O'FALLON, Ill. - The women's water polo team will stay put at the friendly confines of the McKendree Metro Rec Plex, where they will host the annual WWPA Bearcat Clash on Saturday, March 15th.
The clash will begin with McKendree facing Salem University at 9:00 AM CT. Next, a neutral match will take place with Salem taking on Gannon University at 1:00 PM CT. To wrap up the day, the Bearcats will go up against Gannon at 5:00 PM CT.
All contests will be streamed live for free on the WWPA page at team1sports.com/wwpa/. Live stats for all the matches will be on https://www.thefosh.net/; see below for specific destinations.
BEARCATS CURRENTLY
McKendree is coming off a victory in their home opener last Saturday, where they beat Augustana College 11-6. The team now sits at 15-6 overall with this weekend being the first time they will face conference competition.
In the win against the Vikings, the game would be within close margin throughout the first two and a half quarters of play. From there, the Bearcats went on a huge 6-1 run up until the closing minutes of regulation where they won 11-6. Junior attacker Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec) led with five goals on eight shot attempts along with an assist, a drawn exclusion, and two steals. Fifth-year attacker Jasmin Guzman (Cicero, Ill.) and sophomore center Bella Morquecho (Chicago, Ill.) each tabbed in a pair of goals as the former had an assist, while the latter collected three drawn exclusions, a steal, and a field block. Junior center Defender Allie Diller (Grand Ledge, Mich.) and junior attacker Jazmine Sandoval (Westminster, Calif.) each finished with one goal with Diller tallying three steals and a field block, while Sandoval tallying a trio of drawn exclusions plus a steal. Bearcat senior goalkeeper Sydney Kane (Kankakee, Ill.) ended the game with nine saves.
Rebelo has been on a dominant tear thus far into the season for her squad. The junior leads the team in points (82), steals (25), and field blocks (7). The Montreal, Québec native ranks at the top of the WWPA currently in total goals (3rd – 53), total assists (2nd – 29), total points (1st – 82), total field bocks (3rd – 7), total steals (1st – 25), goals per game (5th – 2.5), assists per game (3rd – 1.4), points per game (2nd – 3.9), and steals per game (3rd – 1.2). Rebelo is top nationally in total goals (10th – 53) and total points (5th – 82).
Morquecho has also been a force of nature for the Bearcat team on a consistent basis. The sophomore leads the team in goals (57), total shot attempts (115), and drawn exclusions (65). The Chicago, Illinois native ranks at the top of the WWPA currently in total goals (1st – 57), total points (3rd – 60), total steals (5th – 18), goals per game (2nd – 2.7) and points per game (6th – 2.9). Morquecho is top nationally in total goals (8th – 57).
Rebelo and Morquecho are one of two teams in the nation (along with Southern California) to have two players in the top 10 in total goals thus far in the season.
Kane remains one of the nation's best cage guardians. The senior is top in the WWPA in total steals (3rd – 20), total saves (1st – 233), save percentage (1st – 57.8%), goals-against average (1st – 8.61), saves per game (1st – 11.1), and steals per game (7th – 1.0)...The Kankakee, Illinois native is top nationally in total saves (1st – 233), save percentage (1st – 57.8%), goals-against average (3rd – 8.61), and saves per game (1st – 11.1).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Salem University | Saturday, March 15th, 9:00 AM CT
Last Matchup: L, 9-13 on 4/6/2024 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
This will be the 10th-ever meeting between the two programs. Salem beat McKendree most recently in the Erie Classic after the Bearcats won the previous four. The Tigers do hold a 6-4 edge overall in the series.
The Tigers are 5-11 on the season with yet to play in WWPA action. They recently went 1-1 last weekend in winning against the University of Toronto and faltering to Villanova University.
Gannon University | Saturday, March 15th, 5:00 PM CT
Last Matchup: W, 12-6 on 4/6/2024 | RECAP | BOX SCORE
This will be the 16th-ever meeting between the two programs, as McKendree won in the most recent matchup 12-6 within the Erie Classic last year as well. The Bearcats won each of the last six meetings and holds the slight 8-7 lead in the series history.
The Golden Knights are 5-9 in over the halfway point of the season. It has been a tale of the two halves for Gannon as they lost their first nine games but have reeled off a five-game winning streak up to this point. Their most recent outing was when they went 2-0 in the Washington & Jefferson Invitational a couple of weekends ago.
TUNE IN-FO
Click HERE to take you to the Tournament Central: 2025 WWPA Bearcat Clash
vs Salem University
WATCH: Click HERE (FREE – WWPA)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
vs Gannon University
WATCH: Click HERE (FREE – WWPA)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
TEAM GUIDES
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [Salem] [Gannon]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [Salem] [Gannon]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [Salem] [Gannon]
PARTICIPANTS
McKendree University
Salem University
Gannon University
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