Wahine water polo team will take smaller squad into season-ending tournament
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
University of Hawai'i's water polo team will take a lean look into the inaugural National Collegiate Select Championships today through Sunday at the Chris Kjeldsen Pool in Stockton, Calif.
Only a dozen Wahine could afford to make the trip academically at the end of a semester, shortened by a professors' strike. Hawai'i might be five players short, but as the sixth-ranked team nationally, it is seeded first.
"We always travel this time of year and come back to finals," UH coach Shari Smart said. "But this is the biggest distraction in four years. I can't blame them for not going. Because of the strike, they're behind and extra stuff has been loaded on. It's different when you can prepare for it. They had no chance to prepare."
Seven Wahine — six seniors and Canadian transfer Christi Bardecki, who has finished her graduate studies — will be playing their final matches for UH. Freshmen Joanne Ansell, Chelsea Garner-Prohs, Jen Hodge and Karin van Hoff will also play major roles in a sneak preview of next year's team.
With 41 goals apiece, Ansell and Garner-Prohs are second in scoring this season, after Bardecki (43). Van Hoff is next. The future is almost now, and Smart is intent on taking a long look this weekend.
"I don't think I'll be really disappointed if we don't win," Smart said. "As the weekend goes on, expectations are going to be there for us to win — from me, too. But I don't want to put pressure on us."
The Wahine (22-9) face Irvine this afternoon, then finish pool play tomorrow against No. 16 Pacific (Calif.) and No. 7 UC Santa Barbara. Ninth-ranked San Diego State is joined by No. 10 UC-Davis, No. 13 Cal Baptist and Hartwick (N.Y.) in the other pool.
SPLASH AND DASH: UH senior Eko Lapp, a Hawaiian who grew up in Washington, had eight steals at last week's MPSF Championships. That gives her 101 for the season. Only three other Wahine have 100 in a career. . . . Top-ranked Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Loyola Marymount and No. 19 Brown will be in the inaugural NCAA Tournament next weekend at Stanford.
