the past. Although the Colonials did manage to give the Tigers a bit more of a challenge than Bucknell, it could not keep Princeton from winning, 14-9.

"[The game against] George Washington was kind of tight," Edwards said, "[But] we came through in the fourth quarter."

In Princeton's next game, the Tigers faced off against the resurrected Tigers of Salem International (0-4, 0-4). Salem International took off last year from women's water polo competition, but has come back this year fresh and looking to gain some much-needed experience as it has only one returning player. The rest of its team is made up of freshman recruits and former swimmers. In this battle, the top cats proved to be Princeton as it triumphed, 10-3.

Sophomore driver Kelly Melia-Teeves put in four goals this game while McCarthy-Beauvaus, Edwards, and senior defender Melinda Martin all spent some time between the posts. McCarthy-Beauvaus was good for eight saves early on in the game while Edwards and Martin combined for another five later on.

Although the Tigers' opponents this weekend were not among the top women's water polo teams in the country, Princeton's wins against them are nonetheless important.

For Princeton to legitimize itself as a dominant force at the national level, it must not only win against opponents such as Bucknell and George Washington as it did this weekend, but also compete against and defeat teams from the west coast.

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Traditionally, water polo has been recognized as a sport for colleges and universities on the West Coast. For example, the top 11 teams in the National Collegiate Women's Top 20 Poll are all from the West.

Indiana, University of Michigan, Hartwick College and Princeton are the four top teams in the CWPA, but in the nation they are ranked 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th, respectively.

So the Tigers will be traveling to San Diego, CA next week over spring break. The women's water polo team will compete against six teams over the course of four days. This time, however, Princeton will not lack any challenges as all its opponents are ranked among the top 20 in the nation.

The Tigers' wins this weekend have not only served as a testing ground to sharpen the teams skills but have also boosted its confidence for next week's battles in California.

"We were really looking forward to testing ourselves and how far we've come," Edwards said. "The team is very positive. We look strong."