Photo: Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Defending national champion USC was seeded second in the NCAA women's water polo tournament today while UCLA was seeded fourth.
The Trojans and Bruins received two of the three at-large berths in the eight-team tournament, with the third going to fellow Mountain Pacific Sports Federation member California.
USC (18-3) will face Golden Coast Conference Tournament champion Fresno State (19-7) in a first-round game May 6 to begin its quest for the program's first back-to-back championships. The Trojans defeated the Bulldogs, 15-11, Feb. 4.
The Trojans were denied an automatic berth into the tournament when they lost to Stanford, 11-9, Sunday in the final of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament.
The Bruins (22-5) will face UC Irvine (22-6) in another first-round game May 6. UCLA defeated the Anteaters, 14-8, March 11.
Stanford was seeded first and will open the tournament May 6 against the winner of the May 4 play-in game between Wagner and Salem.
The semifinals will be played May 7 and the championship game May 8. The entire tournament will be played at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The NCAA has been conducting a women's water polo national championship annually since 2001, except for 2020 when it was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. UCLA, USC and Stanford are the only schools to win a national championship.