LEBANON, Ill. – The women's water polo team is right back in the waters after a long week out on the West Coast, playing six games in a span of three days, as the team will now turn their attention to conference action and take part in the WWPA Erie Classic on March 14th and 15th in Erie, Pennsylvania and hosted by Gannon University. 

The Bearcats will have their first WWPA matchup against Salem University at 8:00 AM CT and followed by Penn State Behrend at 1:00 PM for day one on Saturday, March 14th. They will round out for day two with the host Gannon early at 7:00 AM CT and will conclude with a contest against Mercyhurst University at 10:00 AM CT. 

Only the WWPA conference matchups will be streamed for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network, as the games against PSB and Mercyhurst will have no stream coverage. Live stats will be provided to the public for all four games via The FOSH. 

SCOUTING THE LAST OUTINGS 

The team went against some tough competition in their three-day span last week in the state of California, as they picked up a win, but have fallen in the five other outings they have taken part in. 

McKendree started off with a pair of setbacks in the CSUN Mini Invite to RV Villanova [7-19] and the host No.23 California State University, Northridge [11-20] later that Thursday evening. From there, they traveled Eastward to Claremont at the Haldeman Pool for a quad of outings at the annual Convergence Tournament from Friday through Saturday. They initially fell to Azusa Pacific University [12-17] before clinching their sole victory in a 17-5 rout over the University of Redlands [17-5] on day one of the event. To wrap up their long trip on day two, they faltered to Concordia University Irvine [9-11] in a non-conference tilt and succumbed to the host No.25/ DIII No.1 Pomona-Pitzer [12-21]. 

CALIFORNIA GURLS 

Senior attacker Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec, Canada) led the charge on the offensive end with 14 goals and seven assists for 21 total points on 53.8% shooting to go with a pair of exclusions, along with four steals and field blocks on the defense. Junior attacker Shanelle Márquez (Madrid, Spain) supplemented greatly with 12 goals and four assists for 16 points on an even 50.0% shooting with four exclusions drawn and a massive seven takeaways plus a block in the field. Reigning WWPA Newcomer of the Year Bella Morquecho (Chicago, Ill.) followed with 13 goals scored while tallying an assist for 43.3% on shot attempts to go along with five drawn exclusions and a pair of steals. With six goals scored, in the six-game stretch, freshman utility Charlie Monroe (The Woodlands, Texas) drew an immense 10 exclusions to light up the offense. 

Time in the cage was split amongst McKendree's three goalkeepers, as freshman Daisy Whetherholt (Malibu, Calif.) had a 1-1 record with 16 saves on a 38.1 save percentage, plus a pair of steals and contributed an assist. The other freshman in Delaney Judkins (La Grange, Ill.) played in three matches and produced 20 saves on a 23.8 percentage and a steal. Sophomore Elizabeth Zurawski played 16 minutes in the cage. 

RECORD BREAKER 

With her lone goal against Villanova during the CSUN Mini Invite, Joey Rebelo has become the program's all-time leading scorer, which consists of goals and assists combined. The senior now has 282 points with 186 goals and 96 assists on a 49.7 shooting percentage. Her biggest output in the prior three seasons was in 2024, when she had 106 points in her sophomore campaign, as the native of Canada followed up her junior year with 101 total points. Currently this season, Rebelo has 45 points on 25 goals and 20 assists on 43.9% shooting. 

TEAM TOPPERS 

LOOKING AHEAD 

After McKendree wraps up their week one of conference games, they will take a bye week before heading back East to partake in the Salem Invitational on March 28th and 29th at The Bridge Sports Complex in Bridgeport, West Virginia. 

The Bearcats will face the likes of Salem, Gannon, Mercyhurst, and Saint Francis University, with matchups and start times to be confirmed. 

All matchups are to be streamed for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network. Live stats will be provided to the public for all four games via The FOSH. 

TUNE IN-FO 

Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Water Polo on Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok. #NCAAwaterpolo 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
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