Springfield, Ohio- The Wittenberg University Women's Water Polo held the inaugural Wittenberg Invitational last weekend, hosting University, Penn State Behrend and Washington and Jefferson College at the HPER Center Natatorium. The Tigers went 2-1 over the course of the day, falling to Div. II Salem University, 16-3, in the opening match, before finishing off the day with a 13-8 win over W&J and a thrilling 15-14 win over PSU-Behrend in the nightcap.
Weekend Breakdown
The Tigers fought long and hard against Salem but ultimately fell by a 16-3 margin. In the second game of the day, the Tigers faced off against Washington and Jefferson for the second time this season, eager to avenge their earlier season loss against the Presidents. Wittenberg did just that this time around as the Tigers came away with the five-point win over W&J. The final match of the night against PSU-Behrend was close throughout the entire four quarters of action, with the Tigers building the biggest lead of the match by two goals in the second half. Ultimately, Wittenberg came away with the one-goal victory over the Lions to finish their inaugural home invitational with an overall record of 2-1.
Who Stood Out
Freshman netminder Anya Bennett was named defensive player of the week by the CWPA with a total of 29 blocks over the course of the weekend, while junior Savanah Phillips was listed as an honorable mention pick for Player of the Week by the CWPA for the third week in a row after scoring 17 goal and passing out three assists last weekend. Freshman Emma Menjivar was also listed as an honorable-mention selection for Rookie of the week for the first time in her career after finishing the weekend with five goals, five assists and six steals.
Up Next
The Tigers will now travel to Saint Paul, Minnesota, next weekend, March 30-31, to play at the Macalester College CWPA Regional Tournament. Wittenberg opens the weekend with matches against Carthage and Monmouth (IL) on Saturday, before capping off play on Sunday with matches against Macalester and Austin College.