HOME OF BULLDOG WOMEN'S WATER POLO - Nine SCIAC Titles, Eight Collegiate III Championships

The University of Redlands women’s water polo team wrapped up the regular season with a hard-fought fifth-place finish at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships in Thousand Oaks. Seeded fifth after the round-robin competition, the Bulldogs opened the tournament on Friday with a tough 7-9 loss to #4 Occidental College. Redlands bounced back with a dominating 13-5 victory over #7 University of La Verne on Saturday. In Sunday’s final match-up against #6 Whittier College, the Bulldogs fought to overcome a five-goal halftime deficit but suffered a heartbreaking 8-9 loss.

Redlands took control early in Friday’s game by earning a two-goal lead into halftime. However, a slow second half allowed the Tigers of Occidental to battle back as they outscored the Bulldogs, 7-3, to steal the victory. Junior 2m-offensive player Sam Greenawalt (Riverside, CA) scored a team-high three goals, while junior driver Claire Quinn (Fresno, CA) provided two. Freshman driver Tory Haynes (Valley Center, CA) and senior 2m- defender Molly Todd (Sacramento, CA) added one goal each.

In Saturday’s challenge, the Bulldogs took a quick 3-1 lead over the Leopards and never looked back. Greenawalt topped all competitors with five goals while Quinn added three more scores to her total. Junior 2m-defender Jennifer Caron (San Dimas, CA) gained two goals as Todd, sophomore defender Tawny Rielly (Oceanside, CA) and freshman driver Katie Stadius (Mercer Island, CA) rounded out the Redlands scorers with one apiece. In goal, junior Lauren Ellsworth (Napa, CA) and sophomore Whitney Schieler (Porterville, CA) combined for ten total saves.

Despite a valiant effort, the Bulldogs struggled to overcome the Poets’ five-goal halftime advantage on Sunday. The Bulldogs outscored Whittier 6-2 in the second half, even shutting out the Poets in the fourth quarter. However, strong Whittier goalkeeping proved to be the difference-maker as the Poets blocked Redlands’ final attempt to tie the game in the closing seconds. Greenawalt led the way for the Bulldogs with three goals, giving her 11 for the tournament. Senior driver Alana Martinez (Riverside, CA) and Todd stepped up with two goals each, while Haynes provided one score.

A three-way tie-breaker worked in the Bulldogs’ favor, landing the team in fifth place in the conference standings. The University of Redlands women’s water polo team finished the regular season with a 7-21 overall record and a 3-6 mark in SCIAC.