From www.uswp.org – FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The top-seeded and No. 2 ranked Pepperdine men’s water polo team defeated No. 11 ranked UC Davis, 13-8, Friday, Dec. 5 in the opening match of the 1997 NCAA Water Polo Championship in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Waves, the at-large selection to the NCAAs, improved their record to 24-3, while the Aggies, winners of the Western Water Polo Association, fall to 15-19. Pepperdine will take on No. 1 ranked USC (21-6) in the NCAA title match, Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2:30 p.m. USC defeated No. 10 ranked Queens College, 14-6, in the other semifinal match Friday.
The No. 1 ranked USC men’s water polo team, the winners of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, advanced to the national title match for the second year in a row by defeating No. 10 ranked Queens College, 14-6, Friday night in the opening round of the 1997 NCAA Championship.
The Trojans (21-6) will face No. 2 ranked Pepperdine (24-3) in the NCAA Championship Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EST. Queens College (25-6) will take on UC Davis (15-19) in the third-place match at 1 p.m. EST. Pepperdine had defeated UC Davis, 13-8, in the earlier semifinal match.
Whoever wins the contest between USC and Pepperdine will be capturing its first NCAA Water Polo title. The Trojans have been national runner-ups five times, including two-of-the last three years. The Waves, making their first NCAA appearance since 1994, had a previous high finish of third place in 1991.