Women's Water Polo Aims for MPSF Tournament Crown
June 21, 1999 | Women's Water Polo
April 6, 1999
THIS WEEK - The No. 1 USC women's water polo team (20-1 overall, 8-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for first place), currently riding a school-record 14-game winning streak, will take the top seed into the MPSF Championships this weekend (April 9-11) at UCLA. On Friday, the Women of Troy meet San Jose State (12-15) at 7:30 a.m. and Hawai'i (16-11) at 11:50 a.m. On Saturday, they face Long Beach State (11-13) at 9:40 a.m. and UCLA (14-7) at 4:10 p.m. Where the Women of Troy finish in their half of the bracket will determine what time, and for what place, they will play on Sunday.
NOTES & STATS - The offense is averaging 8.5 goals a game, while the defense is giving up 4.2 goals per game. Both marks are currently the best in USC history ... Prior to this season, the longest USC winning streak was seven games (both in 1998 and 1995) ... The Women of Troy set another school record recently by scoring double-digit goals in seven straight games ... Five of the top six, and seven of the top nine, goal-scorers in 1999 are newcomers.
VS. THE MPSF TEAMS - Including an 8-1 record in MPSF play, USC is 18-1 overall (.947) against the conference,s teams this season. The breakdown is as follows: 3-0 against Hawai'i, Long Beach State and UCLA; 2-0 against San Diego State, Stanford and UC Santa Barbara; 1-0 against Pacific and San Jose State; and 1-1 against California.
JOVAN VAVIC - The only women's water polo coach USC has had in its five years of existence, Jovan Vavic has steadily improved the program to the point where it is now competing for a national championship. He could lead USC to a rare championship double in this school year - in the fall, he was the co-head coach of USC's men's team when it won its first NCAA title. In five years, he has a record of 85-68 (.556) with the women's team.
BERNICE ORWIG - Quite possibly the best goalie in the country, senior Bernice Orwig deserves much of the credit for USC's rise to the No. 1 ranking. A two-time All-American second teamer and a member of the U.S. National Team, Orwig has 139 saves in 19 games in 1999. The anchor of USC's defense is averaging 7.3 saves a contest and is allowing just 3.7 goals a game. She has reached double-digit saves four times and she has had a season-best 12 twice.
EURO-STARS - Three newcomers from Europe who are outstanding scorers for USC are also members of their respective national teams ... Freshman UT Aniko Pelle of Hungary is USC's leading scorer in 1999 with 35 goals. She is a two-time MPSF Player of the Week (the only MPSF player to receive the honor twice). She has a current eight-game scoring streak and has scored four goals in a game three times ... Freshman 2M Nina Wengst of Germany is tied for second on the team with 24 goals. She has a current 10-game scoring streak (best by a USC player in 1999) ... Freshman UT Sandra Milicev of Yugoslavia is fourth on the team with 22 goals.
JENNIFER DURLEY - For the second straight year, sophomore 2M Jennifer Durley has been one of USC's top scorers. She has 24 goals (tied for second on the team). Durley was named MVP of the Hawai'i Rainbow Challenge and was also named MPSF Player of the Week for her efforts. She scored a career-high four goals against the Rainbows (March 16). Last year, she had 42 goals (second on the team) and was an All-American honorable mention pick.
KELLIE CLARKE - Senior DR Kellie Clarke hasn't been asked to score goals like she has in the past, and so her defense and leadership have made a difference in 1999. She has eight goals this season (after scoring 59 in her first two seasons), but as a starter, has found other ways to contribute.
OTHER NEWCOMERS - Another member of USC's exciting freshman class, 2M Suzannah Johnson has contributed with 19 goals this season. She scored four goals against San Diego State (March 19). She prepped at Lynbrook High in San Jose, Calif. ... The state's top junior college player a year ago, junior UT Lisa Saenz has been an excellent addition in 1999. She has scored 18 goals this season. Last year, she led Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif., to the state JC title ... Freshmen drivers Shelli Linza (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and Christine Zador (Modesto, Calif.) have each added eight goals this season.
MPSF TOURNAMENT HISTORY - This will be the Women of Troy's fourth MPSF Tournament, and they are looking to make a big improvement on their past showings. USC placed fifth in both 1997 and 1998 and sixth in 1996.
