March 30, 2012

Roadrunner Invitational

LOS ANGELES - The seventh-ranked LMU women's water polo team will put their perfect conference record to the test this weekend with four games against Western Water Polo Association foes at the 2012 Roadrunner Invitational III on Mar. 31-Apr. 1 at the Hillman Aquatic Center on the campus of CSU Bakersfield.

"I think this weekend will be a good barometer for us to see if we are where we want to be," said Head Coach Kyle Witt. "We have set several goals throughout the season and we have some goals that we want to accomplish this weekend. It will be a fun weekend to see if we pass our tests that we have set out before us."

The Lions are 6-0 against WWPA foes, 11-8 overall, as they head into the weekend. LMU will open with the first game of the tournament against Santa Clara on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The Lions will then take on Cal State San Bernardino at 2 p.m. LMU will then take on host CSU Bakersfield in a showdown against two of the conference leaders at 9:45 a.m. The Lions will close with Colorado State at 8:30 a.m.

"As we head into the weekend, our offense needs to continue it's aggressive approach and we need to continue to focus on development defensively," said Head Coach Kyle Witt. "We have had some games where we have held teams to few goals. However, we need to work on running our game plans better, taking the opportunities our opponents normally create."

CSU Bakersfield has the best overall record in the WWPA at 18-11 overall, and is second behind the Lions in the WWPA at 7-2. The Lions have already defeated Colorado State and CS San Bernardino this season, earning wins at the LMU Invitational. The Lions will face Santa Clara (5-19, 3-5) for the first time this season.

"We have spent a lot of time working on covering water and moving to threaten shooters," said Witt. "We have been improving our press to hopefully lessen our time spent in our zone defense. On the offensive end, we are really starting to find each other much better on our counter attack and within our half court."

Sophomore Alexandra Honny continues to shine in her second season, tied with senior Kimberly Benedetti in goals with 40 heading into the weekend. She also leads the team with 31 steals while scoring 52 percent of her shots. Benedetti has been even more efficient scoring at nearly 59 percent while leading the team with 31 kickouts.

Senior Casey Flacks continues to do a little of everything for the Lions with 15 goals, a team-high 32 assists, 28 kickouts drawn and 26 steals. Junior Erin Manke also has been everywhere for the Lions, ranking third on the team with 24 goals, with 24 assists, 22 kickouts drawn and 29 steals.