It’s been a while. But for the first time in four years,
the UCLA men’s water polo team has moved up to No. 1 in the
national rankings, coming off of victories over then-No. 1 Stanford
and then-No. 2 USC en route to the NorCal Tournament title last
weekend.
“If feels great to be ranked No. 1,” UCLA coach Adam
Krikorian said. “It’s a symbol of where we are right
now, and where we stand as a water polo team.
“It always feels good to be listed as the best team in the
country.”
The team will play its first matches while being the top team in
the nation this weekend, when the Bruins (10-2) host Loyola
Marymount on Saturday and UC Santa Cruz on Sunday.
Both matches will be played at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center
at 1 p.m.
LMU (10-4, 2-2 Western Water Polo Association) went to the NCAA
Final Four last year by virtue of winning the Western Water Polo
Association, and is currently ranked No. 8 in the country.
“LMU’s a pretty good team,” senior center Ted
Peck said. “It was a close game last year and it
shouldn’t happen again.”
In the last meeting between the two, UCLA edged out LMU 7-6 in
overtime last year. The Bruins have yet to lose to the Lions in
head-to-head battles.
Two key matchups to look for are between senior driver Brett
Ormsby and junior two-meter man Endre Rex-Kiss of LMU. Ormsby, who
has earned two consecutive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
player-of-the-week awards, is second in the MPSF conference in
goals scored with 32. In 14 matches, Rex-Kiss has recorded an
impressive 40 goals and 17 assists, which leads the Lions in both
offensive categories.
UC Santa Cruz (6-17) is ranked No. 6 in Division III play, and
has never beaten UCLA in its two previous meetings.
These are UCLA’s last two matches before entering the MPSF
conference schedule.
“It’s a much more fun time of the year,”
Krikorian said. “You only play one or two matches a week, and
you play teams you’re familiar with.”
Although the Bruins haven’t held the No. 1 ranking since
winning the NCAA Championship in 2000, the team hopes to hold onto
the top spot for the rest of the season.
“It’s very important right now (to be ranked No.
1),” Krikorian said. “But it won’t mean anything
if we don’t play well the next 11 games.”