The University of Redlands women's water polo team jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, as it defeated the visiting Leopards of the University of La Verne on Friday night. Senior drivers Jill Stein (Palm Desert, CA) and Moana Tuipulotu (Lahaina, HI) led the offense by scoring four goals apiece en route to the Bulldogs' 13-7 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory at the Thompson Aquatic Center.

Tuipulotu initiated the scoring with 5:24 remaining in the first period, inspiring an opening-frame hat trick for the Bulldogs.

Early in the second period, the Maroon and Gray looked to Stein to record her second netter of the night. Nearly five minutes later, Redlands' freshman utility player Annie Kinney (Balboa, CA) found the back of the net to cap off her team's hot start to the match.

Although the Leopards scored back-to-back goals over the next minute, the Bulldogs quickly responded when Stein unleashed another score with 22 seconds to go in the stanza.

Leading 6-2, the Maroon and Gray continued to cruise with five unanswered netters in the third period. Highlighting the onslaught, Tuipulotu fired off a hat trick in a three-minute span.

La Verne rallied for a 5-2 run in the fourth stanza, but the Bulldogs' win was never in question.

Beyond the senior tandem, Redlands gained single goals from Kinney, sophomore center-defender Deandra Van Houten (Huntington Beach, CA), junior driver Becca Woodruff (Davis, CA), junior center Jaci Cochrane (San Bernardino, CA), and sophomore driver Tricia Bannister (Naperville, IL).

Junior goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) made eight stops while patrolling the cage for the Maroon and Gray.

Redlands (10-15, 3-1 SCIAC) remains in third place in the SCIAC standings. The team returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Chapman University for an 11 a.m. game against the Panthers. Fans may follow the action via live web stream.