Chance renewed for NCAA championship

Published: Thursday, December 5, 1996

Thursday, December 5, 1996

M. WATER POLO:

Bruins awarded at-large berth in tournament despite season of ups and downsBy Greg Calvert

Daily Bruin Contributor

The UCLA men's water polo team has been granted new life. Despite losing two of three games and placing sixth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament in Berkeley last weekend, the Bruins were selected to compete for the NCAA Championship. The tournament will be held at UC San Diego's Canyonview Pool this Friday and Sunday.

This year's invitation marks the third consecutive NCAA tournament berth for the UCLA squad. The Bruins (22-6) will play UC Davis (19-13) in a semifinal match at 7:30 p.m. Friday, following the 6 p.m. semifinal match between top-ranked USC (22-2) and the University of Massachusetts (22-7).

The two winners will face off on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. for the title, which will follow the third-place match at 1 p.m. The Trojans are in search of their first-ever NCAA water polo title, while the Bruins hope to return to their earlier form and repeat as the national champions.

UC Davis captured the Western Water Polo Association title to earn its first NCAA berth since 1975, while UMass won the Collegiate Water Polo Association championship to return to the NCAA championship for the fourth consecutive year.

USC proved its dominance by rolling over Stanford in the MPSF championship match last weekend.

How UCLA earned the at-large bid is a mystery to many, but the numbers may prove the Bruins to be the worthy choice. The final bid was to be given to either Stanford (18-7) or UCLA. Despite their poor play at the end of the regular season, UCLA still holds a better overall record and has won two of the games against the Cardinal this season.

Stanford finished ranked second in the nation and was the runner-up in the MPSF tournament, but that wasn't enough to send them to the NCAAs.

This season for the Bruins has been a roller coaster for fans and players alike. Early-season victories and tournament titles gave hope that UCLA would have another stellar season. The Bruins won the Southern California Tournament in September, capped by an overtime victory against the Trojans. UCLA clinched the Air Force Tournament later that same month.

The Bruins were rolling into October, where they entered the final match of the Northern California Tournament in Stockton with an undefeated 13-0 record. The Trojans, however, were still bitter from their loss in the Southern California Tournament, and defeated UCLA, 13-8.

UCLA and USC have met twice since their Stockton match, with both contests ending in Trojan victories.

USC has performed remarkably well throughout the season losing only to UCLA and Stanford and possesses the top seed for the NCAA tournament.

The Bruin squad has been busy in and out of the pool. After accepting the notion that their season had ended in Berkeley and chuckling nervously at the idea that they were still "in the lead" for the at-large bid, the Bruins are back at practice. They've studied tapes of USC and developed strategies that will help them come out on top.

UCLA needs to be effective on the offensive side of the pool, and continue their intense defense. In six-on-five advantage situations, the Bruins need to step up and convert on every opportunity. If the Bruins can return their passing to the level it was a year ago, and consistently move the ball, they will have every shot of taking the title.

In the last match between the two Los Angeles teams, USC came out on fire and took UCLA out of the game from the opening sprint. They outscored the Bruins 5-0 in the first quarter, and UCLA never recovered. USC's ability to capitalize on this effective strategy will leave few obstacles in their way to the NCAA title.

If UCLA is to have any hope of winning, they need to keep focused and rise to a collective potential that they have yet to attain this season. The talent is heavy on the Bruin squad. With guys like Jim Toring, Corbin Graham, Jeremy Braxton-Brown, Luther Weidner, Steve Covec, Randy Wright and goal keeper Matt Swanson, the Bruins have the possibility to defeat any team.