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Junior Emily Rodriguez recorded nine saves during Sunday's WWPA Championship fifth-place match.

Women's Water Polo 5/1/2016 3:16:00 PM Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Women's Water Polo Team Finishes Sixth at WWPA Championship

THE RUNDOWN

Final Score: Cal State Monterey Bay 6, Gannon 4
Records: Gannon (6-14), Cal State Monterey Bay (6-25)
Location: Hayward, Calif. - Chabot College
The Short Story: The Cal State Monterey Bay women's water polo team jumped out to a 6-2 lead after three quarters and held off a late charge to defeat Gannon 6-4 Sunday afternoon in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championship fifth-place match in Hayward, California.

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HOW IT HAPPENED

The two clubs split the opening two goals. After a Cal State Monterey Bay score, sophomore Liz Barr (Honolulu, Hawaii/'Iolani School) tied the contest with an unassisted goal midway through the first quarter.
Cal State Monterey Bay produced the final score of the opening stanza, ending the first eight minutes with a 2-1 lead.
The Otters began the second quarter with another goal, before junior Kayla Villano (Schnecksville, Pa./Milford) cut the deficit to 3-2 with a score off an assist from sophomore Lizzie Rodriguez (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) at the 3:52 mark.
Cal State Monterey Bay posted two more goals for a 5-2 halftime advantage. The final tally of the first half came with 55 seconds left on the clock.
The Otters capped a 3-0 run with another goal 1:29 into the third quarter, pushing their lead to 6-2.
The Gannon defense then went to work, holding the Otters scoreless for the final 14 minutes and 31 seconds.
The Lady Knights tried to rally with a pair of fourth-quarter scores from senior Shanen Lazenby (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and sophomore Makayla Williams (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville).
However, Gannon was unable to find the back of the net again during the final 3:52 before suffering a 6-4 loss.

MATCH NOTES

Villano, Lazenby, Barr and Williams scored one goal each to account for Gannon's scoring.
Lizzie Rodriguez produced one assist and two steals.
Sophomore Francesca Williamson (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley Liberal Arts) also had two steals.
Junior Emily Rodriguez (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) made her 18th start of the season in goal, recording nine saves and one steal.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

Gannon entered the WWPA Championship as the sixth seed while Cal State East Bay was seeded fifth.
The Lady Knights are competing in their second WWPA Championship after joining the league prior to the 2014-15 academic year.
Rodriguez played the entire match in goal for the fifth time this season. She split time with freshman Isabelle Vieira (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy) during the other 15 contests.
Lazenby tied Bailey Gadd (2011-14) for seventh place all-time at Gannon with her 125th career goal.
Rodriguez recorded her most saves since having 10 against NCAA Division I Villanova at the Mercyhurst Invitational on February 20.

UP NEXT

Gannon concluded its 2016 campaign Sunday with the WWPA Championship fifth-place match.

Players Mentioned