Unbeaten UCLA Stays Atop Women’s Water Polo Poll; LMU Makes Big Jump

Unbeaten UCLA Stays Atop Women’s Water Polo Poll; LMU Makes Big Jump

The past two weeks, a number of teams have faced conference opponents in matches with postseason implications. Nowhere more significant was the contest between Fresno State and Loyola Marymount on March 23. Picked #1 and #2 in the Golden Coast Conference preseason poll, the Bulldogs and Lions met in early February—a Lion win. With a 12-8 decision last month, LMU made it two straight and created doubt about a fourth straight GCC title for the Bulldogs—while jumping to #6 in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association Women’s Varsity Poll.

CWPA Week 11 Women’s Varsity Poll

Stanford against UCLA may not be the same as Trojans vs Bruins but in women’s water polo this century, the Cardinal have been the gold standard (nine titles). The last time UCLA beat Stanford twice in a season: 2017—which was the last time the Bruins were favored for a national championship (and then Maggie Steffens happened). With a 15-8 win last Saturday in LA, they did it again—in convincing fashion.

Another rivalry game saw Wagner and LIU meet for the first time since the Sharks abruptly ended the Seahawks seven-year run of dominance in MAAC tournament play. Despite raucous LIU fans, Wagner pulled out a 13-10 win a week ago in Brooklyn. The teams face off again this weekend in Philadelphia part of a busy weekend of conference play. Hawai’i takes on Big West rivals UC-Irvine and Long Beach State, Stanford hosts USC and the top two teams in the CWPA—Princeton and Michigan—play at Bucknell.

1) UCLA (19-0; 4-0 MPSF); A 16-9 win last weekend over San Jose State and the blow out of Stanford on Saturday runs the Bruin’s MPSF record to 4-0 with. They visit Berkeley on April 13th; maybe the Golden Bears will answer the question: Can anyone stop the Bruins?

2) Hawai’i (16-3; 4-0 Big West); This is the Rainbow Wahine’s third time as #2 in the poll. But is everyone convinced they deserve this stature? A loss to Cal three weeks ago in Berkeley raised doubts Hawai’i can advance to an NCAA final. Matches at UC-Irvine this Friday and at Long Beach State on Sunday will indicate just how good the Wahine are. BTW, Hawai’i has lost its last two meetings with UCI by a single goal.

3 (T) USC (15-4; 2-0 MPSF); It started to seem like 2024 might not be the Trojans’ year—and then they gut out a win at home over Cal and Cutino favorite Isabel Williams and decisively beat Indiana the following weekend in Bloomington. A trip to Stanford this weekend may determine if it’s the Trojans who catch the Bruins.

3 (T) Stanford (14-4; 2-1 MPSF); It’s looking likely the Cardinal’s loss of four starters to the US national team takes them out of the mix for a third-straight national championship. Still, a win over the visiting Trojans this weekend puts them right behind the Bruins in the MPSF.

5) California (13-4; 2-1 MPSF); The Golden Bears and goalie Williams got out-defenced by USC in an 8-7 loss. It’s never a surprise when a team loses to the Trojans, it’s just Cal had previously beat Hawai’i and Indiana on consecutive weekends. The Golden Bears won decisively against Fresno State last Thursday and topped Arizona State last Saturday. Next week top-ranked UCLA comes to Berkeley.

6) Loyola Marymount (22-2; 4-0 GCC); In recognition that the Lions are now the GCC’s best team, they jumped six spots—their highest-ever position since the CWPA Poll began in 2008. With a 15-match win streak and losses to Arizona State and UC-Irvine, LMU is playing its best ball since the 2004 squad that went 31-4 and reached the NCAA title match.

Courtesy: Long Beach State

7) Long Beach State (18-6; 3-0 Big West); The Beach have ripped off 10 straight wins, including victories last week over Brown and California State University Northridge. Up this weekend: a tough UC-Davis squad and #2 Hawai’i—both at home. Beating the Wahine would thrust Head Coach Shana Welch’s squad into the picture for a national championship.

8 (T) UC-Irvine (14-9; 2-1 Big West); After overcoming a potentially season-disrupting controversy last season, it might be expected the Anteaters would roar this one. Playing their best ball of the season (four-match win streak) they face #2 Hawai’i this Friday in Irvine; a win and they are tops in the Big West. Also coming to UCI this weekend: UC-Davis.

8 (T) Fresno State (14-7; 2-1 GCC); It’s surprising how LMU has had its way with the Bulldogs, a team that earlier this year beat two MPSF teams ranked #1 (Stanford and USC)—a program first. It may just be that the Lions are just that good. More likely Head Coach Natalie Benson needs to let the ‘Dogs out—starting this weekend when FSU visits GCC rival Concordia.

10) Arizona State (21-6; 1-3 MPSF); the Sun Devils have enjoyed a remarkable rebound, including a 10 game improvement over 2023. More importantly, ASU appears to be closing the gap—at least this season—with the top teams in the MPSF: two-goal losses to UCLA and Cal as well as a single goal loss to Stanford. A win over Indiana in Tempe this weekend will double their conference wins from last year.

11) Michigan (17-8; 4-1 CWPA); Head Coach Cassie Churnside and the Wolverines have a pivotal match this weekend against CWPA leader Princeton in Lewisburg, PA. A win over the Tigers would demonstrate that Michigan is in the mix for its first NCAA berth since 2022, before Churnside came on board. A loss cements the gap between the CWPA’s top two teams.

12) UC-San Diego (14-9; 2-1 Big West); Last weekend Hawai;i snapped a seven-match Triton win streak. Road matches this weekend against Big West foes Cal State Fullerton and UC-Santa Barbara.

13) UC-Davis (8-14; 0-2 Big West); A big test for the Aggies: road contests against Long Beach State and UC-Irvine. Wins against either of these Big West leaders will validate the hard work of Head Coach Kandace Waldthaler and her players.

14) Indiana (18-6; 0-3 MPSF) The Hoosiers’ season has been so promising and—despite a three-match losing streak to UC-Davis, Cal and USC—will be a success if they find a way to beat Arizona State this weekend in Tempe.

15 (T) Princeton (16-6; 6-0 CWPA); A week ago the Tigers got a warm welcome home from the West Coast with a match against Iona from the MAAC. Facing Wagner, another MAAC was a nail-biter Princeton pulled out in OT. This weekend three games at Bucknell, including a match against CWPA rival Michigan for tops in the conference.

15 (T) UC-Santa Barbara (13-10; 1-2 Big West); Gauchos will play three matches this weekend, with a match Saturday against Concordia sandwiched between Big West foes CSUN on Friday and UC-San Diego on Sunday.

17) San Jose State (9-10; 0-3 MPSF); Tough sledding the past two weekends for the Spartans; losses to MPSF rivals UCLA and ASU. This weekend the Trojans of USC march in.

18) Harvard (10-9; 3-2 CWPA); The Crimson have been off for three weeks—an auspicious break given that their best performance of the season, a 10-9 loss to #8 Long Beach State, was their last match before the extended break. Harvard will either be refreshed or rusty when they travel this weekend to Bucknell for contests against the host Bison, Michigan and St. Francis, PA.

19) Wagner (22-4; 8-0 MAAC); No one from the MAAC can beat the Seahawks during the regular season—and almost never in the postseason. But LIU’s stunning win in last year’s MAAC final dented Wagner’s invincibility. Head Coach Josh Hower and his players extracted a measure of revenge a week ago in Brooklyn. The teams face each other again this weekend at Villanova; Wagner also plays Iona in Philadelphia.

20) Pacific (13-8; 2-2 GCC); A modest three-match win streak gives the Tigers momentum going into a conference match-up against Cal Baptist. The Lancers (10-14; 2-1 GCC) are just ahead of Pacific in the GCC standards. Next match for the Tigers: Fresno State on April 19.

NOTABLE:

USC’s visit to Bloomington was the first time in MPSF play the Trojans traveled to Indiana for a match. Primary a West Coast program—USC regularly travels to Tempe to face MPSF rival Arizona State—the Trojans last visited the Hoosier State in 2017, when they dropped a physical 11-10 match to Stanford in NCAAs.

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