ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon women's water polo team opens its 2011 season this weekend at the Bison Invitational hosted by Bucknell University. The Lady Knights will play four matches in the span of two days.

Gannon opens the weekend event Saturday, February 12 against Bucknell (12 noon) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) (4:30 p.m.). The invitational concludes Sunday, February 13 against Siena (9 a.m.) and Wagner (1:30 p.m.).

Head coach Don Sherman's squad returns 10 letterwinners from last year's 9-21 group. The Lady Knights finished fourth at the 2010 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Western Division Championships. The program has recorded a .500 record or better eight times during its 10-year history.

Gannon will need to replace last year's leading scorer Annie Greenhill, who finished her collegiate career second all-time in goals (209) and assists (90). However, the Lady Knights return two of their top three scorers and six of their top nine.

Junior Colleen Harriger (Erie, Pa./McDowell) was Gannon's second-leading scorer with 46 goals, 25 assists and 28 steals. Fellow junior Molly Andrews (Tustin, Calif./Tustin) was next in scoring with 34 goals, 19 assists and 32 steals.

Other key offensive returners include sophomore Kelly Steininger (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) (11 goals), senior Caitlin Andrews (Tustin, Calif./Tustin) (10 goals), junior Laurel Martinez (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) (6 goals) and senior Stephanie Komorek (Erie, Pa./McDowell) (5 goals).

Gannon also returns two goalkeepers with playing experience. Sophomore Janelle Bartman (Darien, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) saw the majority of playing time last season, producing an 8.26 goals against average and .424 save percentage. Junior Libbie Guina (Houston, Texas/Clear Brook) recorded 28 saves while receiving three decisions in goal.