Despite being on the road, the Michigan water polo team (18-7 overall) made itself feel right at home as it took three straight wins on the weekend.
It was clear that opposing goals came at a premium, as the Wolverines gave up fewer than ten goals in each game.
“I think overall this weekend, our defense stifled teams,” said Michigan coach Marcelo Leonardi. “I felt that our first and second units were able to bring teams down. Where most teams could probably go two or three players deep on their bench, we are able to go six-in, six-out.”
The Wolverines kicked off Saturday all the way in Oneonta, NY, using their depth to race off to a fast start and defeat Brown (5-7), 16-5. Sophomore Julia Sellers led the way with five points.
“We had a really good week coming into the tournament and you could just tell we were just sharp and prepared,” said senior Caroline Anderson. “We took each game one at a time and didn’t try to look ahead. We just really focused on the first game and tried to adjust to the shallow deep pool.”
Michigan continued its defensive clinic that day against No. 17 Princeton (6-6), limiting the Tigers to four points while putting up 13.
“I think Heidi is the best goalie in our conference,” Leonardi said. “She was able to make the saves that we needed to her make.”
Saturday was not only a great day for the Wolverines, but one for Anderson herself, who set Michigan’s all-time record in career points during the afternoon match.
“(Anderson’s) been able to just get better every single year,” Leonardi said. “That means consistency through injuries. She’s been reliable.”
However, the Wolverines knew the weekend wouldn’t be complete without a win over the host team, No. 13 Hartwick (16-4). After a series of slow starts throughout the beginning of the season, Michigan jumped out to a 4-0 start in a senior-led 14-7 win. Anderson netted her 400th career point while senior Christina O’Beck willed her way to a hat trick.
“I think we gelled this weekend really well,” Leonardi said. “We got better as the weekend progressed. I thought we prepped really well this past week, in terms of simulating all three teams.
“At the end of the day, everybody played on our team; everybody hit the water in every single game. And I felt like it was a team effort. Everybody was invested and the energy was good.”
The Wolverines are set to go on the road again, this time to the opposite side of the country to Los Angeles for the Loyola Marymount Invite. Riding an 11-game win streak, it’s evident that Michigan has the potential to stretch the streak to 15 going into the start of conference play.
“(Our mentality is) being consistent and challenging ourselves throughout the season,” Anderson said, “So when it comes to the end of the season, we are ready for anything.”