O'Fallon, Ill. – The Fresno Pacific women's water polo team opened the Western Water Polo Championships on Saturday, coming into the tournament as the four-seed. A slow start hindered the Sunbirds in their opening round match against Salem University, as the Tigers rode a 6-0 run in the first period to an 11-5 victory. The 'Birds are set to take on Mercyhurst in the semifinals tomorrow at 9:15 a.m. PST.  
 
QUOTABLE:

• "We started off to slow and made to many minor mistakes that Salem capitalized on. We gave up too many goals in the first quarter and struggled to climb out of that hole we dug. We matched them in the final three quarters of the match. Cam played really well in the goal and Alex and Emily both had really strong defensive games. It was not how we hoped to start the weekend off, but it was a good wake up call. We have to be better tomorrow morning." - head coach Bryan Suhovy  

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• All-WWPA First Team selection Katie Kisling got the Blue and Orange on the board with 3:07 left in the first half, firing a shot past Tiger keeper Philippa Piper.
• The Sunbirds trailed 7-1 at the break.
• Amy Zaninovich found her offensive rhythm in the second half, scoring the first two goals of the half for the 'Birds. Zaninovch's second goal came with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter.
• Soon after, Sam Dieterle found the back of the net, helping the Sunbirds match the three goals from the Tigers in the third quarter.
• Bella Alcazar scored a goal with 4:48 left in the match, but the 'Birds were unable to apply more offensive pressure.

UP NEXT:

• The Sunbirds will now face Mercyhurst at 9:30 a.m. Links to live stats and a live stream are available at FPUAthletics.com.   

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