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Ready To Surprise In '16, Tigers Hungry To Begin Princeton Invitational
February 11, 2016 | Women's Water Polo
One day from the start of his regular season opener, and there is an excitement from Luis Nicolao that few likely anticipated for 2016.
Nicolao, who enters his 18th season as head coach of both Princeton water polo programs, is coming off a 31-5 season and the fourth Eastern championship in his tenure. But major losses — most due to graduation, and one due to the Olympics — have left questions about what Princeton will look like this season.
And that, more than anything else, is what has energized a man who will likely hit the 800-win mark overall at Princeton sometime in 2016.
“I am excited about this year,” Nicolao said before his squad opens the Princeton Invitational with a Friday showdown (2 pm) against Cal Baptist. “I think teams won't expect a lot from us because of who isn't here, but we have a good core coming back, and some good freshmen who have already added to it. We need to get better each week, but I think we can surprise a lot of people.”
You can forgive the pessimists who see the losses of offensive standouts Ashley Hatcher (86 goals last season) and Jessie Holechuk (50 goals), as well as top defenders like Camille Hooks (29 steals), Taylor Dunstan (28 steals), and Ashleigh Johnson (.709 save percentage in goal), and wonder how this team will make up those numbers.
Nicolao understands, but he has seen the growth of the program since the start of the fall. The chemistry began to develop earlier than normal thanks to the addition of a full-time women's assistant in Becca Dorst, a former All-America standout at UCLA.
“The chemistry is great,” Nicolao said. “The team was able to do more stuff together in the fall with Becca around. The team used to be on its own a lot, but this fall was different, and it has been noticeable. And the freshmen really did a good job integrating themselves on the team.”
Co-captains Pippa Temple and Morgan Hallock have helped the process as well, and both will be looked upon as key players in the water. However, Nicolao believes that this needs to be a sum-of-the-parts team; where there were obvious standouts on both ends of the pool last year, the 2016 team will only succeed through teamwork and balance.
That doesn't mean there isn't plenty of talent in Orange and Black. Temple, Hallock and Haley Wan each scored at least 30 goals last season. Chelsea Johnson, Emily Smith, Hannah Lapkin, Sydney Saxe, and Sydney Cheong each played around 30 games last season and impacted a team that would ultimately win two games at the NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Helena Van Brande will take over in goal while Ashleigh Johnson trains for the U.S. Olympic Team. It would seem like an unenviable position — replacing a woman named Female Water Polo Player of the Year by WaterPoloWorld would seem an impossible chore — but Nicolao has plenty of faith in Van Brande.
“She is a quick, athletic, explosive goalie,” he said of Van Brande, who went 9-0 and played more than 400 minutes last season. “She is really good, and I'm excited to see how she owns the position as the full-time starter this season.”
All four of the Tiger freshmen should see time, though both Margarita Orlova and Charlotte Valentine were slowed by preseason injuries. Eliza Britt was an All-CIF performer at Corona del Mar and could be an elite offensive player, while Lindsey Kelleher — another All-CIF honoree — is a left-handed utility player who could also have an important role.
Princeton will open with four games this weekend. Following Friday's game against Cal Baptist, the Tigers will take on Villanova (8:30 am) and Cal Lutheran (6 pm) Saturday. They conclude the weekend Sunday against Iona (11:30 am). All four games will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
The Year That Was
- The Tigers finished 31-5, winning the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship and placing sixth at the NCAA Championship.
- In a stellar effort, Ashleigh Johnson, tied her program record and set a new NCAA Tournament single-game record with 22 saves in the team's 6-5 loss to No. 6 UC-Irvine in the fifth-place game. Johnson also set an NCAA Tournament record with 50 saves over three games.
- A senior-in-waiting, Johnson is taking the academic year off to train with the U.S. national team for the Olympics. She was also named the 2015 WaterPoloWorld Female Player of the Year.
- Princeton had a stretch of 14 consecutive wins. During that streak, the Tigers won the inaugural Ivy League Championship.
Leading the Pack
- Senior Pippa Temple is the team's leading returning scorer after 36 goals last season. Sophomores Chelsea Johnson, Haley Wan added 34 tallies while junior Morgan Hallock and her 32 goals from a season ago also return.
Big Shoes to Fill
- Sophomore Helena van Brande will be the goalie for the Tigers this season as Ashleigh Johnson has stepped away to prepare for the Olympics. The sophomore was 9-0 in 18 appearances last season with .657 save percentage.
New Faces
- Princeton will welcome four new freshmen to the team in 2016: Eliza Britt, Lindsey Kelleher, Margarita Orlova and Charlotte Valentine.
- Britt was the MVP of the Pan Pacific Tournament in New Zealand while her team won the championship.
- Kelleher's national team won the U18 Junior Olympics title while she was an All-American second team member in 2014.
- Orlova was a 2014 Junior Olympics All-American.
- Along with a stellar playing career, Valentine co-coached a club U14 Division II girls' team to national championship in 2013.
Opening Weekend
- The Tigers will host the Princeton Invitational this weekend (Feb. 12-14). The other teams in the Invite are: Harvard, Bucknell, Iona, Wagner, Villanova, Cal-Lutheran and Cal Baptist.
- Princeton will battle Cal Baptist on Friday (2 p.m.) to begin the season before taking on Villanova (8:30 a.m.) and Cal Lutheran (6 p.m.) on Saturday. The Tigers finish the tournament vs. Iona at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. All games for the Invitational will be on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Complete Schedule
Friday, Feb. 12
2 p.m. – Princeton vs. Cal Baptist
5:30 p.m. – Villanova vs. Cal Lutheran
7:00 p.m. – Iona vs. Cal Baptist
Saturday, Feb. 13
8:30 a.m. – Princeton vs. Villanova
10:00 a.m. – Harvard vs. Cal Baptist
11:30 a.m. – Bucknell vs. Wagner
1:00 p.m. – Iona vs. Cal Lutheran
3:00 p.m. – Villanova vs. Cal Baptist
4:30 p.m. – Harvard vs. Wagner
6:00 p.m. – Princeton vs. Cal Lutheran
7:30 p.m. – Bucknell vs. Iona
Sunday, Feb. 14
8:30 a.m. – Bucknell vs. Cal Lutheran
10:00 a.m. – Harvard vs. Villanova
11:30 a.m. – Princeton vs. Iona
1:00 p.m. – Wagner vs. Cal Lutheran
2:30 p.m. – Bucknell vs. Villanova