TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 6 Arizona State Water Polo team is set to host three programs in the annual ASU Invitational running March 10
th-11
th at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe.
The Sun Devils (11-4) will participate in five matches during the two-day Invitational, two of which will count as exhibitions.
Saturday will be a busy day, as the Sun Devils compete in three matches throughout the first day of the ASU Invitational. Beginning at 10:30 A.M. MST, ASU will take on T-No. 13 Indiana for the second time this season in the Invitational opener for the Sun Devils. In the afternoon, the Devils will compete in a pair of matches to cap Day One of the Invitational. The first match will take place at 3:45 P.M. MST when ASU takes on No. 25 Fresno State with the second match against Pomona-Pitzer following shortly after at 5:00 P.M. to wrap up the evening. A breakdown of this weekend's schedule is provided below.
Arizona State is coming off a weekend in which they finished in sixth place in a loaded field at the 2018 Barbara Kalbus Invitational hosted by UC Irvine. The Sun Devils earned the victory in their first true road match of the season and 10 of their 11 victories on the season have come over opponents currently ranked in the CWPA Top-25, including four wins over CWPA Top-10 opponents.
2018 ASU INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
In the first of three matches on Saturday, March 10
th, the Sun Devils will face a familiar foe in T-No. 13 Indiana at 10:30 A.M. MST. ASU defeated then No. 13 Indiana, 10-3, in their first matchup coming in the second game of the season at the UCSB Winter Invite.
Mia Rycraw made nine saves while
Alkistis Benekou,
Bente Rogge, and
Maud Koopman all contributed with multi-goal games in the victory. The Hoosiers currently boast a 15-4 record coming in winners in eight of their last nine matches.
The second match of the day for the Sun Devils features their first opportunity to square off with No. 25 Fresno State, who are in the midst of the inaugural season of their Women's Water Polo program. The match is scheduled to take place at 3:45 P.M. MST. Fresno State holds a 2-10 record with a victory over No. 19 Cal State Northridge. The Bulldogs are led by USA Water Polo and UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame member Natalie Benson.
In the final match of the day, the Sun Devils will matchup against 2018 NCAA Tournament Participant Pomona-Pitzer at 5:00 P.M. MST. The Sagehens received votes in this week's CWPA Top-25 despite falling in three consecutive games after a 6-2 start to the season. Head Coach Alex Rodriguez has been at the helm of the Pomona-Pitzer Men's and Women's programs since 2005-06, helping the Sagehens Women's team to eight SCIAC titles during his tenure.
Three other matches will be held at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center over the two-day ASU Invitational. The opening match of the Invitational featuring Pomona and Fresno State will be held on Saturday at 9:00 A.M. MST. Pomona will turn around later in the day for a match against Indiana scheduled for 2:15 P.M. MST. On Sunday, Fresno State against Indiana will compete in the final non-exhibition match of the ASU Invitational at 9:30 A.M. MST. There will be a pair of exhibition matches that will not count towards each program's schedules in which the teams will rotate competing in a course format. All four teams will participate in the 12:00 P.M. MST exhibition match, with teams switching off during competition. In the second exhibition match following directly after at 1:00 P.M. MST, three teams (ASU, FSU, and IND) will rotate throughout the contest.
Admission to any ASU Invitational match is free of charge. The match against Indiana set for 10:30 A.M. MST will be held at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center and will be broadcasted live through the ASU Digital Stream. The second match on Saturday against Fresno State to be played at 3:45 P.M. MST will also be live streamed on the ASU Digital Stream. Finally, the final match on Saturday at 5:00 P.M. against Pomona-Pitzer and every match of the ASU Invitational can be followed via live stats accessed on thefosh.net. Stayed tuned to our social media accounts and find out more information by visiting thesundevils.com. All six matches on the weekend will take place at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
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DEVILS TAKE SIXTH IN IRVINE AT PRESTIGIOUS BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL
In a tournament that featured the top-nine teams in the CWPA Top 25, the Sun Devils managed to earn sixth place through picking up a pair of victories over Top 15 squads in No. 15 UCSD and Invitational host No. 7 UC Irvine. It was the second time the Sun Devils have defeated the Tritons and Anteaters this season. In the Invitational Opener the Sun Devils put forth a tremendous defense effort, holding the Tritons to three goals which matches the least amount of goals allowed by the team this season. Goalie
Mia Rycraw was brilliant all afternoon, as the MPSF's leader in saves (122) had 13 in total during the dominating outing. In the first game on Saturday, ASU fell to No. 3 USC in a closely contested battle, 8-6.
Julia Reyes put together a career performance, as the junior recorded her second career hat trick to pace the Sun Devil offensive attack. The Arizona State (10-3) defense held a potent USC offense to a their third-lowest goal total of their season.
Mia Rycraw finished with 12 saves, her second consecutive double-digit save effort and her fifth on the season. In the second match of the day, the Sun Devils took down tournament host No. 7 UC Irvine, 9-6. With the victory, the Arizona State (11-3) advanced to the Invitational fifth place game. The victory gives the Sun Devils 11 wins, all of which have come against CWPA Top-25 competition. In the fifth-place match on Sunday,
Maud Koopman was outstanding for the ASU offense, recording her fifth hat trick of the season and third multi-goal game of the invitational. Also contributing offensively were
Kayla Casas and
Bente Rogge, who both put together multi-goal performances. Additionally, freshman
Amira Van Buren scored her first career goal in the midst of an attempted Sun Devil comeback.
ASU CAPTURES THIRD PLACE AT UCSD TRITON INVITATIONAL
The No. 6 Arizona State Water Polo team wrapped up the UCSD Triton Invitational at 3-1, capturing third place with a pair of victories over Top-10 teams. During day one in San Diego, the Sun Devils earned a berth in the Invitational semifinals with a pair of victories. First, the Sun Devils were powered by an extremely balanced attack, which has become an identity for the Sun Devils offense. Four different Sun Devils managed to record multi-goal performances, including the first career occurrence for
Meghan Beaudet. In their second game of the day on Saturday, the Sun Devils took down No. 10 UC Davis. Arizona State captured their seventh victory over a team ranked in the CWPA Top-25. Lead by a dominant second period in which the Sun Devils outscored the Aggies 6-0, Arizona State used a career day from
Julia Reyes (3 goals) to defeat the Aggies.
On Sunday, the Sun Devils fell for just the second time this season in a closely contested battle to No. 4 UCLA in the Invitational semifinals. Both losses on the campaign for the Sun Devils have come at the hands of teams ranked in the Top-5. Arizona State would bounce back in a big way in their second match of the day, defeating No. 7 UC Irvine for their third victory over a Top-10 team on the season. In a reversal of fortune from the match earlier in the day against UCLA, it would be the Sun Devils beating the clock and scoring the game winning goal with under ten seconds left.
Alkistis Benekou came through with the game winning goal on the final possession, beating the goalie with just two seconds left to push ASU ahead, 8-7.
ASU CROSS CONFERENCE CHALLENGE RECAP
No. 5 Arizona State hosted the ASU Cross Conference Challenge from 1/20-1/22, playing four games over three days. In the home opener on Friday, the Sun Devils took care of business defeating No. 20 Princeton. ASU netted a season-high 14 goals, with four Sun Devils recording multi-goal performances.
Bente Rogge would tally four goals while
Maud Koopman would record her first of three hat tricks on the weekend. After suffering their first defeat on the season to No. 6 Hawaii in the first game on Saturday, the Sun Devils bounced back in a big way. Seven different players scored a goal in an 11-3 victory over No. 21 Loyola Marymount.
Mia Rycraw eclipsed the double-digit mark, accumulated 10 saves. In the final day, ASU wrapped up the ASU Cross Conference Challenge with a victory over No. 16 UCSD, host of the UCSD Triton Invitational. Arizona State finished with 12 goals, which was the most Tritons defense had allowed all season.
DEVILS SWEEP UCSB WINTER INVITATIONAL
In the season opener at the 2018 UCSB Winter Invitational, the Sun Devils handled Cal Baptist 12-3.
Alkistis Benekou and
P.J. Allin each recorded four goals in the victory. Day two of the Invitational saw the Sun Devils matched up against a pair of CWPA Top-15 teams. Three different Sun Devils put forth multi-goal performance in the victory over No. 13 Indiana. The finale of the UCSB Winter Invitational featured a Top-10 showdown that turned into a defensive battle. The Sun Devils would come out on top of the low scoring affair, defeating 2017 NCAA Tournament Participant No. 8 Michigan 5-3.
Mia Rycraw was the story of the game, compiling 14 saves to keep the Sun Devils in the contest.
2018 Arizona State Water Polo Season Notes:
ALL-in on P.J.
- After totaling 19 goals over 56 games in her first two years on campus, P.J. Allin has compiled 12 goals in just 15 games on the season thus far.
- Allin recorded a career-high four goals against Cal Baptist (1/20), the second hat trick of her career.
- Notched a multi-goal game against No. 21 LMU (2/3) and Cal State East Bay (2/10), giving her three multi-goal performances this season.
Benefits of Benekou
- Alkistis Benekou has been a steady force for the Sun Devil offense during the 2018 campaign, tallying 24 goals through 15 games.
- Benekou carried a heavy load at the 2018 UCSB Winter Invite. Benekou was the only Sun Devil to record a multi-goal performance in each of the three games.
- She currently sits at 167 career goals, which is good enough for third place on the school's all-time goal scoring list.
Mia is on Fire
- Mia Rycraw's has been a mainstay in net this season, leading the MPSF with 122 saves and 52 quarters played.
- Ryrcaw continues to move up the career saves charts at Arizona State. She now sits at 860 career saves, which is good enough for third in school history right behind former Sun Devil great E.B. Keeve (2013-15), who finished her career second in school history with 936 saves.
- In a tightly contested 5-3 victory over No. 8 Michigan (1/21), Rycraw looked to be in midseason form, collecting 14 saves while allowing only three goals to lead the Sun Devils to victory. Rycraw has six double-digit save performances on the season.
Super Koopman
- Koopman leads the Sun Devils with five performances in which she has scored at least three goals.
- Koopman picked up where she left off at the ASU Cross Conference Challenge, recording a hat trick in the in a matchup with No. 10 UC Davis (2/10).
- Her 10 multi-goal performances through 15 games are tied for the team lead.
- At the ASU Cross Conference Challenge, Maud Koopman was a dominant force. She finished the weekend with 11 goals in four games, recording a hat trick in three.
All HAIL Lena
- Mihailovic has recorded a goal in 10 of 12 games this season, including six multi-goal performances.
- Despite missing the first three games of the at the UCSB Winter Invitational, it did not take Lena Mihailovic long to get back into a rhythm. She concluded the ASU Cross Conference Challenge with seven goals, five assists, and two steals.
Getting Started on the Right Foot
- 10 of the Sun Devils 11 victories have come over teams currently ranked in the CWPA Top-25.
- ASU is outscoring opponents 79-42 in the first half of matches this season.
- The Sun Devils allowed nine goals through the first three games, the fewest since the 2009-10 team allowed just five goals over that span. ASU has allowed three goals or fewer in five matches this season.
Bend it like Bente
- Versatile sophomore Bente Rogge has done a little bit of everything for the Sun Devils during their 11-4 start to the season, accumulating 26 goals, 14 assists and nine steals.
- Her 10 multi-goal performances through 15 games are tied for the team lead.
- Rogge finished the UCSD Triton Invitational with three consecutive multi-goal games, tallying an assist as well in each instance.
- Rogge is coming off an outstanding freshman campaign in which she garnered ACWPC Third Team All-American honors.
All over the Map
- Several returning members of the Sun Devil water polo team earned valuable international experience competing this summer.
- Bente Rogge and Maud Koopman represented the Netherlands while P.J. Allin represented Canada at the 12th FINA World Junior Championships in Volos, Greece.
- Rosie Huck (Great Britain), Mia Rycraw (U.S.A), and former Sun Devil standout Daisy Carter (Australia) represented their countries at the 2017 World University Games (Summer Universiade).
- Lena Mihailovic (Australia) and former Sun Devils Rowie Webster (Australia) and Kelsey White (South Africa) competed internationally for Australia at the 17th FINA World Championships in Budapest.
- Alkistits Benekou has been a member of the Greek national team for several years, skipping the 2015-16 NCAA season due to her participation in the Olympics representing Greece.
- The Arizona State Water Polo program features individuals from six different countries (Sebria, Canada, Netherlands, England, Greece, and United States)
SUN DEVIL WATER POLO ALL-AMERICANS:
2017: Bente Rogge, (third),
Mia Rycraw (HM),
Lena Mihailovic (HM)
2016: Ao Gao (first),
Mia Rycraw (first),
Abbey Kerth (HM),
Maud Koopman (HM)
2015: Izabella Chiappini (third), E.B. Keeve (HM),
Alkistis Benekou (HM)
2014: Ao Gao (second), E.B. Keeve (third),
Alkistis Benekou (HM), Patra Pardi (HM)
2013: Alicia Brightwell (second),
Ao Gao (second), Shannon Haas (third), E.B. Keeve (HM)
2012: Alicia Brightwell (first), Shannon Haas (third), Mariam Salloum (HM)
2011: Sarah Harris (HM), Mariam Salloum (HM), Lynlee Smith (HM)
2010: Sarah Harris (HM), Lynlee Smith (HM)
2009: Addison McGrath (second), Lynlee Smith (HM)
2008: Addison McGrath (first) Kelly Phelps (HM), Caylinn Wallace (HM)
2007: Addison McGrath (HM)
2006: Rowie Webster (third)
2004: Katie Davis (HM)
2017 ACWPC Academic All-Americans:
As is typical with the women's water polo program, they enjoyed as much success outside of the pool as they did in it. A total of eight Arizona State Women's Water Polo student-athletes earned recognition by the ACWPC in the 2017 Women's All-Academic Awards.
Maud Koopman,
P.J. Allin and
Rosie Huck were awarded Outstanding honors, which require a GPA of above a 3.70.
Lena Mihailovic was honored by the ACWPC for the third time in her career, earning Superior honors in 2017, after receiving Outstanding honors her previous year. Also receiving Superior honors, which requires a G.P.A. above 3.40, is freshman
Bente Rogge.
Sophia Burgess and
Catherine Simko were awarded with Excellent honors, requiring a GPA at or above a 3.20.
Maud Koopman was recognized by CoSIDA for her work in the classroom, awarding her with Academic All-District honors.
The following is a position-by-position preview of the 2018 roster:
GOALKEEPERS
Now entering her senior season,
Mia Rycraw has already established herself as one of the most decorated goalies in school history. The 2017 ACWPC honorable mention All-American comes off a season where she anchored a stingy Sun Devil defense. After accounting for 202 saves on the year, which tied USC's Amanda Logan as the most of anyone in the league, Rycraw earned All-MPSF First Team honors. The defense returns veterans and adds newcomers to a group that allowed just 169 goals on the year to finish the season with a 6.26 goals against average, a mark that ranked fourth in the MPSF.
Rycraw looks to build off her time this summer with USA Women's Water Polo program. She was a member of the United States roster for the World University Games in Taipei. The U.S. team captured the Gold medal at the games, with Rycraw seeing time at goalie and recording a save in the victory over Hungary.
Arizona State boast unprecedented depth behind Rycraw, with a solid mixture of experience and youth. Both
Ellie Karl and
Sophia Burgess enter their junior season hungry to compete for more playing time. Karl saw action in Arizona State's victory over La Verne, finishing with five saves, giving Sun Devil fans a glimpse of her enormous potential. Burgess also gained valuable experience last season with several appearances in relief, including a four-save effort in a victory over Sonoma State. Freshman
Belen Ehinger comes to ASU after an extremely successful prep career in Florida. Ehinger looks to learn and gain knowledge from the veterans at her position as she adds an element of youth to the position.
CENTERS
The Sun Devils are once again strong down the middle of the pool with a talented group of centers. Led by veterans
Alkistis Benekou and
Rosie Huck, this group is essential to maintaining a balanced attack for the Sun Devil offense.
Benekou, the former All-American as a freshman, has made a significant impact since returning to the team after a brief stint training and competing in the Olympics for Greece. With 143 career goals coming into the season, Benekou now sits in sixth place in school history. Last season, Benekou tied her own school record with a seven-goal outburst in a 17-3 victory over La Verne. Benekou has reached the 40-goal plateau in each of her three seasons in Tempe.
Benekou will have plenty of help at the center position, represented by fellow returner
Rosie Huck. Huck broke out onto the scene last season, tallying 14 goals on the year. Huck developed into another reliable scoring option for the Sun Devils, recording two hat-tricks on last season, one against Bucknell on at the Wolverine Invitational and the other coming in a 11-3 victory over No. 15 San Jose State. Huck competed internationally during the off season with British women's water polo National Team at the World University Games. While at the tournament, she faced some of the world's most talented athletes, including fellow Sun Devil
Mia Rycraw and former Sun Devil
Daisy Carter. Huck returned to the English squad after previously winning the 2017 EU Nations Cup Senior championship.
The Sun Devils also add talented center prospect
Meghan Beaudet, adding some youth to a veteran-laden position group. Beaudet competed for Duke City Aquatics Water Polo club team, earning club MVP honors for five consecutive seasons. She gained national team experience after being selected to the 2016 Olympic Development Program Girl's Youth National Team. Beaudet had an outstanding prep career at Volcano Vista High School, earning first team All-State recognition as a center in three straight seasons.
ATTACKERS
Arizona State's offensive attack will feature versatility, experience, and athleticism. After an outstanding campaign last season, senior
Lena Mihailovic looks to build on the confidence she gained. After combining for 55 total goals over her first two season, Mihailovic finished with 45 goals in 27 games last year leading to 2017 ACWPC All-American honorable mention honors. The second team All-MPSF performer led the team with nine three-plus goal outings on the year. This summer, she competed as a member of the Team Australia national team, the Aussie Stingers, at the 17th FINA World Championships.
Junior
Maud Koopman gives the Sun Devils another talented scoring option. Koopman finished with an incredible 41 goals in her sophomore season, building off a 39-goal rookie campaign. Koopman led the team with 13 multi-goal performances, including a pair of five goal performances over the first four games of the season. She spent the summer gaining experience while competing for the bronze-winning Netherlands World Junior National Team in the FINA World Junior Water Polo Championships. Koopman totaled six goals for the Dutch squad in six tournament games.
Juniors
P.J. Allin and
Julia Reyes continue to improve throughout their time in Tempe. Both attackers should she increased playing time filling scoring roles left by graduate departures. Allin returns to Tempe after spending the summer competing for the Canadian Women's Junior National Team. Tallied 15 goals on the season in her second year at Arizona State, including recording a career-high three goals on Feb. 11 against UC Davis at the Triton Invitational.
Julia Reyes also looks to take advantage of playing time opportunities. Reyes has compiled eight goals so far during her two-year career at ASU. Last season, Reyes made an impact in the match against CSU East Bay, scoring a pair of goals in the Sun Devils 12-5 victory.
Redshirt freshman
Cassidy Degraff and freshman
Layla Waters represent a bright future at the position for the Sun Devils. Degraff looks to make an impact and crack the lineup after redshirting last season. Meanwhile, Waters comes to ASU after spending four years as a member of the varsity water polo team at Sacred Heart Prep, the final two of which she was named team captain. She helped lead Sacred Heart to four consecutive Central Coast section titles along with a pair of WCAL titles. Received All-West Catholic Athletic League and Central Coast Section first team honors in each of her final three years of high school.
DEFENDERS
Although only two athletes are listed as defenders, expect it to be a team effort on the defense end thanks to the versatility offered by the utility and center position groups. A pair of sophomores represent the two defenders who will be crucial to the success of the Sun Devil's season.
Coming off an incredible freshman campaign where she broke out onto the national scene,
Bente Rogge will be key to maintaining the balance that has led to the recent unprecedented success. Rogge had the opportunity to compete as a member of the Dutch National Team at the 12th FINA World Junior Championships. A teammate of fellow current Sun Devil
Maud Koopman during the championship, the Dutch team captured the bronze medal with Rogge finishing the tournament with nine goals. Made an instant impact in Tempe, tallying 30 goals in just 26 games as a freshman.
Redshirt sophomore
Catherine Simko looks to increase her contributions on the defensive side. After redshirting her first season in Tempe, Simko found her way in the lineup frequently as a reserve last year. Simko finished the campaign with eight goals on the season and provided consistently tough defense, while facing some of the country's highest-powered offenses. She recorded a pair of multi-goal games on the season.
UTILITY
The Utility position group is led by returning senior
Kayla Casas, who has been a steadying force for the water polo program throughout her time in Tempe. Casas provides the Sun Devils lineup with consistency and versatility, giving Coach Clapper multiple lineup options. Casas has reached the double-figure goal plateau in each of her previous three seasons as a Sun Devil, culminating with a career-high 14-goal campaign last year. Among her three multi-goal performances on the year, the most clutch of them all was a two-goal effort in a victory over then ranked No. 6 UC Irvine.
Supporting Casas at the position are a pair of freshman that offer a glimpse into the future of how the Sun Devils roster will be constructed in the future.
Amira Van Buren was a standout in the pool for Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, Calif. A member of her high school's varsity water polo and swim teams beginning in 2013, Van Buren helped her squad make back-to-back playoff appearances. Van Buren claimed first team All CIF honors following her junior season in 2015 after earning third team All CIF recognition in 2014.
Kate Cassidy comes to ASU after a record-setting prep career in Florida. She was named Palm Beach Player of the Year in all four of her high school seasons. Last season Cassidy helped lead Saint Andrew's School to the state quarterfinals, where they fell to Lake Nona. She finished her senior season with 97 goals, 66 Steals, 47 assists and earned 37 kick outs. Currently holds her high school record with 16 goals in a game against Hagerty and holds two other school records for most steals in a game (11) and goals in a season with 117. Completed her junior season with an eye popping 93 goals on 133 attempts, while adding five assists and 50 steals. Following the regular season Cassidy attended the US Junior National Team Selection camp. During her senior season, Cassidy served as the senior team captain for both her swim and water polo teams.
