March 26, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

BRIEFLY
The 11th-ranked Loyola Marymount women's water polo team will close their month-long homestand on Saturday, Mar. 29 when they host a tripleheader with No. 16 Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield at the Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center. The Lions will open the day with the Matadors at 9 a.m. CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield will play at 12 noon and will be followed by LMU taking on the Roadrunners at 3:30 p.m. The games will conclude a 10-game home swing.

INSIDE THE LIONS
LMU enters the week on a six-game win streak, the longest of the season, and winners of seven out of their last eight. LMU is 11-8 on the season and 4-1 against Western Water Polo Association foes. They are ranked 11th in the latest poll released on March 26. The Lions have played eight games this season with the final score being decided by just one goal. They are 4-4 in those games. They continue to get contribution from their young roster. Of the seven Lion starters, three had never started before. First-time starter and sophomore goalie Eliana Arellano has made 140 saves in 19 starts while freshman Mary Ann Campos is second on the squad with 26 goals, scoring four last week. However, it is junior Nicole Hughes who continues to add to her goal total. She has earned WWPA Player of the Week twice and added eight goals in the Lions' two wins last week to give her 53 on the season.

THIS WEEK
LMU will play the final two games of a 10-game homestand when they take on No. 16 CSUN and WWPA foes Cal State Bakersfield. The Lions will open with the Matadors at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and then take on CSUB at 3:30 p.m. Cal State Northridge is 9-11 on the season and are coming off at 14-8 setback to Cal on Mar. 22. Allison Brookes leads the team with 62 goals while Christine Cruz has 60. The Lions are 6-0 all-time against the Matadors, winning 10-4 in their only meeting last season. As for Cal State Bakersfield they enter the week at 15-11 and are 7-3 against the WWPA. This will be the first meeting between the conference foes despite CSUB playing in the LMU Invite earlier in the month. They went 3-1 in their four games at the Burns Center but did not play the Lions. The Roadrunners are led by Amanda Ortiz with 72 goals this season. The Lions are 12-0 all-time in the series, winning 13-10 in their only meeting last season.

IN THE RANKINGS
After placing second in the UC San Diego Triton Invitational with a pair of wins over ranked opponents, the Loyola Marymount women's water polo team earned some praise with their early season success. The Lions moved into the top-10 of the National Collegiate Women's Top-20 Poll. The Lions return to the nation's top-10 for the eighth consecutive season, ranking ninth in the Feb. 13 national poll. The Lions have been in the top-10 every season since 2001 and topped out with a ranking of No. 2 at the end of the 2004 season. It is the highest end of the season ranking by any team in LMU history. They are currently 11th as of the Poll No. 7 on March 12.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
Junior Nicole Hughes has been goals in bunches for the Lions' this season and it has her among the top goal scorers in the nation. She has been named WWPA Player of the Week twice with a pair 14-goal performances in tournaments. She scored 14 goals in the four games at the UCSD Invitational, defeating Cal Baptist, No. 15 UC San Diego at their home pool and No. 9 UC Irvine. The Lions fell to No. 6 San Diego State, 10-9, on a last second goal. She went for another 14 goals at the LMU Invite to claim her second WWPA Player of the Week honor. Hughes continued her scoring pace with eight goals in the two games last week, scoring five in the win over Maryland. She has been the team's top scorer in 14 of the 19 games including the last eight games. this season and leads the squad with 53 goals, scoring 29 goals in the last eight games (3.6 per game).

SETTING MARKS
With her 53 goals this season, Nicole Hughes is ranked tied for 13th all-time with Lucy Windes, who had 53 in 2002. Hughes' career total is now at 154 goals, placing her fourth all-time in LMU history. She is also ranked seventh with 320 shot attempts while senior Daisy Fish moved into the top-10 for assists with 41, which is eighth all-time. She leads the team this season with 22, which is tied for ninth with three other players.

- GO LIONS -