The University of Redlands women's water polo team opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Saturday with an exciting 10-8 victory over the visiting Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

After a back-and-forth battle, the teams faced a knotted score of five all after three periods.  The fourth quarter saw a fury of goals with the Bulldogs finally edging out the Athenas in the waning plays of the game.

The Maroon and Gray benefited from the strong offensive play of junior center Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR), who uncorked a game-high five goals. Junior center Joy Corona (Lake Bluff, IL) offered the only other multi-score performance for the Bulldogs with a pair of netters. Sophomore center-defender Mandy Nussbaum (Bellevue, WA), junior driver Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA), and sophomore driver Moana Tuipulotu (Lahaina, HI) provided one goal apiece.

Freshman goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) stepped up her play in the cage by making seven saves.

Redlands (13-8, 1-0 SCIAC) makes the trek to Cal Lutheran on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. tilt against the Regals.