University Southern California Trojans
Women of Troy Competes In Stanford Tournament This Weekend
February 03, 2003 | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 3, 2003
LOS ANGELES - The No. 3 USC women's water polo team (2-0) travels to the Stanford Tournament and plays on Saturday (Feb. 8) and Sunday (Feb. 9). The tournament features six of the top ten teams in the nation: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 5 California, No. 9 San Jose State and No. 10 Hawai'i.
LAST WEEK - USC opened the 2003 season with an 8-4 nonconference win Saturday against Loyola Marymount and an 11-9 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory at UC Santa Barbara.
RANKINGS - USC is ranked No. 3 in the preseason U.S. Women's Water Polo Top 20 Poll.
JOVAN VAVIC - In his ninth season as the program's only head coach, Jovan Vavic has built the Women of Troy into a national power, which culminated with the 1999 national championship. He oversaw the program's move from Division II to Division I in 1996. In 1997, the Trojans made their first-ever Division I National Championships appearance with a seventh-place finish while the 1998 team finished in fifth place. In 2000, USC finished second in the nation and placed third in MPSF conference play in 2001. In 1999, Vavic, a native of Yugoslavia, was named the National Coach of the Year and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year. Vavic is also the head coach for the USC men's water polo team, which won the 1998 NCAA championship.
VAVIC'S CAREER RECORD - Jovan Vavic has a 174-86 (.669) record in his ninth season with the Women of Troy.
KATRIN DIEROLF - Senior utility Katrin Dierolf (Esslingen, Germany) was tied for third last year in scoring with 53 goals. In her 2001 sophomore season, finishing third on the team in scoring with 65 goals. For her efforts, Dierolf earned All-America third team and All-MPSF second team honors.
LAUREN WENGER - Freshman two-meter defender Lauren Wenger (Long Beach, Calif) has made an immediate impact this season, leading the team with five goals. She scored three goals in USC's 11-9 win on Feb. 2 at UC Santa Barbara.
LIZ SIMMS - Junior utility Liz Simms (Balmarm, Sydney, Australia) is one of the top USC newcomers for the 2003 season. Simms was a member of the 2002 Australian National Team.
