After more than a decade of dominance, the Michigan water polo team is no longer the champion of the west.

The 18th-ranked Wolverines placed third at the CWPA Western Division Championships this weekend in Geneva, Ohio, marking the end of a run of first-place finishes that spanned 11 years.

Michigan, the tournament’s second seed, fell early to rival Indiana but bounced back quickly, blowing out Notre Dame (Ohio) and Gannon in the weekend’s final two games.

In Saturday’s opener against the 15th-ranked Hoosiers, the Wolverines held a 3-2 edge early thanks to goals from junior driver Audrey Pratt, junior attacker Kelsey Nolan and senior two-meter Lauren Colton.

But the momentum didn’t last. Indiana stormed back for four goals in the second quarter, leaving Michigan with a two-goal halftime deficit.

“We had two great opportunities at the end of the second period,” said Michigan coach Matt Anderson. “We played better than we did a couple weeks ago when we beat them in their pool. We just didn’t finish the opportunities we had.”

Nolan and Colton added a goal apiece in the third quarter but couldn’t keep pace with the Hoosiers, who scored three goals of their own to stretch their lead over Michigan to three.

Colton’s cross-cage strike early in the frame gave the Mission Viejo, Calif. native her fourth hat trick of the season.

Freshman driver Ali Thomason’s goal early in the fourth quarter kept the Wolverines within striking distance after an Indiana goal just seconds into the fourth quarter, but the scoring ended there, and the Hoosiers held on to earn a 10-7 victory.

The game was a rematch of a March 30 clash in Bloomington, when Michigan pulled out a thrilling 10-9 overtime win. In that game, Colton’s third-quarter tally maintained the Wolverines’ blow-for-blow pace with the Hoosiers and ultimately created the opportunity for Nolan to score her game winner early in the first overtime period.

“They didn’t shoot as well this time,” Colton said. “I also think we had a couple of goals that we couldn’t finish.”

Anderson cited saves and field blocks as two areas in which Michigan failed to keep pace with Indiana. The statistics backed Anderson’s assessment, as senior goalkeeper Alex Adamson managed only five stops on the day, well short of the 11 recorded by the Hoosiers’ Jessica Gaudreault.

Michigan was forced to rebound quickly after the loss, matching up with Notre Dame just a few hours after the loss to Indiana knocked them out of contention for the championship.

“After the Indiana game, we talked about how, for the moment, we need to forget about the loss,” Colton said. “We really tried to focus on defense.”

That defense ended up being somewhat unnecessary. The Wolverines jumped out of the gate quickly, racking up seven scores in the first quarter against the Falcons.

Freshman attacker Kelly Martin led the charge for Michigan, recording her first career hat trick with four goals in the game.

“She used her aggressiveness on defense,” Anderson said. “She countered very well.”

Michigan woke up early Sunday for the third-place match but showed no signs of drowsiness. Freshman two-meter Barbara Lanier led the Wolverines with a hat trick, and freshman two-meter Bryce Beckwith and junior attacker Hathaway Moore added two scores apiece.

As a result of its third-place finish, Michigan has to settle for not entering the CWPA Eastern Championship tournament as a top seed, making a second-round rematch with Indiana likely.

“The other two games we played this weekend were an afterthought,” Anderson said. “Our focus was purely to beat our rival.”

The Wolverines would love a second chance against Indiana, and they seem likely to get it. A first-round victory in the Eastern Division Championship tournament would, in most scenarios, lead to a rematch with the Hoosiers. Only the April 26 tournament opener at Canham Natatorium stands in Michigan’s way.