ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Saint Francis University water polo team takes it second trip of the spring 2021 season Saturday and Sunday when it heads to the University of Michigan with four games at the Michigan Invitational. SFU will see some familiar faces when the Red Flash faces off again Indiana and Salem, two opponents Saint Francis faced in the season's opening weekend. The Red Flash will meet up with host Michigan for a single game Sunday morning, in addition to one against the Hoosiers and two vs. the Tigers.

The game against Michigan will air on subscription-based Big Ten Network Plus. Live stats will be available for all four contests.

The Event: Michigan Invitational
Location: Donald B. Canham Natatorium (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Game 1: Saint Francis vs. Indiana
Date and Time: Saturday, Feb. 20 – 4:30 p.m.
Live Stats: FOSH

Game 2: Saint Francis vs. Salem
Date and Time: Saturday, Feb. 20 – 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats: FOSH

Game 3: Saint Francis at Michigan
Date and Time: Sunday, Feb. 21 – 9:00 a.m.
Watch: BTN+ ($)
Live Stats: FOSH

Game 4: Saint Francis vs. Salem
Date and Time: Sunday, Feb. 21 – 12:00 p.m.
Live Stats: FOSH

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SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
The Red Flash play the No. 13 Hoosiers for the third time in their first five games this season. The Red Flash dropped a pair of games in Bloomington in the season's opening weekend. The Hoosiers recorded four wins over ranked opponents (Pacific, Marist, UC Davis, Cal Baptist) last season and recorded a school-record 14 straight wins after their Hoosier Invitational this year.

Izzy Mandema contributed 18 goals for the Hoosiers two weekends ago and leads the MPSF. Tina Doherty scored 12 and ranks second in the league.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Salem and SFU have met twice already this season, with the Red Flash claiming both victories two weekends ago at the Hoosier Invite. The Red Flash is 4-0 against the Tigers since Salem returned to the pool for the 2019 season.
 
Annefleur ten Bloemendal contributed seven goals at the Hoosier Invitational and leads the WWPA, while Margherita Garibbo's seven tallies rank second.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
The Red Flash meets up with CWPA conference competitor, No. 8 Michigan Sunday morning. The Wolverines are 4-0 in the all-time series and last met in 2019. Michigan went 11-8 in 2020 and ranked in the top 10 in all nine polls of the 2020 season to extend its streak of top-10 rankings to 31 consecutive weeks. 
 
Senior Maddie O'Reilly returns for Michigan after leading the team in goals (36), assists (34), and points (70). Senior Sofie Pontré returns as well after starting all 19 games last season and tallying 21 steals and seven field blocks.
 
THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis gears up for this weekend after a split two weekends ago. Sophomore Taylor Halbauer led the Red Flash in goals with eight while freshman Emese Szucs was close behind with seven. Freshman Jenna Handali led the team in assists with six and Szucs not far behind with five. Sophomore Addison Williams led in steals with five on the weekend with Szucs adding four.
 
Junior Rosalinda Rivera picked up both the wins over Salem and collected 21 saves in four games. She played just under 76 minutes on the weekend and notched a steal.

3-FOR-3
Saint Francis earned all three weekly CWPA awards after the season's opening weekend. Freshman Jenna Handali was named Offensive Player of the Week and shared Co-Rookie honors with freshman Emese Szucs. Junior Rosalinda Rivera rounded out the awards sweep with a Defensive Player of the Week nod.

THE SCHEDULE
The rest of the Saint Francis' 2021 schedule, including the CWPA conference play format, will be announced in the near future.

Follow Saint Francis Water Polo on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.