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

The University of Redlands women’s water polo team closed out its 2009 season with an appearance in the title game of the National Collegiate III Women’s Water Polo Championships on Sunday at Cal Lutheran University’s Samuelson Aquatic Center in Thousand Oaks.

The Bulldogs went 3-2 in the three-day championship tournament, which ran from Friday through Sunday.

Following the championship game, senior center Sam Greenawalt (Riverside, CA) and freshman driver Kelli Moy (Honolulu, HI) received All-Tournament First-Team honors while junior goalkeeper Whitney Schieler (Porterville, CA) and senior driver Claire Quinn (Fresno, CA) garnered All-Tournament Second-Team accolades.

Redlands started off with a 10:40 a.m. first-round game on Friday against Washington & Jefferson College (PA) and won by a decisive tally of 14-4. The Bulldogs held the Presidents scoreless in the first two quarters of play, heading into the break with a 9-0 advantage. Caron led all scorers with four while freshman center Jamie Paul (Sandy, OR), freshman driver Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA) and freshman driver Taylor Johnson (Long Beach, CA) chipped in two apiece. In addition, sophomore driver Tory Haynes (Valley Center, CA), freshman driver Allison Feeney (Palo Alto, CA), Quinn and freshman center Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR) all found the back of the net once. Protecting the Bulldog goal, Schieler stopped eight President shots.

Game two for the Maroon and Gray featured a nail-biting affair as the Bulldogs nipped Cal State East Bay, 11-10. Redlands led by two at the half, but the Pioneers cut the margin to one by the end of the third period. Both teams netted three goals in the fourth and Redlands found itself 2-0 in the tournament after the game clock hit zero. Greenawalt paced the Bulldog offensive attack with four goals, and Moy also helped fortify the offense, supplying three. Quinn tossed two shots past the Pioneer goalkeeper while senior driver Alex Haynes (Valley Center, CA) and Caron gained one goal apiece.

Schieler recorded 13 saves in Saturday’s opening match against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, but the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) runners-up used a two-goal fourth quarter to edge the Bulldogs, 8-5. Redlands used a balanced scoring effort as Greenawalt, Quinn, Johnson, Nippert and Moy each contributed one goal.

The team earned its spot in Sunday’s title bout with a gritty 9-7 triumph over UC Santa Cruz. At half, the Maroon and Gray led, 5-4, but the Banana Slugs scored twice in the third to even the tally at six all. A four-goal outburst in the fourth quarter ultimately buried UC Santa Cruz, and the squad reached the championship game for the first time since 2006. On offense, Redlands looked to Greenawalt, who netted a hat trick. Caron and Quinn both fired shots past the Banana Slug goalkeeper on two occasions while Paul and sophomore driver Chandler Weeks (Palm Desert, CA) buried one goal apiece. Schieler helped keep the Bulldogs alive on defense as the junior goalkeeper corralled eight stops.

Finally, faced up against a familiar Sagehen team on Sunday, Redlands looked to pull off an upset bid and claim its ninth-ever Collegiate III National Championship. Pomona-Pitzer’s defense, headed by a two-pronged threat in goal, prevailed in the end as the Bulldogs fell, 5-10. The Sagehens outscored the Maroon and Gray in the first three quarters and evened the Bulldogs’ scoring mark in the fourth. Caron, competing in her final collegiate water polo tilt, energized the team with two goals while freshman driver Joy Corona (Lake Bluff, IL), Johnson and junior driver Katelyn LaPine (Laguna Niguel, CA) each pitched in with one score. Minding the Bulldog net, Schieler halted four Sagehen shot attempts.

Redlands (16-20, 5-5 SCIAC) enjoyed a nine-win improvement over last year’s finish, and Head Coach Tom Whittemore won his 300th career game at the helm of the program with a 9-8 victory over George Washington University (DC) on March 15.