{"id":421369,"date":"2020-03-08T00:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-08T07:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=421369"},"modified":"2020-03-08T09:53:53","modified_gmt":"2020-03-08T16:53:53","slug":"conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/","title":{"rendered":"CWPA Top 25: Conference Play Is Now Primary in NCAA Women’s Water Polo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost two months into the NCAA varsity women’s water polo season, individual conference play moves front and center. The six conferences that will send teams to the national championship\u2014The Big West, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the Golden Coast Conference (GCC), the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA)\u2014now focus on the process of post-season seeding based upon regular season results. Tournament winners\u00a0 will each earn an automatic NCAA berth; three at-large berths will also be decided by a selection committee.<\/p>\n

[Almost a Wrap! 2020 Swimming World Women\u2019s Water Polo Conference Previews Are Live<\/em><\/a>]<\/p>\n

The CWPA Top-25 was virtually unchanged<\/a> from last week, with the only difference being Cal State East Bay move into the poll for the first time this season.<\/p>\n

#1 USC (12-1; 1-0 MPSF);<\/strong> in what may turn out to be a game of revolving chairs among the top three teams in the country, last week the Trojans supplanted the Cardinal as the nation\u2019s top team, then picked up their first conference win, going on the road to beat San Jose State 15-11. The biggest key to USC\u2019s success thus far is the emergence of Holly Parker<\/strong> as Head Coach Marko Pintaric\u2019s<\/strong> top goalie. This weekend for the Trojans? Rest up for a March 14 conference match with Cal.<\/p>\n

#2 (T) Stanford (14-1);<\/strong> After a deflating loss to USC in the Kalbus Invite, the Cardinal quickly righted the ship, with wins last weekend over UC San Diego and Long Island University. Sunday presents their first conference test of 2020, as Stanford welcomed a revitalized Arizona State to Avery Aquatic Center. Is it parity due to an Olympic year that the Sun Devils\u2014who have never bested the Cardinals in 23 attempts\u2014have a shot at an upset?<\/p>\n

#2 (T) UCLA (18-2; 2-0 MPSF);<\/strong> with a core of youngsters brought in since taking the reins of the women\u2019s program in 2018, Bruin Head Coach Adam Wright may be in a better position than his MPSF peers. UCLA has been out of the title picture since a brutal loss to Stanford in the 2017 final, so expectations were lower during Wright\u2019s first two years. Now, with freshman Abbi Hill<\/strong> and sophomores Val Ayala<\/strong> and Ava Johnson<\/strong>, he has a core that may surprise in the coming months. They passed their first big conference test, handily beating Cal 11-5 on Saturday . Sunday it\u2019s a visit to Pacific and a contest against the sinking Tigers.<\/p>\n

\"ayala-best-apr19\"

UCLA’s Val Ayala. Photo Courtesy: Minette Rubin<\/p><\/div>\n

#4 Hawai\u2019i (11-2);<\/strong> two losses in their final two matches put the Rainbow Wahine a program-best fourth at the Kalbus Invitational. In those loses, they played Stanford tough but could not keep up with UCLA in the fourth period of a 10-5 decision; the goal now for Head Coach Maureen Cole<\/strong> is to get ready for The Big West season; Hawai\u2019i opens conference play next weekend with a trip to La Jolla and Big West newcomer UC San Diego.<\/p>\n

5 UC Irvine (14-5; 1-0 Big West);<\/strong> in Tara Prentice<\/strong>, the Anteaters may have the country\u2019s top player this season. The senior from Temecula, California has 53 goals in 18 matches and could top the century mark in her final season in Irvine. More pressing than stats though was a road match-up Saturday against Big West rival UC Davis\u2014a 14-8 win\u2014then a rematch against Cal on Sunday; UCI has split two previous matches against the Golden Bears this season.<\/p>\n

#6 Arizona State (12-4; 1-0 MPSF); <\/strong>outside of a loss to UC Irvine in the fifth-place match of the Kalbus Invite, Sun Devil Head Coach Todd Clapper<\/strong> has to be pleased with his team\u2019s performance thus far. Two losses to Hawai\u2019i and a stumble against UCLA are the only other blemishes on ASU\u2019s 2020 record. A decisive MPSF win on Saturday against San Jose State is likely to be followed by a loss Sunday to conference rival Stanford at Avery A respectable margin would be good; a win over the Cardinal would turn the MPSF on its collective head.<\/p>\n

#7 Michigan (11-8);<\/strong> just when it appeared that the Wolverines were falling behind the best of the West, a huge win over Cal in the Kalbus Invite ignited their season. Five straight wins\u2014including a sweep of four opponents in Ann Arbor last weekend\u2014gives Head Coach Marcelo Leonardi\u2019s<\/strong> squad momentum going into March. Unfortunately, they\u2019ll have to wait to pick things up; Michigan won\u2019t play again until a March 21 clash with former CWPA rival Indiana in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

#8 (T) Cal-Berkeley (11-6; 0-1 MPSF);<\/strong> to quote Yogi Berra<\/strong>, the noted philosopher, \u201cIt gets late early around here!\u201d So it is for Head Coach Coralie Simmons\u2019<\/strong> team; a Saturday loss to UCLA indicates that the Golden Bears can\u2019t keep up with the MPSF\u2019s best\u2014and will be scrapping with conference foe Arizona State or a Big West squad for the final NCAA at-large bid. Simmons, a former Bruin star under Adam Krikorian<\/strong>, is known as a big-time performer. Perhaps her newcomers have yet to absorb their coach\u2019s lessons.<\/p>\n

\"berra-early-mar20\"

Photo Courtesy: Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center<\/p><\/div>\n

#8 (T) UC Santa Barbara (12-8; 0-1 GCC);<\/strong> the Gauchos picked up a couple of wins Friday over DIII programs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer\u2014a welcome warm-up after being idle for two weeks. Saturday was a much bigger test, as Cal-State Northridge (CSUN) comes to Santa Barbara in UCSB\u2019s first conference match of 2020. A 9-8 overtime win against a tough Matador team demonstrates the Gauchos are in the mix for top GCC honors.<\/p>\n

#10 UC San Diego (13-7; 0-1 Big West);<\/strong> the Tritons, with wins over Cal and UC Santa Barbara, and a narrow loss to UCLA, have shown they\u2019re worthy of a Top-Ten ranking. Now, UCSD\u2014in its first season of Big West play\u2013must prove it belongs in the conference. That started Saturday with a 6-4 loss to Big West foe Long Beach.<\/p>\n

#11 Fresno State (8-7);<\/strong> the Bulldogs had righted their ship\u2014five straight wins including victories over Pacific and UC Davis. Next up is conference play on March 27 and 28, against GCC foes Cal Baptist and San Diego State. Goalie\u2014an issue for Head Coach Natalie Benson<\/strong> going into the season\u2014seems to be resolving itself. Thus far freshman Paula Nieto Jasny<\/strong> has gotten the bulk of playing time in the Bulldog cage, delivering a goals against average under 10.<\/p>\n

#12 Loyola Marymount (12-6);<\/strong> right now, there are three contenders for the GCC title; the Bulldogs, the Aztecs of San Diego State and the Lions of LMU. After a weekend off, Head Coach Kyle Witt\u2019s<\/strong> squad got back in the water Friday at the Claremont Convergence, with wins against Cal State Monterey Bay and La Salle from Philadelphia on Friday and against Saint Francis University\u2014another Pennsylvania school\u2014and Concordia on Saturday. Sunday it’s rest.<\/p>\n

#13 San Jose State (5-12; 0-3 MPSF);<\/strong> the Spartans have been far more competitive than their record indicates, including a four-goal loss to USC last week. Saturday\u2019s match-up against Arizona State offered a chance for SJSU to escape the MPSF cellar; the Spartans upset the Sun Devils last year in the regular season. Not this time; it’s a 14-7 loss, the Spartans fourth straight.<\/p>\n

\"BLOOMINGTON,

Indiana’s Tina Doherty (48 goals). Photo Courtesy: Missy Minear\/Indiana Athletics<\/p><\/div>\n

#14 Indiana (12-5); <\/strong>if UC San Diego is the biggest surprise so far this season, Indiana is a close second. A year after a 6-17 campaign, the Hoosiers are riding an nine-game winning streak and\u2014with wins Saturday against DII opponent Mercyhurst and DIII Cal Lutheran\u2014just doubled their 2019 win total. A match Saturday against McKendree should make it ten in a row before a trip next week to Los Angeles for MPSF matches against UCLA and USC.<\/p>\n

#15 Long Beach State (12-6; 1-0);<\/strong> with a Big West match at home Saturday against UC San Diego, the 49ers opened conference play with a win over a conference newcomer. They should pad their win total next weekend as they\u2019ll face six-straight Eastern opponents before a crucial road match-up against Hawai\u2019i on March 21.<\/p>\n

#16 San Diego State (9-9; 3-0 GCC);<\/strong> offense has be a challenge for the Aztec this season, but the key takeaway so far is a 3-0 in conference play, including wins over Santa Clara on Friday and Pacific on Saturday, putting SDSU at the top of the GCC standings. More good news was the hiring this week of former Aztec Alyssa Diacono<\/strong> to lead a mew men’s and women’s water polo program at Mount St. Mary’s.<\/p>\n

[Alyssa Diacono to Lead New Men\u2019s, Women\u2019s Water Polo Program at Mount St. Mary\u2019s<\/a><\/em>]<\/p>\n

#17 Harvard (11-2);<\/strong> the Crimson, hosting their own invitational this weekend, absorbed only their second loss of the season when they dropped a 12-11 decision on Saturday to Marist. Harvard has a match Sunday in Cambridge against Cal State East Bay, then travels West next weekend for their season\u2019s toughest stretch, with CSUN, UC San Diego, Hawai\u2019i, Whittier and Pomona-Pitzer.<\/p>\n

#18 UC Davis (8-12; 0-1 Big West); <\/strong>after opening the season ranked 10th , losses in nine of their past 11 games have sent the Aggies plummeting in the polls. UC Irvine helped pile on Saturday, beating UC Davis 14-8 in the first Big West match-up of the season for either team. The last time UCD beat it\u2019s fellow UC school was 2018.<\/p>\n

#19 Wagner (13-5; 2-0 MAAC);<\/strong> when the Seahawks enter conference play, the question becomes: when will a MAAC school stop them? No one has over a span of five years \/ 59 matches; this weekend and next they compete against non-conference opponents. The biggest hurdle at the Harvard Invite is Bucknell on Sunday; then it\u2019s off to San Diego for another match against the Bison, then host San Diego State, Long Beach State and Hawai\u2019i.<\/p>\n

#20 Princeton (8-3; 1-0 CWPA);<\/strong> a lite schedule early in the season\u2014UCLA has played twice as many matches\u2014means the pace picks up in March, when the Tigers play 15 matches. But, not until next weekend at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego; besides Villanova, Princeton will face CSUN, UC San Diego and Hawai\u2019i\u2014a good way to kickstart play for the Tigers.<\/p>\n

#21 Cal State Northridge (13-6; 0-2 GCC);<\/strong> the Matadors have enjoyed a great start to their season, but the reality is\u2014after an 8-9 OT loss to UC Santa Barbara\u2014they are already 0-2 in Big West play. What\u2019s frustrating is that goalie Meghan Lopez<\/strong> stopped 17 Gaucho attempts, CSUN rallied from a one-goal deficit with 25 second remaining in regulation, and they still lost.<\/p>\n

#22 Bucknell (14-3);<\/strong> the Bison have a lot of wins, but it’s the losses that are most instructive, in particular the 15-6 non-conference loss to Michigan last weekend in Ann Arbor. Between them, Ally Furano<\/strong> (78 goals) and Kali Hyham<\/strong> (55 goals) have more than half of Bucknell\u2019s total this season; against the Wolverines they scored four times. A rematch Sunday in Cambridge against Wagner\u2014who beat them a month ago in Lewisburg\u2014will be a good measuring stick for the Bison.<\/p>\n

#23 Pacific (3-12; 1-1 GCC);<\/strong> on Friday, the Tigers broke their 10-match losing streak, beating GCC foe Azusa Pacific. Saturday saw them drop an 11-9 decision to San Diego State, another conference rival. Sunday is a match against UCLA; it\u2019s almost certain that Pacific will lose for the 12th time in the last 13 matches.<\/p>\n

#24 Marist (5-12);<\/strong> a big win over a higher-ranked Harvard on Saturday has to buoy a Red Foxes program that has reached for the sky this season. So far in 2020, Head Coach Chris Vidale\u2019s<\/strong> squad has played 12 higher-ranked opponents. Ideally, this will prepare them for a run to a MAAC title; the wrinkle is that they\u2019ve already lost to Wagner this season for the 15th straight time; April 18\u2014when the two teams meet in Providence for a MAAC contest\u2014looms large.<\/p>\n

#25 Cal State East Bay (5-8; 2-0 WWPA);<\/strong> the Pioneers break into the Top-25 for the first time this season, thanks to three wins last weekend at the Tina Finali Invitational. Favored to take the WWPA title, CSEB has already won conference matches against Fresno Pacific and Sonoma State. Losses Saturday to Bucknell and Wagner have no bearing on whether the Pioneers will qualify for NCAAs; only conference wins do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost two months into the NCAA varsity women’s water polo season, individual conference play moves front and center. The six conferences that will send teams to the national championship\u2014The Big<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4875,"featured_media":421481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,1,12],"tags":[45514,3384,73458,121468,75870,60671,3028,2110,42886,66014,61199,74390,72544,66017,51758,60274,378,65983,121912,40343,60192,1168,61248,7759,120667,121911,28178,73753,1401,63427,35463],"class_list":["post-421369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-uncategorized","category-water-polo","tag-abbi-hill","tag-adam-krikorian","tag-ally-furano","tag-alyssa-diacono","tag-ava-johnson","tag-chris-vidale","tag-collegiate-water-polo-association","tag-coralie-simmons","tag-cwpa","tag-gcc","tag-golden-coast-conference","tag-holly-parker","tag-kali-hyham","tag-kyle-witt","tag-maac","tag-marcelo-leonardi","tag-marko-pintaric","tag-maureen-cole","tag-meghan-lopez","tag-metro-atlantic-athletic-conference","tag-michael-randazzo","tag-mountain-pacific-sports-federation","tag-mpsf","tag-natalie-benson","tag-paula-nieto-jasny","tag-the-big-west","tag-todd-clapper","tag-val-ayala","tag-western-water-polo-association","tag-wwpa","tag-yogi-berra"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nCWPA Top 25: Conference Play Is Now Primary in NCAA Women's Water Polo - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The CWPA Top-25 was virtually unchanged from last week, with the only difference being Cal State East Bay move into the poll for the first time this season.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CWPA Top 25: Conference Play Is Now Primary in NCAA Women's Water Polo\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The CWPA Top-25 was virtually unchanged from last week, with the only difference being Cal State East Bay move into the poll for the first time this season.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-08T07:00:32+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-03-08T16:53:53+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/prentice-uci-mar20.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"810\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Randazzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Randazzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/fb1d58ba008040c3ad837f46defed7bb\"},\"headline\":\"CWPA Top 25: Conference Play Is Now Primary in NCAA Women’s Water Polo\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-08T07:00:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-08T16:53:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/\"},\"wordCount\":2092,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/prentice-uci-mar20.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Abbi Hill\",\"Adam Krikorian\",\"Ally Furano\",\"Alyssa Diacono\",\"Ava Johnson\",\"Chris Vidale\",\"Collegiate Water Polo Association\",\"Coralie Simmons\",\"CWPA\",\"GCC\",\"Golden Coast Conference\",\"Holly Parker\",\"Kali Hyham\",\"Kyle Witt\",\"MAAC\",\"Marcelo Leonardi\",\"Marko Pintaric\",\"Maureen Cole\",\"Meghan Lopez\",\"Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference\",\"Michael Randazzo\",\"Mountain Pacific Sports Federation\",\"MPSF\",\"Natalie Benson\",\"Paula Nieto Jasny\",\"The Big West\",\"Todd Clapper\",\"Val Ayala\",\"Western Water Polo Association\",\"WWPA\",\"Yogi Berra\"],\"articleSection\":{\"0\":\"-Home Slider\",\"2\":\"Water Polo\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/conference-play-is-now-primary-in-ncaa-womens-water-polo\/\",\"name\":\"CWPA Top 25: Conference Play Is Now Primary in NCAA Women's Water Polo - 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