The University of Redlands women's water polo team kicked off the 2011 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Tournament on Friday morning with a solid 17-8 victory over the host Leopards of the University of La Verne. Seeded second in the draw, the Bulldogs captured an early 5-1 lead and never looked back en route to taking down the No. 7 seed.
Redlands garnered a 7-2 advantage at halftime and then more than doubled its offensive output during the final two frames, which included an impressive seven-goal explosion during the fourth stanza.
Junior center Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR) and sophomore driver Moana Tuipulotu (Lahaina, CA) paced the Bulldogs with a hat trick apiece.
Sophomore center-defender Mandy Nussbaum (Bellevue, WA) provided the eventual game-winner just a few minutes into the third period when she made it a 9-3 ball game.
Freshman goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) and senior stopper Tiana Singley (Benecia, CA) split time in the cage, recording eight and five saves, respectively.
Redlands (20-10, 6-2 SCIAC) faces No. 3-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Saturday's 1:30 p.m. game at Las Flores Park in La Verne. The Athenas defeated sixth-seeded Cal Lutheran University by a score of 11-4 earlier today.
