The Bison women’s water polo team opened their season at the Bruno Classic in Providence, R.I. on Feb. 2-3. Coming out strong with three wins over Siena (11-3), La Salle (16-6), and Marist (11-7), the team set a positive tone for their first tournament of the season, earning head coach John McBride his 100th career win for the program along the way. The Bison finished the weekend with a commendable effort against Wagner but came up short in a close 10-8 loss, finishing with a 3-1 record in the tournament.

In the first game of the weekend, the Orange and Blue came out with a 2-0 lead in the first quarter against Siena. Kali Hyham ’21 and Ally Furano ’21 each found the back of the cage, delivering the message that the Bison were there to compete. After Siena cut the lead to one in the second period, Furano responded with a goal to increase the Bison’s lead back to two. Sarah Mooney ’19 and Paige Furano ’22 each tacked on a goal to give the team a 5-1 lead headed into halftime. Siena scored once again in the second half but the Bison punched back with another three-goal run. The team ultimately secured the victory by a final score of 11-3 for their first win of the season.

The Bison kept the momentum going in their second matchup against La Salle, earning the Orange and Blue a 16-6 victory. They set the tone in the first quarter with a 5-1 lead on goals from A. Furano, Emily Konishi ’19, and Hyham. The Orange and Blue kept the pressure on and were able to score four of the next five goals to take a 9-2 lead. The team’s cohesive dynamic and skill in the pool was evident and helped the Bison achieve their second victory of the season by an impressive 10-point margin.

The team finished their first day of competition at the Bruno Classic with a third win against No. 20 Marist. The Bison consistently took early leads, this time on quick first-quarter goals from Hyham and A. Furano. The Bison answered a Marist goal with two more tallies from A. Furano and Eliza Romeyn ’19. Despite a late push from Marist in the fourth quarter, Nina Benson ’20 sealed the deal for the Bison with a goal for an 11-7 win. Georgia Lewis ’22 made nine saves in the cage for the Bison in the win, as well as a steal.

The Orange and Blue returned to the pool the next day to wrap up the tournament with a matchup against Wagner. The two teams exchanged goals early on and the Bison trailed 2-3 after the first quarter. This did not stop the Orange and Blue from coming out strong in the next quarter with goals from A. Furano and Hyham, taking a narrow 5-4 lead. Wagner fought back and made a push in the third quarter with four straight goals, with the Bison facing an 8-5 deficit heading into the fourth. A. Furano narrowed the score to 8-6 but the Bison could not complete the rally and fell by a final score of 10-8. A. Furano led the Bison against Wagner with four goals, followed by Konishi with two. The Bison finished with a 3-1 record on the weekend.

“After seeing how well we played as a unit this weekend for only having our first games, I’m very excited to see what the future holds for us this season,” Furano said.

The Bison women’s water polo team will be back in the pool this weekend at home for the Bucknell Invitational on Feb. 9-10.