Meet the Powderpuff playoff contenders

Wiess College Powderpuff players huddle during practice Sunday, Nov. 10. Wiess is the only undefeated team in the playoffs this year. Cayden Chen / Thresher

By Evie Vu 11/12/24 10:20pm

As the Powderpuff regular season comes to a close, six colleges vie for the coveted championship scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23. With the most players of any intramural sport, Powderpuff is not taken lightly. Each team practices weekly, coached by members of the Rice community, to prepare for weekend games. Representatives from each team shared their regular season highlights and memories in preparation for the postseason.

* Asterisks indicate quoted members.

Wiess Powderpuff

Regular season record: 5-0-0

Captains: Kayla Bierman ’25*

Coaches: Savan Patel ’26, Mason Howell ’25, Matthew Edelstein ’25

Stand-out players:

KB: Something unique about Wiess Powderpuff is we don’t just have one player who carries the whole team. Our team is strong all around. We are very confident that with any seven on the field, we’ll be able to pull out a great game.

Team description:

KB: We have a lot of passion. We’re very dedicated. People like to say Wiess tries really hard but it just shows the dedication our players have. We’re very blessed to have very athletic people at Wiess as well.

Fondest Powderpuff memory:

KB: Before every game, we have a pregame meeting. The coaches will put on football clips, and we’ll bond and get into a headspace. That’s always a highlight of our week because it creates a team dynamic that’s beyond just playing together. [We’re] friends first and then teammates.

Warning for their opponents:

KB: Wiess wants it.

Siddy Girls

Regular season record: 3-1-0

Captains: Jess Dooley ’25*, Sienna Tu ’25, Diya Vettical ’27

Coaches: Dylan Council ’26, Giulio Valfre Zaydenman ’26

Stand-out players:

JD: Sopheena Toovey ’25 always pumps up team spirit by cheering everyone on and playing music while we walk to and from practice. She also always has the cutest outfits and game-day sunnies.

Tyra Helper ’28 plays two [flag football] games in the scorching midday heat, –freshmen flag and then powderpuff – and has the best attitude. Cecilia Visco ’25 and Harriet Shapiro ’28 have such consistent attendance for practice and games even though they have busy schedules.

Team description:

JD: High-energy, encouraging and competitive. We make a point to cheer everyone on during practice and in games and value everyone’s contributions. We also ensure everyone plays about an equal amount because we know all of our players have what it takes to beat our opponents.

Fondest Powderpuff memory:

JD: When we walk to and from practice. Soph is always playing music, we chat about how our weeks have been, and reflect on the funny things that have happened during games. Our team supports each other on and off the field.

Warning for their opponents:

JD: Our players want opponents to know to watch out. We are coming ready to win.

Hanszen Women Kick Ass

Regular season record: 3-1-1

Captains: Whitney Ball ’25, Victoria Albanese ’25

Coaches: Elena Schwegman ’25*, Jonah Lubin ’25, Ben Montag ’25, Sebastian Molina ’25

Stand-out players:

ES: We were able to recruit a lot of freshmen, and even some sophomores who hadn’t played before, to join the team this year. Their participation and eagerness to learn and play has been the biggest standout. We have had a big, athletic team of girls who really love to play and give full effort all the time.

Team description:

ES: Hardworking, quick-learners, high-energy and fun.

Fondest Powderpuff memory:

ES: One of the fondest memories I have happened at the beginning of the season for our team this year. We have a tradition for our team called Gin Bucket, a big team-bonding gathering that we do before our first game every year. We had a huge turnout for it this year and it really helped us get closer, especially since we do have a young team with a lot of new girls.

We had everyone do a karaoke song of their choice to break the ice at Gin Bucket, which was absolutely hilarious.

Warning for their opponents:

ES: Hanszen Women Kick Ass!

Baker Powderpuff

Regular season record: 2-1-1

Captains: Piper Winn ’25*, Olivia Robson ’25, Alice Owens ’25

Coaches: Nick Harrison ’25, Sutter Armistead ’26, Malcolm Wigder ’26

Stand-out players:

PW: We had some freshmen join the team this year who have brought a lot of new skill and energy. Our quarterbacks Ana Rivera ’26 and Alice Owens ’25 are also very strong, talented players.

Team description:

PW: We like to win and have fun doing it.

Fondest Powderpuff memory:

PW: My fondest Powderpuff memory was a game we played my freshman year. We played a really great game as a team and had a lot of Bakerites come watch and support. The vibes were really high and it brought us closer together as a team, which is one of my favorite aspects of Powderpuff.

Warning for their opponents:

PW: Our opponents should know to watch out for us in the playoffs, we’re coming for you, Hanszen.

Duncan College

Regular season record: 3-1-0

Captains: Chloe Singer ’25*, Ameenat Adisa ’27

Coaches: Winston Liaw (magister), Colin Buechler-Neimeyer ’26, Ian Kleppinger ’26, Ian Oliver ’25, Sean Weiss ’27, Griffin Arndt ’27

Stand-out players:

CS: Ameenat is kind of our do-it-all person. She’s so quick, so fast. Jocelyn, a transfer student, has been a huge impact player for our team as wide receiver. We have a lot of great freshmen that joined our team.

Team description:

CS: Determined, energetic, talented.

Fondest Powderpuff memory:

CS: Our Lovett game was our stand-out game. We mercied Lovett 39-0, and you don’t get moments like that very often in Powderpuff. We just played such a complete game from start to finish, and every single person contributed in making that happen.

Warning for their opponents:

CS: Watch out. When our team is playing at our best, we can beat anyone.

Martel Moms

Captains: Priya Bapna ’25*, Lili Nikolova ’25

Coaches: Marco Stine ’25, Ethan Nguyen ’25, Seth Davidson ’25

Stand-out players:

PB: Everyone on our team has shown incredible skill and commitment this season. Abby Thomson ’27 and Jenny In ’28 have been amazing quarterbacks and Claire Callaway ’26 is one of the fastest runners I’ve seen.

Team description:

PB: We started out this season with zero plays, barely 7 players and no idea what the rules were. Lili and I started the team because we wanted to bring some team spirit back into Martel, especially during our last year at Rice.

We had no idea the team would make it to the playoffs .. The girls have been working so hard to win each game.

We’ve built a strong dynamic and connection over time within our team, and I think that coupled with our sheer determination is what has enabled us to make it this far. I think that’s the best way to characterize it: scrappy but fierce.

Fondest Powderpuff memory:

PB: Winning the Jones game because a lot of our friends showed up, and it was very exciting because everyone was cheering and screaming. It was our first win. Also, when we found out we were going to the playoffs, confirmed by the Wiess-Jones game. We were super happy, and Wiess was celebrating too.”

Warning for their opponents:

PB: Don’t underestimate us. Martel is not known as the most competitive or athletic of the colleges, but we are ready to bring it on for playoffs. No one thought we’d win a game and here we are. We want our opponents to know that we’re going in strong, and we plan to win.