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MPSF Conference Championships Begin Friday with #10 Water Polo Taking on #5 USC

by thesundevils.com
Apr 24, 2024

TEMPE – The postseason has arrived for No. 10 Sun Devil Water Polo who's taking part in the MPSF Championships in Bloomington, Indiana this weekend, facing off against No. 4 USC for the second time in three weeks slated to start at 12:30 p.m. AZT. Coverage can be seen on Overnght but requires a subscription, and the match can be followed on 6-8 sports. 

Arizona State (22-7, 2-4 MPSF) fell to USC (17-6, 4-2 MPSF) two weeks ago in a 14-10 defeat with five goals coming from its senior class on April 13th. Luca Petovary broke the MPSF record for most goals in a season with 120 goals with a hat trick against USC and two goals from Alba Olivé Martí. The Sun Devils ended up outscoring the Trojans 8-5 in the second half of their first matchup. 

In the previous ten MPSF tournaments the Sun Devils have competed in, they're 13-13 and are looking to win their first-round matchup for the first time since the 2021 season where ASU defeated California 12-8. 

With a win on Friday over USC, the Sun Devils would move on to faceoff against No. 1 UCLA, which would be the third meeting with the Bruins this season at 12:30 p.m on Saturday. But a defeat would put the Sun Devils in the fifth-place game on Sunday at 7 a.m with an opponent TBD.

MPSF TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Friday, April 26: (All Game Times are in AZT)
GM1: No. 2 California vs. No. 7 San Jose State - 9 a.m.
GM2: No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 6 Indiana – 10:45 a.m
GM3: No. 4 USC vs. No. 5 Arizona State – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27:
GM 4: Loser game 1 vs. Loser game 2 – 9 a.m.
GM 5: Winner game 1 vs. Winner game 2 – 10:45 a.m. (Semi-Final)
GM 6: No. 1 UCLA vs. Winner game 3 – 12:30 p.m. (Semi-Final)
Sunday, April 28:
GM 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner game 4 – 7 a.m (5th Place)
GM 8: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser game 6 – 8:45 a.m. (3rd place)
GM 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner game 6 – 10:30 a.m (Championship)

LUCA LEADING THE WAY:
The Senior has had a record breaking season with numerous records being shattered over the course of the season. Most recently two weeks ago against USC she netted her 23rd game of the year with 3+ goals or more, and broke the conference record for most goals in a season with 120 goals, which is also the most by a Sun Devil in a season. 

With her 120 goals for the season, she also led the MPSF conference with 22 goals in six conference games this year. Earlier this season, she scored 10 goals in a game against Mount St. Mary's on March 1st, setting the ASU and MPSF record for most goals in a game.

Going back to April 15, 2023, the Hungarian has managed to score in 34 straight games, and has acquired 27 multi-goal games this season. Earlier this year she became the second Sun Devil to have 300+ points in a career and has averaged 4.13 goals per game this season.

CUTINO WATCH LIST:
Announced on March 14. Luca Petovary was one of 22 collegiate women's water polo players to be named on the Cutino Watch List, recognizing the best collegiate water polo players in the country. Petovary has an MPSF leading 120 goals, and 28 assists for 148 points.

MAGNIFICENT MILLIE & SUPER SOPHIE:
After coming from New Zealand and playing together last Summer, both Millie Quin and Sophie Shorter-Robinson have made an immediate impact for the Sun Devils this season. 

Millie Quin ranks second on the team and in the MPSF with 69 goals through 29 games this season, which ranks eighth for most goals in a season, along with becoming the sixth Sun Devil to record 100+ points in a season with 109 this year. She also has accounted for 40 assists this season which ranks eighth most in a season in program history. 

Shorter-Robinson has been just as extraordinary with 53 goals this season which ranks fourth in the MPSF conference and has scored in 21 of the last 22 games for the Sun Devils. This year she's recorded 15 multi-goal games with seven hat-tricks.

SUN DEVIL OUTLOOK: 
No. 10 Arizona State (22-7, 2-4 MPSF)

  • The Sun Devils 22 wins are the 2nd most in program history, only behind the 2012 and 2013 teams who had 26 wins. It marks the seventh time in program history the Sun Devils have had a 20-win season since 2002.
  • Graduate Lara Kiss leads the MPSF Conference with 42 assists and also leads the conference with 32 field-blocks. Kiss has seven games this season with 2+ steals. 
    • Kiss's 42 assists this year rank fifth in program history for most in a season.
  • Petovary and Shorter-Robinson both are tied for second in conference with 35 drawn exclusions.
  • Jasmijn Dikmans, Kat Featherstone and Alison Kokorowski as freshman have tallied 10+ goals and 10+ assists this season making an impact on the team.
  • The Sun Devils outscored the Trojans 8-5 in the second half in their first meeting of the season on April 13th.
  • Scoring first has been vital for the success for the Sun Devils this year, boasting a  18-1 record when striking first.
  • Sophomore goalie Sanne Keijzer is eight saves away from the 200 career saves mark.
  • Millie Quin is one goal away from achieving 100 career goals this season
  • In the second half of conference games this year, the Sun Devils have narrowly outscored teams 35-33 in the second half.
  • The Sun Devils went 2-1 in last season's conference tournament, defeating San Jose State and Indiana both in overtime.
  • A win against the Trojans would make the first victory against USC since Feb. 10, 2008 in a 8-5 win.

OPPONENT OUTLOOK:
No. 4 USC (17-6, 4-2 MPSF)

  • The Trojans are coming off a 7-5 loss to top-ranked UCLA last weekend.
  • In the first matchup against the Sun Devils, the Trojans had three different players tally hat-tricks in the win.
  • Goalkeeper Carolyne Stern tallied nine saves in the first matchup against the Sun Devils.
  • Coming into the MPSF tournament the Trojans have won four of their last six games, scoring 10+ goals in three of the last six.
  • Alejandra Aznar leads the team with 81 points with a well-balanced 41 goals and 40 assists this season.
    • The Trojans have three players with 40+ goals and 20+ assists this year.
  • The Trojans have a 38-1 record all-time over the Sun Devils since 2002.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
Continue following Sun Devil Water Polo on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook all season long during the 2024 season @SunDevilWP for coverage of the team. Live stats can be found on 6-8 sports and TheFosh along with other MPSF Conference teams.

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