Men's water polo opens play in one of the more balanced WWPA Championships in recent history as No. 1 seed, taking on host Chapman on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
The LMU men's water polo team will open play in the 2009 Western Water Polo Association Championships at Allred Aquatics Center as the No. 1 seed this Friday at 1:30 p.m., against the host, Chapman University. Chapman is No. 8 seed in one of the more balanced fields in recent history. Seeds two through five all had wins or loses against another in that group. The tournament runs through Sunday on Chapman's campus in Orange, Calif. Follow the championships online at: http://chapmanathletics.com/wwpa/index.
INSIDE THE LIONS
The eighth-ranked Lions enter the 2009 WWPA Championships at 16-7 overall and 11-0 in the WWPA this season. The Lions have been one of the nation's leaders all season in defense, allowing just 141 goals this season in 20 games (just 6.13 per game). It is ranked fourth, just behind USC (5.18), UCLA (5.60) and Stanford (5.67). Junior goalie Andy Stevens is a big reason why, ranking fourth nationally in saves with 259 (12.44 saves per game) while allowing just 6.31 goals per game. Offensively the Lions have been balanced, with sophomore Edgaras Asajavicius leading the way with 40 goals. Andrew Aki has been an all-around force for the Lions, ranking second with 32 goals (career-high) while adding a team-best 22 assists, 63 steals (career-high) and 42 field blocks (career-high).
THE WWPAs
The Western Water Polo Association Men's Water Polo Championship are hosted by Chapman University, Friday, Nov. 20 - Sunday, Nov. 22. Following LMU will be No. 2 Air Force Academy, No. 3 UC San Diego, No. 4 Santa Clara, No. 5 UC Davis, No. 6 Redlands, No. 7 Whittier and No. 8 Chapman. Game No. 1 will feature No. 2 Air Force taking on No. 7 Whittier at 10 a.m. Air Force finished the regular season 17-12 and 10-4 in the WWPA. They will take on SCIAC runner-up Whittier, who finished 18-12 overall and 11-7 against WWPA opponents. Game No. 2 at 11:45 a.m., of the eight-team tournament, will feature No. 3 UC San Diego taking on No. 6 Redlands. UC San Diego enters the tournament 12-13 overall and 8-5 against WWPA opponents, four of the setbacks were to No. 1 LMU. Redlands defeated Claremont 4-2 in the SCIAC Championships on Sunday, Nov. 15, and enters the WWPAs 17-16 overall and 12-5 in the WWPA. Game No. 3 at 1:30 p.m., features No. 1 LMU taking on host Chapman, who finished 12-14 overall and 5-6 against the WWPA. The final game is No. 4 Santa Clara taking on No. 5 UC Davis at 3:15 p.m. Santa Clara is 20-11 overall and 10-4 in the WWPA, while UCD is 13-15 overall and 8-7 in league play.
