Feb. 8, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- With only two seniors and two juniors returning to competition this season, the Maryland women's water polo team is young, but not inexperienced.

"The returning members of the team have been through a long, hard season at the Division I level," said head coach Carl Salyer. "The experience will certainly help them take their game to another level."

The Terps' roster lists 10 sophomores, whose experience with last season's competitive conference schedule and eight-game trip to California helped them mature.

The returning players "understand what is required of them physically, mentally, and emotionally for the team" according to Salyer. Five of the Terps' top six scorers from last year--Rachel Jordan, Elizabeth Hopkins, Blaise Stanicic, Bryndis Klein, and Christen Vagts--are returning to the team as sophomores and are expected to take on starting roles.

The team has also added two new faces to the core of young talent, freshmen Sarah Ivry and Shannon Simerly. Ivry graduated from the same northern California high school as senior Marissa Corwin, and is expected to contribute quality defense for the Terps. Simerly hails from Miami, Fla., and will bring speed and strong defensive abilities to the team. Salyer also looks for Simerly to create scoring opportunities on the offensive end of the pool.

Leadership will be vital in directing Maryland's enormous potential to another winning record. Junior driver Allie Houseal will take on the position as co-captain alongside senior Marissa Corwin.

Corwin will also be busy in another role--goalie. Considered the most competitive position this season, Corwin will compete with sophomore Ashleigh Jobson and junior Anna Gossett for playing time.

"Anna has made a huge improvement over the summer, and Ashleigh and Marissa are certainly at top levels," said Salyer. "It's going to be tough for the coaching staff to figure out how to distribute minutes and set ourselves up for success."

The Terps will count on their depth at goalie, as well as at all positions in the pool, to help them adjust to various rules changes this season. One such change is a minute added on to each quarter's playing time.

"The longer quarters will mean that we will need to have and use a good bench," noted Salyer. "We will be running people in and out to keep six fresh players in the game. Everybody on the team this year has the ability and opportunity to contribute."

The players' first opportunity will be the Triton Invitation in early February, hosted by the University of California at San Diego. Returning players recall the high level of water polo competition in California, and will need to be prepared to face top-notch teams right out of the gate.

The bar will remain high as the Terps host Michigan, Indiana, and Cal Baptist, as well as conference opponents Princeton, Bucknell, and George Washington, at the Terrapin Invitational Feb. 17-18. Salyer even mentioned the possibility of the Puerto Rican national team attending. Marist and Wagner, the top two Middle Atlantic Conference water polo programs, are also expected to be in attendance.

Bucknell will host a tournament the following week, and then the Terps' conference play will commence against George Washington on March 1. "League games are going to be tough," predicted Salyer. "We will certainly be looking to knock off Bucknell more than we did last year, as well as trying to knock off top-dog Princeton whenever we have the opportunity." Maryland defeated each of their CWPA Southern Division opponents at least once last season.

During the University's spring break, the Terps will return to California, this time for a six-game tour of the northern part of the state. Maryland did not face any of the same opponents last year, but will be exposed to powerhouse schools such as San Jose State, University of the Pacific, and Stanford. Sonoma State, CSU Monterey Bay, and Santa Clara round out the Terps' competition. Salyer referred to the trip as "huge" because the team will "be playing some of the top teams in the country, and exposing ourselves to top-notch competition that we want to be able to compete with."

On April 21, Maryland will host the CWPA Southern Division Championship at the Campus Recreation Center Natatorium. Salyer observed, "The bulls-eye is the Southern Division Championship, and qualifying for Easterns. The ultimate goal is to win Easterns to go to the NCAA Championship."

To that end, the team will combine their experience playing together with preparation to begin the season on Feb. 10. "As soon as school started, we started training," said Salyer. "The experience and training will certainly help them take their game to another level."