Dec. 15, 2009

It was a USC reunion of sorts at the 2009 Holiday Cup last week, as eight different Women of Troy splashed down in Newport Beach, Calif., for competition with their respective national teams. International action came back to the USA from Dec. 9-13, bringing together USC women's water polo players from the United States, Canada, Russia and the Netherlands. By the final whistle, six past and present Trojans had finished on the podium at the Holiday Cup.

Four USC athletes hailed from the second-place United States squad, which finished unbeaten with two wins and three ties to place behind round-robin champion Australia. Trojan grads Erika Figge and Lauren Wenger welcomed current Trojans Kami Craig and Forel Davies to the water, with Davies making her first-ever appearance on the full U.S. Senior National team roster alongside relative USA veterans Craig, Figge and Wenger. Taking third at the 2009 Holiday Cup was Canada, which got significant help from a pair of Women of Troy - recent grad Rosanna Tomiuk and current junior Joelle Bekhazi.

Finishing in the next two slots in the six-team round-robin tournament were two more Trojans. A fixture on the Russian team for over a decade, Sofia Konoukh helped Russia finish fourth. And 2008 Olympic gold-medalist Ilse van der Meijden capped up in goal once again for her Dutch team, as the Netherlands took fifth in the action.