April 14, 2008

Ann Arbor, MI (UWIRE) -- With 21 straight victories to end the regular season, the Michigan water polo team was certainly playing its best at the right time.

And with three victories at the Terrapin Tournament this weekend in College Park, Md., the Wolverines finished the season with a 27 wins - the most in program history.

It was a record-filled weekend for No. 11 Michigan, which also registered the first shutout in program history, a 13-0 win over George Washington, and also pulled out victories over Maryland, 15-12, and Bucknell, 7-6.

The shutout was the cherry on top for the Wolverines, whose defense has drastically improved over the course of the winning streak. Michigan (27-9) has held opponents to single-digit totals in 18 of its 21 victories.

"(The defense) was the biggest reason we got the shutout," sophomore goalkeeper Kimberly Gero said. "I had a couple of blocks, but that was mainly because they controlled the ball and kept it where it was supposed to be."

Gero registered five saves in the victory, continuing the team's stellar play between the pipes along with Michigan's other netminder, junior Brittany May.

Michigan coach Matt Anderson described the defense in the opening shutout as "outstanding."

But the second game was a different story.

Although the Wolverines came away with a victory over Maryland (20-12), it was a little too close for comfort for Anderson.

"We just forgot how to play defense," Anderson said.

The Michigan offense had to pull the team out of trouble. Junior Sharayah Hernandez posted a career-high eight-point effort to lead the Wolverines.

Maryland scored with 1:38 remaining to send the game into overtime, and it took the Wolverines a second overtime to close the game out. Senior Michelle Keeley hit the back of the net to put away the Terrapins in her final regular season game.

The Wolverines returned to their defensive ways against Bucknell (24-7). Junior Julie Hyrne led Michigan to a victory with her sixth hat trick of the year.

Hyrne's outstanding play and leadership sparked the Wolverine offense that lost Michigan's all-time leading point scorer, Shana Welch, to graduation last year.

"Julie has been a force to be reckoned with in the water this season," Anderson said. "She's been contributing for a while now."

As the top-seeded Wolverines head into postseason play next week with a game against Penn State-Behrend in the CWPA Western Division Championship, the team knows that another slip-up on defense could mean the end of the season.

"We know what we're good at," Anderson said. "It's just a matter of going out and being willing to play that tough defense."

But for now, the Wolverines are just happy to make it out of Maryland with their winning streak and momentum intact.

(C) 2008 Michigan Daily via UWIRE