KENOSHA, Wis. – The Macalester College water polo team completed play at the CWPA West Regional on Sunday with wins over Grove City College and Austin College. The results leave the Scots with a 5-3 record overall and a 3-1 CWPA mark on the weekend.

Macalester opened the first match of the day, against Grove City, with a tremendous first quarter. The team scored six goals, first-year Alice Lemmon (Evanston,Ill./Evanston Township) and senior Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) each netted one, and sophomore Anna Gaisser (Seattle, Wash./Ingraham) and senior Kendall Strauss (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock) scored two goals each. The team entered the second up 6-1, but their lead would shrink as Grove City tallied four goals in the second. Lemmon had another goal, closing the half up two, 7-5.

Though they gained some momentum, Grove City wouldn't be able to overcome the Scots. The teams traded goals for the rest of the match, with senior Alana Nadolski (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) and Gaisser each scoring once in the second. Nadolski was on a heater, scoring two more points in the fourth. Senior Lorelei Bell (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) also found the net in the fourth, and although the Wolverines matched pace, the Scots won 12-10. 

Nadolski and Gaisser were the leading scorers for the Scots, with three goals each, and first-year goalkeeper Myles Kratz (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) had 10 saves in goal. 

The second game, against Austin College, began bleakly. Austin scored five goals in the first quarter and three in the second. Nadolski and first-year Reese Winegar (Hoffman Estates, Ill./William Fremd) netted one Macalester goal each in the first half, but the team entered the half down 8-2.

The Scots had an incredible turnaround in the third. Palmer-Sammons scored, followed by Strauss, and then another by Palmer-Sammons. The Scots were now only down three. Nadolski would go back-to-back to counter an Austin goal and bring the score to 9-7. Another goal each by Palmer-Sammons and Gaisser and the Scots were within striking distance: 10-9 going into the fourth.

The Scots kept their momentum, delivering four goals during the fourth quarter, two from Nadolski and singles from Gaisser and Strauss. But Austin's Bianca Gallegos went on a heater with three makes, sending the game into overtime, 13-13. 

Palmer-Sammons had the first overtime success, and Gaisser followed. Although Austin got one more goal with 23 seconds on the clock, the Scots had run away with it and earned the 15-14 win.

Nadolski led the Scots with five goals, and senior goalkeeper Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) had 20 saves on goal. 

Macalester heads to California for the Scots' annual Spring Break trip. The team will play five different opponents in three days, starting with a match at Caltech on Thursday, March 19 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific in Pasadena, Calif.

MAC – 6 1 2 3 - 12
Grove City – 1 4 2 3 - 10
Macalester goals: Nadolski 3, Gaisser 3, Strauss 2, Lemmon 2, Bell 1, Palmer-Sammons 1

MAC – 1 1 7 4 OT 2 - 15
Austin – 5 3 2 3 OT 1 - 14
Macalester goals: Nadolski 5, Palmer-Sammons 4, Gaisser 3, Strauss 2, Winegar 1