Water Polo Schedule Set for 2013

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Entering his tenth year at the helm of the Regals water polo program, Craig Rond announced the 2013 Cal Lutheran schedule today. It once again carries a tough slate with numerous scholarship programs including high level Division I, II, III opponents. This spring the Regals will face seven Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Top 20 Division I opponents in eight games.

CLU wastes no time facing off with one of the top teams in the country when they travel to Division I preseason No. 3 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 9. The Regals and Bruins are set for first sprint at 1:00 p.m. at the Spieker Aquatics Center. Though UCLA will have three tournaments under their belts it will be opening day for the Violet and Gold.

Cal Lutheran heads north for four games at the Davis Challenge where they will face the host Division I preseason No. 12 UC Davis Aggies on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8:00 a.m. before a noon clash with CSU Bakersfield. On Sunday the Regals will meet Pacific and Sonoma State at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., respectively, to round out the tournament.

On March 1-3 Cal Lutheran is set to host the Sixth Annual Posada Royale Tournament, a 14-team event that will take place at both the Samuelson Aquatics Center (SAC) and Oaks Christian High School. With two games scheduled each of the three days it is sure to be a challenging weekend for the Regals with an abundance of opportunities to learn early in the season. On tap for Cal Lutheran are matchups with preseason T-No. 18 Cal Baptist, Fresno Pacific, preseason No. 16 CSU Northridge, preseason receiving votes Long Beach State, CSU East Bay and Villanova (Pa.).

Things do not get much easier for the Regals as they travel to the Claremont Convergence Tournament on March 8-9 where the opponents are again pulled from a pool of scholarship programs. The weekend kicks off with a meeting between CLU and preseason No. 14 Indiana at 11:20 a.m. and an afternoon battle with preseason No. 20 UC San Diego at 4:40 p.m. Both games will be played at the Axelrood Pool on the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. On Sunday, CLU kicks off the day at Las Flores Park in La Verne, Calif. when they face CSU San Bernardino at 10:20 a.m. before heading back to CMS to round out the tournament with a rematch against Cal Baptist at 3:40 p.m.

The Regals conclude their non-conference schedule on Thursday, March 14 when they host St. Francis (NY) at 1:00 p.m. and George Washington (DC) at 5:00 p.m. The two visiting squads will play a neutral site game at the SAC at 10:00 a.m.

Following a long and competitive preseason, play in the always competitive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) heats up on Wednesday, March 20 with a road game at Occidental. After a week hiatus the Regals return to action and the SAC for a pair of home games against CWPA Division III preseason No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer and Chapman. The Sagehens travel to Ventura County on Wednesday, March 27 before the Panthers make the trek on Saturday, March 30.

April begins with back-to-back road games against Whittier and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday, April. 2 and Saturday, April 6.

The Regals have one more home stand, hosting Caltech on Wednesday, April 10 before senior day against Redlands on Saturday, April 13.

CLU wraps up the first round of league play at La Verne (Las Flores Park) on Wednesday, April 17.

All SCIAC Wednesday competitions will begin at 5:00 p.m. while Saturday showdowns are set for 11:00 a.m.

The regular season will conclude at the SCIAC Championships hosted by Caltech at Pasadena City College. The three-day tournament will be held April 26-28 with match-ups based on seedings from the initial round of play.

The team that wins the SCIAC title in 2013 will advance to the NCAA Division I National Championships in Cambridge, Mass. on May 10-13. Harvard was selected by the NCAA as the host institution and games will be played at the Blodgett Pool.

Release: Women’s Water Polo
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