The University of Redlands women's water polo team finished out the regular season with a 13-5 road victory over the Leopards of the University of La Verne on Saturday, securing the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Tournament.
Against the Leopards, the Maroon and Gray garnered an early lead and never looked back as a trio of players provided hat-trick performances on offense. Junior driver Dianna Melancon (Riverside, CA, junior center Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR), and junior center Joy Corona (Lake Bluff, IL) each registered three goals for Redlands. In addition, sophomore driver Moana Tuipulotu (Lahaina, HI) offered a pair of netters, while junior driver Jamie Paul (Sandy, OR) and sophomore driver Georgia Tunioli (Riverside, CT) scored once apiece.
Freshman goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) and senior goalkeeper Tiana Singley (Benecia, CA) shared time protecting the Redlands cage, providing six and four saves, respectively.
Redlands (19-10, 5-2 SCIAC) enters next weekend's SCIAC Championship Tournament as the No. 2 seed, edging out CMS for this honor with their head-to-head victory on April 2. The Bulldogs kick off the three-day event when they take on seventh-seeded La Verne in the 10 a.m. game on Friday at Las Flores Park in La Verne.
