April 3, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - After a two-week hiatus, the Bucknell women's water polo team rejoined the national rankings on Wednesday. The Bison, ranked No. 20, will put their eight-game winning streak on the line Saturday with a pair of games at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool. Bucknell will face the host Tigers in a conference game at 12 p.m. and non-league foe Brown at 5:30 p.m.

The Bucknell-Princeton contest, a rematch of last Friday night's 6-5 Bison victory at Kinney Natatorium, will have a live video broadcast available through GoPrincetonTigers.com for a subscription fee.

Bucknell Women's Water Polo Notebook (22-4, 3-0 CWPA)
Bucknell Notes
• Bucknell has won eight games in a row, a figure that is one shy of tying the program record set in 2000 and equaled in 2005. The Bison have posted three winning streaks of at least six games this season, while this is their second eight-game streak.

• Bucknell is 22-4 this season, putting it one win shy of equaling the program record for victories. Both the 2005 and 2006 squads won 23 games.

• Bucknell's senior class of Meagan Gins and Jennifer Swoyer played their final regular-season home games this past Sunday against Maryland. The pair has helped the Bison to a sparkling 83-41 (.669) over the last four years, the most wins of any class in program history.

• With its 6-5 victory over then-No. 16 Princeton last Friday night at Kinney Natatorium, Bucknell improved to 2-4 against ranked teams this season. The Bison have never defeated more than two ranked foes in the same season.

• Bucknell's win over Princeton last week was its first over the Tigers after dropping the first 22 games in the series. Each of the last seven meetings in the series have been decided by three goals or less. The Tigers dropped out of this week's national rankings, meaning the Bison have a pair of unranked opponents on this weekend's docket.

• Bucknell went 4-0 at home last weekend, giving it a solid 12-1 home record over its last 13 games at Kinney Natatorium. Overall, the Bison are 36-10 (.783) inside their home facility that opened in 2003.

• Bucknell is averaging 11.3 goals per game this season, good for fifth in the nation. The Bison have netted 294 goals, 36 more than their total from all of 2007.

• The Bison have been strong on the defensive end of the pool, limiting opponents to 7.3 goals per contest to rank 12th nationally.

• Sophomore Valentina Rozas leads Bucknell in goals this year with 57, a figure that ranks 13th nationally. She eclipsed the 100-goal plateau for her career last weekend and now has 106. Gins (222) and Aubrey Rowe (125) have also registered at least 100 career goals on the current squad.

• Sophomore Alison Carter was named the CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week after her 25-save performance in three games last weekend. She allowed just 12 goals while playing 86 minutes in three games. Carter's best outings came in the toughest games as she recorded a career-high 14 saves in a one-goal overtime victory against Maryland and totaled seven saves opposite nationally ranked Princeton.

Career Record Watch
• Meagan Gins: 1st in points (325), 1st in goals (222), 3rd in assists (103), 9th in steals (131), 1st in ejections drawn (252), 1st in shots (539), 8th in games played (122), t-2nd in games started (119)
• Shana Palencia: 6th in sprints won (28)
• Aubrey Rowe: 8th in points (202), 8th in goals (125), 7th in assists (77), 4th in ejections drawn (93), 5th in sprints won (41), 8th in shots (288), 10th in games started (76)
• Valentina Rozas: 10th in goals (106), 2nd in ejections drawn (119)
• Jennifer Swoyer: 8th in ejections drawn (75), 9th in games played (105)
• Alison Carter: 4th in saves (204)
• Rachel McGillis: 5th in saves (107)

Season Record Watch
• Whitney Allen: t-4th in ejections drawn (55)
• Kandis Canonica: 6th in points (89), 2nd in assists (51)
• Alison Carter: 10th in saves (164)
• Meagan Gins: t-6th in assists (34), 8th in ejections drawn (45)
• Aubrey Rowe: t-7th in steals (54)
• Valentina Rozas: 9th in goals (57), t-4th in ejections drawn (55)

Bucknell vs. Weekend Opponents
• Bucknell vs. Princeton: 1-22 (Last seven meetings decided by three goals or less; Bison posted their first win in series on March 28)
• Bucknell vs. Brown: 3-6 (Brown holds 3-1 edge last four meetings)

2008 Bucknell Weekly Honors
• CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week:
- Valentina Rozas (2/11, 2/18, 3/3)
- Alison Carter (4/1)
• Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week:
- Valentina Rozas (2/11, 3/3)

Up Next
• Bucknell will wrap up the regular season with three games the weekend of April 12-13. The Bison face CWPA Southern Division rival George Washington at 8 p.m. on April 12 and then will wrap up their league slate the next day at Maryland (9 a.m.). Later that same day Bucknell will play Michigan in College Park, Md., at 3 p.m. to conclude the 31-game regular season.

Weekend Women's Water Polo Weekend Schedule
Saturday, April 5
Bucknell (22-4) at Princeton (12-9, 0-1 CWPA), 12 p.m. (Live Video - GoPrincetonTigers.com)
Bucknell (22-4) vs. Brown (5-12*), 5:30 p.m.
* Brown plays Connecticut College on Thursday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m.