Panthers to open WWPA tournament against Colorado State

ORANGE, Calif. -  The Chapman University women's water polo team will open up postseason play on Friday when it faces Colorado State in the first game of the Western Water Polo Association championship tournament. The No. 11-seeded Panthers and No. 6-seeded Rams will square off at 8 a.m. at the Sullivan Aquatics Center on the campus of Santa Clara University.

The winner will face host Santa Clara - the No. 3 seed - at 5:20 p.m. on Friday.

Chapman (9-19) went winless against its WWPA foes during the 2009 season but is 3-3 in its past six games heading into the postseason. Chapman is also currently ranked No. 8 in the latest NCAA Division III poll, but that won't help the Panthers much with eight of the 11 teams in the tournament from Divisions I and II.

The Panthers are led by senior 2-meter Sabrina Cook who set the school's single-season scoring record on Sunday with 104 goals this year. Five times this season Cook has scored at least seven goals in a game.

Sophomore goalie Celia Huling has been strong as the Panthers' last line of defense. Huling has also set a school record with 277 saves this season and has made 15 or more saves in a game six times, including 21 in one game - also a Chapman record.

Chapman and Colorado State last met in last year's championship tournament with the Rams defeating Chapman 12-10. If the Panthers lose their tournament opener, they would not play again until Saturday at 9 a.m. against the loser of No. 8 Cal State East Bay and No. 9 Cal State Monterey Bay.

For complete tournament schedule and results:
http://www.westernwaterpolo.org