CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Austin College women's water polo dropped a 26-6 decision against No. 1-ranked Pomona-Pitzer in the opening round of the NCAA Division III National Championships, as the host school and top-seeded Sagehens used a 13 goal second quarter to pull away from the No. 4-seeded 'Roos.

Austin College kept things close against the nation's top-ranked team in the first quarter, with the 'Roos trailing just 5-3 before Pomona-Pitzer outscored the 'Roos 13-1 in the second to surge ahead 18-4, and the Sagehens used an 8-2 second half, including a 5-1 score in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Ashley Chand scored twice to lead Austin College, while Bianca Gallegos, Alyssa Ross, Cory McGrath, and Caroline Armstrong each found the back of the cage once in the loss. Joslyn Dimitri added two assists for the 'Roos, who will take on No. 3-seed Augustana, who edged Austin College in the CWPA title game last month, with game time set for 10:00 a.m. PDT on Sunday morning in the national third place game.