Story Courtesy of Emma Menjivar '22
Washington, Pennsylvania- The Wittenberg University Women's water polo team made their inaugural season debut at the Washington and Jefferson Invitational on Saturday. The Tigers earned their first two wins in program history at the W&J Invite, first knocking off Grove City, 11-9, before earning a 14-10 victory over PSU-Behrend in the nightcap.
First Game Breakdown
The Tigers fought hard in the first quarter of the Grove City game, ultimately ending the first frame tied at 3-3. Hitting the back of the net was junior Savanah Phillips and freshman Tatum Bruno. By half the Tigers managed to pull away for a three-point lead after only allowing the Wolverines to score once during the second quarter. Two of the four goals made within the second quarter were scored off man-up, 6-on-5 opportunities. Freshman Calista Spring scored both of the Tigers' goals in the third quarter to give Wittenberg a 10-5, and despite being outscored, 4-1, in the final frame, Wittenberg held on to secure the two-point win for the first victory in program history.
Second Game Breakdown
Squaring off against the Penn State Behrend Lions, the Tigers raced out to an early 8-1 lead after the first quarter. Scoring back-to-back goals off counter breakaways in the opening frame was the freshman duo of Emma Menjivar and Bruno. The Tigers kept up the fight against the Lions in the second quarter, advancing their lead to 10-6, with Phillips leading the pack with both second quarter goals. The Tigers maintained control of the game over the final 16 minutes, leading to the four-goal win over the PSU-Behrend Lions.
Who Stood Out
Freshman Anya Bennett finished off the night with 12 blocks in the Wittenberg goal, including one on-goalie, five-meter attempt against the team. Phillips racked up the shots in the center attack with 14 goals on the night. Menjivar had three exclusions drawn for 6-on-5 man-up opportunities, while Bruno lead the team in steals for the night with 5 steals.
Up Next
The Tigers will face off against host Washington and Jefferson tomorrow morning at 9:15 a.m., before closing out the opening weekend of action with a 1:00 p.m. game against Occidental.