University Southern California Trojans
No. 1 USC Sets Off For Stanford Invitational
February 05, 2009 | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 5, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK: Top-ranked USC takes its 1-0 start to the 2009 season on the road this weekend with its annual visit to the Stanford Invitational. An eight-team tournament this year, the Stanford Invite brings in the nation's top four team as well as two out-of-state squads to help round out the two brackets. Top-ranked and top-seeded USC (1-0) opens with a 9:10 a.m. match against No. 7 Arizona State on Saturday (Feb. 7). That afternoon, the Trojans face No. 2 host Stanford at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday (Feb. 8) the day opens with bracket play's completion as USC faces No. 18 Indiana. Grouped in the opposite bracket are No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Hawai'i, No. 10 San Jose State and a Team USA squad comprised mostly of Junior and Youth National Team players. The winners of each bracket will face in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Second-place bracket finishers go to the third-place game at 3:15 p.m.
IN THE RANKINGS: USC sits as the nation's No. 1 team for the third straight week. Stanford is No. 2, UCLA is No. 3. and Hawai'i is No. 4. Below them are No. 7 Arizona State, No. 10 San Jose State and No. 18 Indiana.
SEASON OPENER: USC kicked out to a strong start to the 2009 season with a balanced 18-4 win over visiting No. 14 Hartwick in the Trojans' home opener on Wednesday evening. Senior Michelle Stein was joined by freshman Nadia Dan with hat tricks on the day, while freshman goalie Ilse van der Meijden racked up 12 saves in the cage. After a slow start to the game, the Women of Troy shut out the Hawks in the third frame. By the final whistle, USC had five Trojans on the board with their first career goals, as Dan was joined in the scoring column by Joelle Bekhazi, Kara-Leigh Huse, Stephanie Lavayen and Rosanna Tomiuk.
ATTACKING BACK: For 2009, USC women's water polo returns two All-Americans with 95 goals and 321 saves between them - a not-so-subtle hint at the balance stabilizing the Trojan waters this year - as well as a slew of talent from last year's NCAA finalist squad. Jordan Anae and All-American Michelle Stein are USC's two seniors, bringing leadership and three trips to the NCAA Tournament to the pool for their final year at Troy. Several more returning Women of Troy bring in summer experience state-side, as Stein and sophomore Kristen Dronberger were members of the U.S. National B Team and Tumua Anae earned honors as the Top 40 Festival Most Valuable Goalie. Meanwhile, junior Forel Davies has been deepening her defensive skills and all-around game with the U.S. Junior National Team. Davies, Alexandra Kiss and Kally Lucas are all back in the waters of Troy as juniors with a wealth of offensive firepower, along with sophomore hole set Sarah Van Norman. In whole, USC returns seven of its top-10 scorers from last year.
BEIJING'S BEST: Back in the waters of Troy after a year off spent training and traveling the world with Team USA is now-junior Kami Craig. The tremendous talent at two-meters flexed her muscles in Beijing during the summer and came home with a silver medal from the 2008 Olympic Games. Her experience abroad is edged only by three other international imports. Ilse van der Meijden hails from the Netherlands and was the goalie for the Dutch squad in Beijing, anchoring a gold-medal finish for the Netherlands to give the Trojans two Olympic medalists in the water this season.
CAGE FIGHTERS: All-American junior goalie Tumua Anae and Olympic gold-medalist Ilse van der Meijden provide an unheard-of tagteam of talent in the cage, forming a powerful backbone for the defense that Vavic has now established as a trademark of his Trojan teams.
BEHIND THE ARC: The 2009 Trojan juniors and seniors boast plenty of power sprinkled around the perimeter with returning top scorer Michelle Stein. Canadian National Teamers Joelle Bekhazi and Rosanna Tomiuk both can put the ball away - something that senior Jordan Anae and juniors Forel Davies, Alexandra Kiss, Kally Lucas have been doing as sneaky and swift scorers for several seasons already at Troy.
THE NEW CLASS: Up-and-coming sophomores and freshmen are proving a big part of the gameplan for USC. Sophomores Sarah Van Norman and Kristen Dronberger provided a combined 35 goals as freshmen and both are back stronger and with even more savvy. What's more, USC's 2009 first-year field players Nadia Dan and Kara-Leigh Huse are also in line for plenty of minutes as impact freshmen out of the gates. Dan and Huse are just part of the fresh young depth charge joining the USC roster for 2009. Drivers Stephanie Lavayen and Shauna Letvin and goalie Courtney Ray all return to the roster and will factor into the mix.
LAST SEASON: In 2008, USC finished with a 21-8 overall record with trips to the MPSF and NCAA finals for second-place finishes at the two postseason pinnacles.
PUTTING THE "USC" IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, five Women of Troy helped make history for the United States women's water polo team. A silver-medal finish in Beijing makes Team USA the only women's water polo team to medal in three consecutive Games, a feat that likely would not have been accomplished without the efforts of five first-time Olympians hailing from USC. USC junior Kami Craig and Trojan grads Patty Cardenas, Brittany Hayes, Moriah Van Norman and Lauren Wenger all scored for Team USA during the run to the Olympic final. All told, the Women of Troy accumulated 20 goals in Beijing. In addition to Hayes' eight, Craig notched six, van Norman registered three, Cardenas had two and Wenger -- who reinjured her hand during the semifinals -- scored one to round out the Trojans' offensive onslaught for the silver medalists. Team USA also has former Trojan Bernice Orwig -- a 2000 silver medalist with the United States -- on staff as an assistant coach.
