Third-Seeded Pioneers To Open WWPA Championships on Friday
Freshman utility Claire Pierce will guide the third-seeded Pioneers at the WWPA Championships. (Photo: David McMurdie)
- April 28, 2010
HAYWARD, Calif. - The third-seeded Cal State East Bay women's water polo team is set to take on No. 6-seed Colorado State in Friday's first round of the 2010 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championship Tournament. After securing the highest seed in program history, the Pioneers (21-11, 9-3 WWPA), who also boast the second-best overall record in the conference, will meet the Rams (10-16, 5-5) for the second time this season to kick off the tournament.
East Bay boasts the 2010 WWPA Newcomer of the Year in freshman utility Claire Pierce and the Coach of the Year in eighth-year head coach Lisa Cooper. Pierce finished the regular season with 80 goals, good for sixth in the NCAA, and over 100 ejections drawn, earning her second-team All-WWPA and All-Freshman Team honors as well. Cooper led the Pioneers to one of their best seasons on record in which they beat two nationally-ranked teams and faced off against nine opponents from the top 20.
Senior utility Jenna Casady and junior two meter Liz Warren both also earned all-conference recognition, with Casady joining Pierce on the second team and Warren garnering honorable mention honors. The pair found success in 2010, as Casady finished the regular season as the nation's leader in assists with 78 and Warren ranked second on the team and 11th in the NCAA in goals with 65. Both players made their mark in the record books as well, with Casady becoming the Pioneers' all-time leader in assists and Warren taking over the top spot as the program's all-time leading scorer.
Cal State East Bay is coming off a 14-8 loss to Santa Clara in the regular season finale on April 17. The Pioneers have won three of their last five games, including an 11-9 victory over WWPA opponent Cal State Monterey Bay on April 3. East Bay posted nine wins over conference opponents during the regular season, including an 8-7 victory over first-round adversary Colorado State and two wins over ranked WWPA teams.
The Pioneers are no strangers to postseason play after playing in six straight Collegiate III National Championships, winning the 2008 title. Cal State East Bay will be looking for its first victory in the opening round of the WWPA Tournament since 2007.
The Rams come into the weekend tournament having won two of their last five games, posting two wins over WWPA teams in the final weekend of the season, topping both eighth-seeded Cal State San Bernardino and No. 2 seed UC San Diego. Colorado State's Kallie Berry earned second-team All-WWPA honors after scoring 34 goals in the regular season, while Katy Armstrong, Kailin Custy and Sarah Ostling will each be playing in their fourth and final WWPA Tournament. Freshman Melissa Fisher has made 203 saves on the season in goal for CSU.
The winner of Friday's first round matchup will advance to Saturday's semifinal to face the winner of second-seeded and 18th-ranked UC San Diego and the winner of the opening game between No. 7 Sonoma State and No. 10 Chapman. The semifinal winners will advance to the final to vie for the WWPA title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships, to be held May 14-16 at San Diego State.
The Pioneers and Rams are set to begin at 2:20 p.m. on Friday at Hillman Aquatic Center in Bakersfield. Saturday's semifinal is scheduled for 1 p.m., while Sunday's championship game is set for a 3 p.m. first sprint. Tournament schedules, team information and more can be found .