LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University women's water polo opens its sixth season of intercollegiate competition this coming Saturday, Feb. 12 as the Bearcats host Augustana College for a 1 p.m. match at the McKendree Rec Plex Pool in O'Fallon, Ill.
 
The Bearcats, who were tabbed to finish eighth in the 2022 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Preseason Coaches' Poll, welcomes back several key returners from last season's team that posted a 2-7 overall record and a 2-5 mark in the WWPA.
 
Among the key returners for McKendree in 2022 senior attacker Carley Manuel (Lantana, Texas/Guyer), sophomore center defender Samantha Reich (Salinas, Calif./Salinas) and senior attacker Maddy Bolton (Alta Loma, Calif./Los Osos). Manuel was a Second-Team All-WWPA honoree last season, while Reich was named to the All-Freshman Team and Bolton was an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection.
 
The top returning goal scorers for the Bearcats are Bolton, who scored 13 goals and added an assist for 14 points a season ago, while senior center Abigail Burton (Chino, Calif./Chino) added 11 goals in 2021.
 
While McKendree, who is coached by Colleen Lischwe, will be starting its sixth season of competition on Saturday, their opponent, Augustana, will be playing their first-ever women's water polo match in school history. In the most recent women's varsity CWPA Division III Top 5 poll, the Vikings are ranked fourth overall.
 
So far this season, seven of the eight teams in the WWPA have already at least three games as McKendree is the only team that has yet to play a game in the 2022 season. In the WWPA East Division, which McKendree is a member, Gannon (Pa.) and Mercyhurst (Pa.) are each 1-3, while Salem (W.Va.) is 0-4. In the West Division, Cal State East Bay is 2-1, while Biola is 2-4, Cal State Monterey Bay is 1-2 and Fresno Pacific is 1-5.
 
Saturday's game will be the first of two games this season between the two schools as McKendree will travel to Rock Island, Ill., for a 1 p.m. match on March 12 against the Vikings.
 
Following Saturday's season opener with Augustana, the Bearcats will travel to Erie, Pa., to play three games in two days on Feb. 19-20 at the Robinette Invitational. At the event, the Bearcats will face Penn State-Behrend and Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 19 at 11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. ET and then conclude the event with a 9 a.m. ET game against Villanova University.