WHITTIER, Calif. – The Macalester College water polo team began its Spring Break trip to California with a 10-8 victory over Whittier College Friday night at Slade Aquatics Center. Sophomore Alana Nadolski (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) scored five goals in the win to help the Scots improve to 3-2 on the season. The Poets dropped to 2-14 with the loss.

Both teams opened the match with three goals apiece in the first quarter. Nadolski scored a pair of goals sandwiched around a goal by first year Pooja Bucklin (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn). After Whittier found the net early in the second quarter, sophomore Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) and Nadolski tallied back-to-back goals to give Macalester a 5-4 lead at halftime.

Over the first 3:15 of the third quarter, Nadolski registered her fourth and fifth goals of the match to make the score 7-4 Scots. The Poets responded with three straight goals to close out the quarter and tie the match at 7-7. Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Whittier scored to take an 8-7 lead. Macalester battled back, with junior Sian Lewandowski (North Haven, Conn./Williston Northampton) tying the game with a goal at the 4:43 mark. Then Palmer-Sammons and sophomore Lorelei Bell (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) tallied back-to-back goals in a one-minute span to regain the upper hand, 10-8. The Poets managed just one shot on goal the rest of the way, and sophomore Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) made the save as the Scots closed out the win.

Kratt and senior Laurel O'Hare (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) split the goalkeeping duties, with O'Hare making two saves in the first half and Kratt recording three saves in the second half.

Next up for Macalester is a match at Chapman University on Saturday, Mar. 9. Game time is set for 9:00 p.m. Central in Orange, Calif.

MAC – 3 2 2 3 - 10
WC – 3 1 3 1 - 8
Macalester goals: Nadolski 5, Palmer-Sammons 2, Bucklin, Lewandowski, Bell