After a successful week in California over Spring Break, women's water polo jumped two spots from No. 19 to No. 17 in the National Collegiate Water Polo Poll.
Princeton (12-6) battled seven teams in six days, coming out with a winning record, 4-3, for the week.
The Tigers started out on a high note, defeating No. 13 UC San Diego, 6-4, on Friday.
The team stayed toe-to-toe with San Diego for the first two quarters. Junior goalie Madeline McCarthy made seven saves overall, four of them in the first quarter alone, and limited the Tritons to just one point.
In the second quarter, freshman driver Jazmin Brown put away two goals to tie the game at two before the half.
In the third quarter, she and freshman utility Elyse Colgan each added another point to give Princeton the lead, 4-3, for the first time.
Freshman driver Danielle Carlson recorded a game-high four steals, and also scored a goal in the fourth quarter. Her goal, combined with another from Brown, pulled off the upset.
But the win was not all sweet. The Tigers were only one-of-eight on man-up opportunities. Despite some standout play, the game was really a tribute to McCarthy and the defense's consistent effort rather than the offense.
A trio of freshmen led Princeton offensively — Brown with three goals, Colgan with two goals and Carlson with one.
Saturday found the Tigers in a doubleheader against No. 3 UCLA and Pacific University. Princeton split its games with a narrow loss to UCLA, 10-9, and a win over Pacific, 13-7.
Against UCLA, the Tigers did little better than they did in Friday's game with their man-up opportunities, going two-for-seven.
The Tigers did better against Pacific, however, going four-for-four on their man-ups. Colgan led with five goals and Brown added another four en route to Princeton's win. McCarthy had five saves in the first three quarters and senior goalie Lauren Lister had another in the fourth quarter.
On Sunday, the Tigers lost to No. 4 San Diego State, 11-7, bringing their record for the week to an even 2-2. Colgan once again led the Tigers in scoring with four goals, netting one in each quarter, while Brown chipped in three.
The score was 2-2 after the first quarter, but then San Diego took off in the third. The Tigers were three-of-six on man-up opportunities. McCarthy had five saves, and served in goal the entire game.
On Tuesday, Princeton clinched a winning record for the week with wins over Div. III No. 2 Redlands, 13-7, and No. 19 Cal Baptist, 13-11.
Against Redlands, the Tigers were up 6-4 at halftime. Then sophomore driver Megan Donahue put in three goals in the third quarter to seal the victory. Donahue had four goals for the game and Colgan put three in the back of the net to propel the Tigers to the victory.
Princeton started off shakily against Cal Baptist and was down, 3-2, after the first quarter. Colgan, Donahue and Brown each scored in the second to put Princeton up, 5-4, before the half ended.
Princeton led, 9-8, with less than a minute to play, but Cal Baptist managed to tie the game and push it into overtime.
Brown and Colgan kept the Tigers in the game, as each scored in overtime to keep the game tied at 11.
In the second overtime, Brown and Colgan again each netted goals, and the defense held Cal Baptist off to earn Princeton the victory.
McCarthy played all six periods, making four saves and a steal.
Wednesday, however, the Tigers lost to No. 9 Loyola Marymount by a resounding score of 10-2.
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