Bison Women’s Water Polo wrapped up their 2023 regular season in Ann Arbor, Mich. this past weekend. They faced three ranked CWPA opponents, starting off with Harvard and Princeton on Saturday, April 15 and Brown on Sunday, April 16. The Orange and Blue fought until the end, but closed out the weekend with a 0-3 record.

The Bison opened up against No. 14 Harvard, who immediately proved to be an offensive threat. Isabelle Monaghan ’24 was able to tie the game 1-1 in the opening minutes, but by the end of the first quarter, the Crimson had solidified a 8-2 lead. Bella Schraa ’26 and Boati Motau ’25 scored a goal apiece to slow Harvard’s scoring onslaught. By the half, the Crimson had a 12-3 edge on the Bison. Both teams recorded six goals in the second half, but this was not enough to lift the Orange and Blue to victory. The match ended 18-9 in favor of Harvard.

The Bison returned to the pool later the same day to face No. 7 Princeton. Monaghan was the first to score, gaining the Bison an early 1-0 lead. Schraa also found the back of the net in the first half, but that would be all from the Bison offense, as the Tigers led 9-2 at halftime. The third quarter was low-scoring, with Gwen Kallmeyer ’26 scoring one goal for the Orange and Blue to Princeton’s two. In the fourth quarter, Sidney Finkler ’25 tallied two goals and Monaghan tallied one more, but the Tiger attack recorded six goals of their own to claim the 17-6 victory.

The Orange and Blue ended the weekend against Brown. After conceding two early goals, the Bison recorded four of their own with one goal from Schraa and three from Monaghan. The Orange and Blue enjoyed the lead in the first quarter, but were quickly met by Brown’s attack which scored five goals in the second quarter to the Bison’s two, giving them a narrow 7-6 lead at the half. The Orange and Blue continued to fight, only trailing 10-8 entering the final quarter. Monaghan and Schraa were able to tally one more goal each, but this was not enough to overcome the Bears’ attack. The match ended 14-10 in favor of Brown.

With the regular season officially over, the Bison now focus on the postseason. Beginning April 28, the Orange and Blue will participate in the CWPA Championship in Princeton, N.J. More information is to follow.