Bucknell Women's Water Polo to Host No. 11 Hartwick, Travel to Maryland on Final Weekend of Regular Season - BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Bucknell Women's Water Polo to Host No. 11 Hartwick, Travel to Maryland on Final Weekend of Regular Season

Bison Look to Bounce Back from First League Loss at Princeton

Meghan McNally

April 15, 2010

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's water polo returns to action in its final regular season games this weekend. The Bison host 11th-ranked Hartwick at Kinney Natatorium in their last home appearance on Friday at 6 p.m. before visiting league foe Maryland in College Park at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

The Bison can win the CWPA Southern Division crown this weekend with a win against Maryland. This would grant them the top seed at next weekend's Southern Championship in Princeton, N.J.

Bucknell Women's Water Polo Notebook (12-8, 4-1 CWPA)
• Bucknell was last in action on Sunday against league rival Princeton. The Bison lost a low-scoring matchup but remain 7-3 in their last 10 games.

• Bucknell is now 15-3 in its last 18 regular-season league games against conference opponents. The Bison have gone 5-1 in league play each of the last two years. A win at Maryland will allow the team to match that record for a third straight season.

• Bucknell is in a slower stretch of its schedule where it will play just six games in a 28-day span leading up to the Southern Championships, which will be held next weekend at Princeton, a pool the Bison have played four games in this year and 12 over the last two years.

• Bucknell will hope to garner a second consecutive win against a ranked opponent this season by beating Hartwick on Friday. The Bison won a league matchup with then-No. 19 Princeton on March 27, until which the team was 0-4 against ranked teams this season. Bucknell has not been ranked itself since April 17, 2008, when it was listed 20th nationally. The team was ranked six weeks overall that season.

• Senior Valentina Rozas is 19 goals and 49 points shy of equaling the Bucknell career records in those categories. She has 218 goals and 91 assists in her career for a total of 309 points. She is one of just four Bison to register at least 300 points along with junior Kandis Canonica, who enters the weekend with 305 career points.

• Alison Carter has registered 187 saves this year, surpassing her 2009 total. She now has 647 stops in her career, ranking her third in program history. She also leads this year's squad with 46 steals and has recorded 10 double-figure save performances in the cage. Her 153 career saves is also in the top 10 in program history.

• Valentina Rozas surpassed Meagan Gins for the most ejections drawn in program history in Sunday's matchup against Princeton. Rozas, who leads the Bison with 41 ejections drawn this year, has 272 in her career, one more than Rowe.

• Kandis Canonica and Amanda Skonezney are the only two Bucknell players to start all 20 games this year. After last week's loss to Princeton, Canonica is the only Bison to have scored a point in each game this season, netting one of the team's three goals. The junior has a career-high 70 points.

Bison on Career Record Lists
Kandis Canonica: Points (4th, 305), Goals (8th, 143), Assists (1st, 162), Ejections Drawn (4th, 120), Shots (10th, 350)
Alison Carter: Steals (8th, 153), Saves (3rd, 647)
Shana Palencia: Points (10th, 229), Goals (9th, 137), Assists (t-6th, 92), Steals (7th, 154), Sprints Won (7th, 38), Shots (5th, 388), Games Started (8th, 100)
Valentina Rozas: Points (3rd, 309), Goals (3rd, 218), Assists (8th, 91), Steals (4th, 185), Ejections Drawn (1st, 272), Shots (2nd, 541), Games Played (10th, 122), Games Started (5th, 118)
Amanda Skonezney: Sprints Won (2nd, 106)

Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2010
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Kandis Canonica (Feb. 16), Hallie Kennan (March 1, March 15, March 30)
CWPA Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week
- Alison Carter (Feb. 16, March 15), Valentina Rozas (March 10)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Krystle Morgan (Feb. 16), Tara Murao (March 30)
Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week
- Hallie Kennan (March 29)

Bucknell vs. Hartwick
• Bucknell is 1-7 all-time against Hartwick.
• Bucknell lost an exhibition game to the Hawks, 19-8, in January.
• The last regular season matchup between the Bison and the Hawks occurred on Feb. 28, 2009, with Hartwick claiming a 13-9 victory at Kinney Natatorium as part of the Elite Six Invitational. Hartwick was ranked 15th at the time.
• Bucknell secured its only win against Hartwick in 2005, when the Hawks were ranked 14th. The 12-10 victory was played at Kinney Natatorium.

About Hartwick
• Hartwick is 21-4 overall this year and 3-0 in CWPA Northern Division play.
• Each of Hartwick's four losses have come against ranked opponents, all of which are currently ranked in the top 10 (Loyola Marymount, Michigan (twice), Cal State Northridge).
• Hartwick has won seven games in a row and nine of its last 10.

Bucknell vs. Maryland
• Bucknell is 18-8 all-time against Maryland, and has won four of its last six meetings with the Terrapins.
• Bucknell and Maryland have split this year's season series. The Bison won 15-14 in overtime at home on March 28 and lost a non-league matchup 10-5 at the ECAC Championship in Princeton, N.J., on Feb 27.

About Maryland
• Maryland is 12-12 coming into the weekend, and 1-2 in the CWPA Southern Division.
• Maryland is also coming off of a loss against league foe Princeton. The Terrapins suffered an 11-6 defeat on the road on Saturday.
• Maryland will host George Washington, No. 7 Michigan, and Princeton on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before finishing the regular season against the Bison.

Up Next
• Bucknell will travel to Princeton, N.J., for the CWPA Southern Division Championships on April 24 and 25. This weekend's league matchups will determine the seeding of the four-team field.