The invitation field includes representatives from the Collegiate Water Polo Association (Michigan, Bucknell, Hartwick), Big West Conference (UC Davis, UC Irvine), Golden Coast Conference (Pacific, Santa Clara) and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (Arizona State).
The Sun Devils will begin the weekend with an 11:30 a.m. (AZT) matchup against No. 9 Pacific, followed by a 3:10 p.m. tilt against host school Michigan. Following the Saturday doubleheader, ASU will be bck in the pool to face Santa Clara and Bucknell, Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
LAST TIME OUT:
In their last outing, No. 5 ASU finished in fifth place at the loaded Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine Calif. The Sun Devils began their weekend with a 9-5 win over Long Beach State Friday, before falling to No. 4 Cal in the team's opening game on the second day of play.
Looking to rebound from the top-5 loss, Arizona State took No. 7 Michigan to double overtime, and outlasted the Wolverines for a 7-6 victory to close out the day, setting up a matchup against host team, and sixth-ranked UC Irvine in the fifth place game. The Sun Devils rolled in the final game of the weekend, outscoring the Anteaters 8-3 in the second half of the contest, en rout to a 12-7 victory.
In the cage, Mia Rycraw anchored the Sun Devil defense, combining for 51 total saves on the weekend, including three games with ten or more saves. On the offensive end, ten different Sun Devils recorded goals on the weekend. Lena Mihailovic led the way for ASU with seven goals, while Claudia Abad followed with six goals on the weekend.
NOT IN MIA HOUSE:
Mia Rycraw continued her dominant start to the 2017 season, proving to be the anchor to the talented Sun Devil defense. So far this season, the Junior has recorded 99 saves on the, including 51 saves at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. Rycraw currently holds the three of the top-5 spots in the MPSF's single-game saves high this season, including an 18 save outing against UCI last weekend that ranks first in the league.
GOALS ON GOALS
The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 114-71 this season en rout to an impressive 10.63 goals per game clip on the year. Four separate Sun Devils have reached double digits in total goals, including Lena Mihailovic and Maud Koopman who have both scored a team-leading 23 goals this season.
WHO'S IN THE POOL?
PACIFIC
The Tigers enter the Wolverine Invitational winners of six of their last seven contest, and boast an 8-5 overall record this season. Four of the Tigers' five losses have come against teams ranked in the top-10, including their most recent defeat at the hands of No. 7 Hawai'i. Freshman Kyra Christmas leads Pacific with 25 goals and 15 assists this season, but is closely followed by sophomore Karolina Hlavata who has tallied 23 goals through 13 games with 12 assists.
MICHIGAN
Michigan will play at home for the first time in the 2017 season, following a 9-1 home record a season ago. U-M is coming off a seventh place finish at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, Calif. last weekend. The Wolverines defeated No. 7 Hawai'i, 8-7, to close out the tournament with a 2-2 record, after falling to ASU in their third game of the event. Four Wolverine players have recorded 40 or more points on the year, while five different players have 20 or more goals.
SANTA CLARA
The Broncos enter the weekend tilt holding a 4-9 overall record on the season, including a split in their last outing. Santa Clara has been led all season by sophomore Hannah Buck, who has accounted for 17 goals. Buck is the only player on the Broncos roster with a double digit scoring output this season. Cathy Cantoni and Susan Providenza have each added double digit assist totals, while Francesca Puccinelli has been a reliable option in the cage. Puccinelli has already amassed an impressive 108 saves, while adding six steals.
BUCKNELL?
Bucknell head to the Wolverine Invite with a 6-5 record and looking to rebound after dropping its conference opener to No. 18 Hartwick, 9-6. Marta Considine scored a team-high three goals, while Tegan Stanbach posted two goals and one assist in the effort. Emily Konishi leads the team in points (46) and steals (17) this season. Manuela Herrera has started all 11 matches in cage, making 76 saves. While not currently ranked inside the top-25 the Bison are receiving votes.