USC prepares for pair of nonconference matchups


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Following a trip to Hawai’i for a series of matchups, the No. 3 USC women’s water polo team returns to the mainland for a pair of nonconference clashes, headlined by Friday’s matchup against No. 20 Maryland at McDonald Swim Stadium.

The Women of Troy (12-3, 2-1) last faced the Terrapins over a decage ago, and even with a lack of familiarity, the team remains excited for its matchup before its big game Saturday against Loyola Marymount.

“A game is a game,” said senior two-meter Sarah Van Norman. “We’re going to be ready for Maryland and it’s definitely going to get us ready for LMU on Saturday.”

No. 20 Maryland comes to Southern California winless against USC. The last contest between the two teams was in 1998, which USC won in overtime, 8-7, in the Pomona Tournament and 4-2 in a nonconference matchup.

Although the Women of Troy have to get through Maryland Friday, they remain focused on Saturday’s contest against No. 6 LMU, who has given other highly ranked conference teams a run for their money.

“I mean conference or not we still take the games pretty seriously because we have to take each game as it comes,” said junior driver Nadia Dan. “LMU is a pretty good team and they’ve given teams in our conference good games. They gave UCLA and Hawai’i a tough match. It’s not going to be an easy game so we’re going to practice like they are in our conference.”

The Women of Troy have to be careful on Saturday against LMU, who boasts a 16-4 record and is coming off six straight wins in a row. Although USC is 19-0 all time against LMU, the team still realizes that they need to focus and compete for the entire game on Saturday in order to secure a victory.

A lot of the team focus lately has been in uniting in order to compete at a higher level in the water. Coming off of last week’s MPSF victory in Hawai’i, the team feels a lot better about their chemistry.

“I think Hawaii always brings out team together” Van Norman said. “I don’t know, maybe it’s the different scenery or what but definitely that win in Hawaii really made us feel great, and hopefully that lasts for the rest of the season.”

The Women of Troy are also still confident in their newcomers. Freshman goalie Flora Bolonyai is still making a huge impact, and she earned third pick as the MPSF Newcomer of the Week. This brings high team confidence, and hopefully this will carry through the season to earn the Women of Troy yet another national championship.