Copyright © 2002 UPA
741 Pearl Street, Side Suite
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Tollfree: 800-872-4384
Phone: 303-447-3472
Fax: 303-447-3483
Information:
Webmaster:

About the UPA (pdf)

2004 College Championships: Women's Division – Sunday 30 May

by Gwen Ambler

Day One Coverage
Day Two Coverage

Just as the first pull went up the skies opened and it started raining. Both teams were playing zone and had multiple chances to score, but Carleton drew first blood and then followed it up to take the lead 2-0. Switching to person defense as the skies cleared, Davis was able to capitalize off of Carleton turnovers and tied the score at 2-2. The next point saw Carleton's Chrissy Lee (#27) connect to Miranda Roth (#25) and Carleton lead 3-2. Davis set their four-person cup zone and after turnovers on both sides (a few incomplete hucks by Carleton and a dropped disc for Davis), Davis tied the game 3-3 off of a long forehand from Julie Baker (#11) to Sarah Pittiglio (#1). Carleton’s strategy seemed to be to huck for field position against Davis’ zone if Carleton’s offense had any difficulty gaining yards off of the swing. Maria Grigoryeva (#44) and Lee were the two handlers who put up the most hucks against Davis’ zone defense.

Unlike in the semifinals against Stanford, where Carleton’s strategy for hucking was effective because Roth was able to come down with a significant percentage of the team’s deep throws, Davis seemed to be able to minimize the efficacy of Carleton’s hucks with the defense of Danielle Manning (#17). Only a second-year player, Manning used her 5’11” height to get defensive blocks on most long throws that she made a play at. On offense, Davis clearly relied on the precision throws of Baker, who utilized her inside-out forehand to throw the next goal and give Davis’ its first lead of the game at 4-3.

Davis continued to play zone, using a four-person cup when Carleton was going upwind and using a three-person cup zone when Carleton had the wind at its back. Lindsey Riemenschneider (#22) and Brooke Babineau (#13) played in the cup and their experience helped generate turnovers and often forced Carleton’s offense backwards. Riemenschneider got a handblock and caught the goal that put Davis up 5-3 and she got a defensive block the very next point as well. However, a Davis drop on its own endzone line gave Carleton the chance it needed to score and bring the game within 1 point again at 5-4. After a missed connection between Roth and Kara Marlatt (#9) Davis scored on a forehand huck by Katja Bloomquist (#37). Roth and Marlatt connected the next point for a goal and the score stood at 6-5, Davis. After scoring, Carleton threw a zone of its own, but Davis worked the disc up the entire length of the field to maintain its lead at 7-5, thanks in part to two high-release backhands from Baker that gained yards on the weak side of the field and very patient swinging of the disc around Carleton’s three-person cup.

The next point saw Davis play its three-person cup again, and Manning made three skying blocks on defense. Carleton was playing person defense with a hard forehand trap and Davis turned it over forcing the disc up the sideline to closely guarded players. When Davis turned the disc over on its goal line after miscommunication between the thrower and cutter, Carleton punched it in with a throw from lefty Grivoreyva to Roth, 7-6. Carleton continued to trap forehand and shut down Davis cutters on the strong-side so completely that the disc was stalled. After a turnover for each team, Manning got another skying D block and then sprinted to the endzone to catch the goal from a forehand huck by Baker to take the half 8-6.

The early part of the second half saw more zone played by both teams. Carleton’s Jill Bingham (#15) got a defensive block in the zone and Carleton scored. The next point Carleton started playing zone and then switched to a clam. After a Davis turnover, Carleton worked the disc up the field against Davis’ zone to tie the game at 8-8, utilizing Maia Pinsky’s (#21) popping and Roth’s handling. Roth had shifted her position from playing deep in Carleton’s zone offense to handling and her inside-out forehand found the holes in Davis’ defense. Carleton continued to set their three-person cup zone, and this time Davis was able to penetrate by gaining yards on the swing and using a give-and-go sequence between Babineau and Riemenschneider. Davis increased its lead to 10-8 before Marlatt made a difficult grab to score for Carleton. After Davis turned the disc over after miscommunication on the dump cut, the team set its zone again. Lisa Kanner (#23) threw the score on the backhand side before the cup was able to set up and the score was tied at 10-10. The next point, Roth made a huge play for Carleton by laying out fully-extended for a catch then jumping up to throw a backhand huck that hit her cutter in stride for the score. Carleton had the lead at 11-10 for the first time in the second half.

Davis then tied it up on a forehand huck connection between Baker and Manning. Davis regained its lead 12-11 after another Manning defensive block and forehand huck by Baker. Carleton capitalized on a dropped disc by Davis to keep it close at 12-12. The next point Baker took an injury sub after hitting the ground hard on a bid for the disc. This was Baker’s first substitution of the game, but after Carleton dropped the disc on a swing pass, Davis scored without their star handler. Victoria Wilks (#99) threw a forehand huck to Manning for the score despite a lay-out bid on defense by Roth.

The next point saw multiple turnovers for both teams. Then Ann Barry (#22) made a layout catch for Carleton near the goal-line. A time-out was called but Carleton could not convert and Davis marched the disc back up the field. Carleton’s trapping defense was shutting down the cutters on the strong side before Wilks threw an upwind, cross-field hammer for the score to bring Davis to game-point at 14-12. The next point also had multiple turnovers for each team. The final straw was when Davis’ cup blocked a huck attempt and Baker threw the disc to Riemenschneider in the goal. Riemenschneider did not catch the pass, but a strip was called on Lee who had made a defensive play at the disc. Although Lee contested the strip, Riemenschneider went to the observers who upheld the strip call and pronounced the pass a goal. Game over. Davis won 15-12 in an intense battle not to be easily forgotten by anyone who was there that day.

Carleton had fought its way through arguably the tougher of the two roads to get to the Women’s Finals, by besting three top west coast teams: California-San Diego, California-Berkeley, and Stanford. Nonetheless, Davis came out on top in the final and earned the distinction of winning the College Championships without qualifying for the tournament the year before.

During half time of the finals, the spirit award winners were announced. In an unprecedented move that honored one of the more competitive teams at the tournament, Stanford won the spirit award for the first time in the school’s history.

In the consolation bracket on Saturday, Dartmouth and Iowa both finished higher than the teams’ original seeds and ended up tied for 9th place. Dartmouth beat NC State and Claremont, while Iowa beat Virginia and Illinois in the consolation games. Claremont and Illinois finished 11th/12th by beating Penn State and Rutgers, respectively. Penn State and Virginia finished 13/14, and NC State and Rutgers finished 15/16.

Congratulations to all the women who poured their heart and soul onto the fields in Burlington, WA, during Memorial Day weekend. Women’s College Ultimate continues to grow and continues to inspire.