The busiest weekend of women’s water polo action on the globe takes place in this weekend.
This weekend marks the culmination of the water polo season for dozens of teams across the USA. Conference finals are the ultimate test of a team’s mettle, where champions are crowned, and coveted places for the NCAA finals are secured. Of the seven conference finals being played, we’ll be focusing our attention on the four most prestigious: the MPSF, Big West, GCC, and CWPA.
But make no mistake, while conference titles are certainly prestigious, securing a berth in the NCAA championship finals is the ultimate prize. Winning your conference title is the key to unlocking that door and gaining entry into the national finals.
There is a carnival feel across the nation as the various conferences come to a head. With a glut of action forthcoming this weekend, be in the know with Total Waterpolo’s preview to one of the biggest weekend’s in the women’s water polo calendar.
MPSF (San Jose State University, California)
Participating teams (listed by seeding) – USC, Stanford, UCLA, California, Indiana, Arizona State, San Jose
The MPSF is the cream of the crop when it comes to water polo conferences, and for good reason. Every NCAA national champion has emerged from this fiercely competitive league. The top three teams in the country, including USC, Stanford, UCLA, as well as California, all battle it out for the coveted championship title.
8 UCLA have the most MPSF titles (8). USC trail by one (7), with Stanford on five, and Cal Berkeley with one
USC, currently unbeaten and ranked number one, are the team to beat. Riding high on a thirteen-game winning streak, the Trojans are favourites to clinch the championship. Their impressive regular-season finish means they skip the quarter-finals and head straight into the semi-finals, where they will face the winner between California and Indiana.
64 Bayley Weber (USC) is the MPSF’s leading goal scorer with 64 goals.
The Golden Bears will fancy their chances against Indiana, but they cannot afford to take the Hoosiers lightly. Their earlier encounter this season ended in a narrow 9-7 victory for California, but they will need to up their game to progress further.
231 Cal’s keeper Isabel Williams has the most saves in the MPSF with 231.
Meanwhile, Stanford, the reigning conference and NCAA champions, will likely face off against UCLA in the semi-finals, but first, they must dispatch San Jose in the quarter-finals. The Cardinal have already handed the hosts two resounding defeats this season (22-1 and 21-2), so it would be a colossal upset if they fail to progress.
Stanford is most likely to meet UCLA in the semi-finals, but the Bruins first have to bypass Arizona State – who won their one and only conference game last weekend against San Jose. Adam Wright’s team enjoyed a fairly routine win in UCLA’s conference meeting with the Sun Devils (17-10).
Championship Schedule
Friday 28th April – Quarter-finals
20:00 – Stanford vs San Jose State
21:45 – UCLA vs Arizona State
23:30 – California vs Indiana
Saturday 29th April – Semi-finals
21:45 – Semi-final 1
23:30 – Semi-final 2 – USC vs California/Indiana
Sunday 30th April – Finals
21:45 – 3rd-place game
23:30 – Final
Big West Conference (UC Santa Barbara, California)
Participating teams (listed by seeding) – UC Irvine, Hawaii, Long Beach State, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, CSUN, Cal State Fullerton.
The Big West Conference is rapidly expanding, both in size and stature. This year, for the first time, the conference boasts eight teams, making for an exciting straight quarter-final bracket. While one team remains unbeaten, several others are eager to make their mark on the tournament.
UC Irvine, with an unblemished record of seven wins from seven games, sits atop the standings and is the top seed. The Anteaters are poised to take down Cal State Fullerton in the quarter-finals, but they know that their path to glory won’t be easy. They were pushed to the limit by second-seeded Hawaii (11-10) and third-seeded Long Beach State (11-9) in the regular season, proving that the competition in the conference is fierce.
5 UC Irvine has completed the regular season in the Big West with a perfect record for the fifth time.
If the reigning champions progress as expected to the semi-finals, they will face either 4th seeds San Diego or 5th seeds UC Davis. The quarter-final between those teams promises to be an intriguing match-up, with the teams having already clashed three times this season. The Tritons have emerged victorious twice, while the Aggies took the honours at the Kalbus Invitational.
Hawaii and Long Beach State are hot on UC Irvine’s heels, and it’s highly likely that they will go head-to-head in the semi-finals. Before that, however, the Rainbow Wahine must overcome CSUN, while the Beach is expected to dispatch the hosts, Santa Barbara.
Championship Schedule
Friday 28th April – Quarter-finals
18:00 – UC Irvine vs Cal State Fullerton
20:00 – UC San Diego vs UC Davis
22:00 – Hawaii vs CSUN
00:00 – Long Beach State vs UC Santa Barbara
Saturday 29th April – Semi-finals
20:00 – Semi-final 1
22:00 – Semi-final 2
Sunday 30th April – Finals
19:00 – Final
Golden Coast Conference (San Diego, California)
Participating teams (listed by seeding) – Fresno State, LMU, Pacific, San Diego State, Concordia, Azusa Pacific, Santa Clara, Cal Baptist
The Golden Coast Conference is home to some big water polo programs, and one team has been reigning supreme so far. The quarter-finals may seem like a mere formality, but the real competition is set to begin from thereon.
The Fresno State Bulldogs, last season’s champions, have emerged from the first phase of games with a spotless record. It’s safe to say that they’re heavy favourites to make it to the finals. The real question is, who will challenge them for the title? The two frontrunners for that honour are LMU and Pacific. Both teams fell 10-7 to Fresno in conference play, and both are hungry for a rematch.
3 Fresno are bidding to win their third successive GCC championship title.
Pacific managed to beat Loyola Marymount 14-10 in their last meeting, but it’s hard to tell if they’ll be able to replicate that feat if they face off again. The Tigers are sure to bring their A-game, but the Bulldogs will be a formidable opponent that won’t go down without a fight.
Championship Schedule
Friday 28th April – Quarter-finals
19:00 – Pacific vs Azusa Pacific
21:00 – LMU vs Santa Clara
23:00 – San Diego vs Concordia
01:00 – Fresno State vs Cal Baptist
Saturday 29th April – Semi-finals
23:00 – Semi-Final 1
01:00 – Semi Final 2
Sunday 30th April – Finals
22:00 – Final
CWPA Conference (Princeton, New Jersey)
Participating teams (listed by seeding) – Princeton, Michigan, Harvard, Brown, Saint Francis, Bucknell
The CWPA conference has been one of the most tightly contested conferences this season, with Princeton and Michigan battling it out for the top spot right up until the end. In fact, the only thing that could separate the two was goal difference. These two teams have gone head-to-head twice already this season, and it’s one win apiece. Princeton took the first match 11-9, but Michigan got their revenge in a nail-biting encounter in Ann Arbor, with a 7-6 victory. With both teams progressing straight to the semi-finals, we could be in for an epic third meeting between the two, with much more at stake than just bragging rights; the coveted CWPA championship title will be on the line.
9/ Team USA and Princeton’s Jovana Sekulic is on a hot streak, scoring nine hat-tricks in her last ten matches!
Championship Schedule
Friday 28th April – Quarter-finals
22:00 – Harvard vs Bucknell
00:00 – Brown University vs Saint Francis
Saturday 29th April – Semi-finals
18:00 – Semi-final 1 – Princeton vs Brown/ Saint Francis
20:00 – Semi-final 2 – Michigan vs Havard/ Bucknell
Sunday 30th April – Finals
16:00 – Third-place game
18:00 – Final
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