Shane Unger vs. LaSalle
Bryce Dolak

Women's Water Polo Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon to Face Biola in Opening Round of WWPA Championships

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (6-16, 1-5) at WWPA CHAMPIONSHIPS
DATE/TIME:  FrIday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30, 2023 I All Day
FACILITY/LOCATION:  McKendree Metro Rec Plex I O'Fallon, Ill.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

WWPA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE: 
Friday, April 28 (times EDT)
Game 1 -- #4W Cal State Monterey Bay (6-20) vs. #1E McKendree (15-8) – 10:00 a.m.
Game 2 -- #3E Mercyhurst (6-13) vs. #2W Cal State East Bay (14-14) – 11:45 a.m.
Game 3 -- #3W Fresno Pacific (12-15) vs. #2E Salem (9-15) – 1:30 p.m.
Game 4 -- #4E GANNON (6-16) vs. #1W Biola (14-14) – 3:15 p.m.   

Saturday, April 29              
Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs Game 3 Loser – 10:00 a.m.
Game 6 -- Game 2 Loser vs Game 4 Loser – 11:45 a.m.
Game 7 – Semifinal 1 -- Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner -- 1:30 p.m.
Game 8 – Semifinal 2 -- Game 3 Winner vs Game 4 Winner -- 3:15 p.m.
 
Sunday, April 30
Game 8 – 7th Place -- Game 5 Loser vs Game 6 Loser – 9:00 a.m.
Game 9 – 5th Place -- Game 5 Winner vs Game 6 Winner -- 10:45 a.m.     
Game 10 – 3rd Place -- Game 7 Loser vs Game 8 Loser -- 12:30 p.m.
Game 11 – CHAMPIONSHIP -- Game 7 Winner vs Game 8 Winner -- 2:15 p.m.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's water polo team heads to Illinois to participate in the 2023 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championship Tournament this weekend. The eight-team, three-day tournament is taking place in O'Fallon, Ill. and is being hosted by McKendree University at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex. Competition gets underway on Friday, April 28 with four games.

The Golden Knights come in as the fourth seed in the WWPA Eastern Division with a 6-16 overall record and 1-5 in the conference. For the second straight year their first-round opponent is Biola, the top seed in the Western Division. The Eagles have a 14-14 record and were 5-1 in the conference. The match is set to begin at 2:15 p.m. EDT.  This will mark the second meeting between Gannon and Biola, with the Eagles handing the Golden Knights a 14-8 defeat in the opening round.
 
Friday's winners will move into Saturday's semifinals, while the losers will play with a chance to finish as high as fifth. The championship is set for Sunday at 1:15 p.m. in the east.

While showing a 6-16 record, a young Gannon squad has won three of its last five matches and fifth-year head coach Shane Unger is pleased with how the team is playing.

"I am excited to head into championships with the girls this coming week," related Unger. "I feel like we are playing our best polo of the season going into the tournament. The win against Mercyhurst gave us a good boost of confidence, and showed the girls that they can compete with anyone if they play a solid four quarters to their potential. Our Achilles heel this season has been putting a consistent four quarters together. We put it together a few times throughout the season and it showed in the results of those games. The key now is to put it all together this week and come out with a solid performance."

A LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR'S WWPA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Gannon finished in seventh place at last year's WWPA Championships which took place in Fresno, Cal. The Golden Knights were the number three seed out of the Eastern Division and opened up against second-seeded Biola. Gannon would drop a 14-8 decision, and on the second day lost a tight 10-8 decision to Fresno Pacific. Local rivals Gannon and Mercyhurst squared off in the seventh-place game on Sunday, with the Golden Knights coming away with an 11-8 victory. Gannon never trailed in the match and was led by Nicole Wiemken (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon) and Rachel Kreidinger (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) with four goals apiece. Wiemken scored 13 goals in the three matches and earned a spot on the WWPA All-Tournament second team.    

GOLDEN KNIGHTS TO WATCH
Jade Strickland (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) leads the Golden Knights with 47 goals and 26 assists for 73 points. A year ago she finished with 37 goals and 27 assists while being named to the WWPA All-Freshman Team.

Molly Fehr (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) adds 32 goals and 10 assists while Ellie Velasco (Riverside, Calif./Arlington) has contributed 19 goals and 13 assists.

Sydney Klakeg (Santa Barbara, Calif./Choate Rosemary Hall) and Molly Sebunia (Erie, Pa./McDowell) form an effective combination in goal. Klakeg, a senior, has normally played in the first half of each game while Sebunia, a sophomore, takes over for the second half.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Nicole Wiemken

#18 Nicole Wiemken

UTIL/2D
Senior
Chemistry
Sydney Klakeg

#1 Sydney Klakeg

G
Senior
Rachel Kreidinger

#3 Rachel Kreidinger

D
Sophomore
Molly Sebunia

#1A Molly Sebunia

G
Sophomore
Jade Strickland

#2 Jade Strickland

D
Sophomore
Ellie Velasco

#8 Ellie Velasco

D
Sophomore
Molly Fehr

#12 Molly Fehr

UTIL/2M
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Nicole Wiemken

#18 Nicole Wiemken

Senior
Chemistry
UTIL/2D
Sydney Klakeg

#1 Sydney Klakeg

Senior
G
Rachel Kreidinger

#3 Rachel Kreidinger

Sophomore
D
Molly Sebunia

#1A Molly Sebunia

Sophomore
G
Jade Strickland

#2 Jade Strickland

Sophomore
D
Ellie Velasco

#8 Ellie Velasco

Sophomore
D
Molly Fehr

#12 Molly Fehr

Freshman
UTIL/2M