W. water polo travels west to test mettle versus strong competition

Next week's schedule promises to challenge the women's water polo team, making recent midterms seem like a breeze.

Over four days, No. 16 Princeton (5-1 overall, 3-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association), will take on six of the nation's top 20 teams. After padding its record against weaker competition thus far, the Tigers relish the chance to see how they measure up against the best.

"We're really looking forward to testing ourselves," senior co-captain and two-meter defender Jenny Edwards said.

Despite their dominating performances on the East Coast, including three Eastern College Athletic Conference championships in the past four years and two of the past three CWPA Southern Division championships, the Tigers are not considered a top team nationally.

But if the Tigers can win against any of these teams this weekend, they will not only gain valuable experience competing alongside the top squads in the country, but they will also legitimize themselves as equals.

"Our goal has always been to establish ourselves as not just a dominant force in the East but also a force in the nation," senior co-captain twometer Adele McCarthy-Beauvais said.

Princeton will face top ranked University of California-Los Angeles (10-3 overall, 3-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) and tenth ranked University of California-San Diego (13-5) on Saturday.

UCLA is riding high after coming in first at last weekend's Gaucho Invitational. Upset wins over the two teams previously ranked first and second in the nation vaulted the Bruins into the top spot.

The Tigers must watch out for center forward Natalie Golda, who scored ten goals in four games at the Gaucho tournament and was named MPSF Player of the Week.

In the game against the UCSD Tritons, the three players to look out for are Miranda Paulson, Dana Tucker and Danielle Boyle. These three make up the prongs of the Triton attack as they account for over half of UCSD's points this season.

On Sunday, the Tigers will face sixth ranked San Diego State (9-5, 2-2) and 20th ranked Pacific (5-9). San Diego St. has a solid team led by top scorers Amber Prestegard, Casey Finnegan and Holly Hartzell. But the Tigers must defend every Aztec, as 17 of them have registered a goal this season.

The Pacific Tigers represent Princeton's best chance to pull off a win. Earlier this year, Pacific lost to Arizona State, which Princeton defeated, 11-4. Still, the match will not be easy, as Jessica Schroeder has played well in leading the Tigers' western counterparts in scoring for the second year in a row.

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Tuesday, Princeton will take on Redlands (2-6), the top team in Division III. Despite coming from a lower division than Princeton, the Bulldogs will still pose a challenge for the Tigers. Redlands has won six of the past nine D-III national titles and always fares well against D-I teams.

Last on the schedule is seventh ranked Loyola Marymount (10-3), the winners of the last three Western Water Polo Association titles.

Despite the menacing road ahead of them, the Tigers believe they are ready to tangle with the best.

"Our team is the best it's ever been," McCarthy-Beauvaus said. "We are very well-conditioned, our shots are accurate, and everyone's realizing their own potential."