Michigan Draws USC for NCAA Championship Opener
4/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The NCAA Women's Water Polo Committee announced Monday (April 28) that the University of Michigan has earned the No. 6 seed for the 2008 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship. The Wolverines will lock up with No. 3 seed Southern Cal in the opening round at 3:15 p.m. PDT on Friday, May 9. Stanford will play host to the championship that runs May 9-11 in the Avery Aquatic Center.
Michigan, ranked 11th nationally, clinched its third trip to the NCAA Championship with an automatic bid following its title run at the CWPA Eastern Championship (April 25-27). U-M's first opponent, No. 3-ranked USC, earned an at-large bid with a 19-7 overall record and a runner-up finish at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship.
The Wolverines earned two previous bids to the NCAA Championship, placing fourth in 2002 and finishing sixth in 2005, the year the field was expanded from four teams to eight. Head coach Matt Anderson is coaching his second Maize and Blue squad in the championship. During the 2005 campaign, Michigan became the first Eastern school to win a match at the NCAA Championship with a 13-7 victory over Redlands in the consolation semifinals.
In other NCAA first-round action on May 9, No. 2 seed Stanford will face No. 7 seed Marist in the first game of the championship. Michigan will take on USC in the second game, followed by No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Pomona-Pitzer in the third game of the day at 5 p.m. PDT. The final contest of the night will feature No. 4 seed San Diego State against No. 5 seed UC Davis at 6:45 p.m. PDT.
For more information about the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship and the complete 2008 championship bracket, log on to www.ncaa.com.
2008 NCAA Championship Seeding
No. 1 -- UCLA (30-0 Overall, 1st MPSF)
No. 2 -- Stanford (25-4 Overall, 3rd MPSF)
No. 3 -- Southern Cal (19-7 Overall, 2nd MPSF)
No. 4 -- San Diego State (29-6 Overall, 5th MPSF)
No. 5 -- UC Davis (26-8 Overall, 1st WWPA)
No. 6 -- MICHIGAN (33-9 Overall, 1st CWPA)
No. 7 -- Marist (27-7 Overall, 1st MAAC)
No. 8 -- Pomona-Pitzer (17-11 Overall, 1st SCIAC)
NCAA First-Round Schedule (Friday, May 9)
Game 1 -- No. 2 seed Stanford vs. No. 7 seed Marist -- 1:30 p.m. PDT
Game 2 -- No. 3 seed USC vs. No. 6 seed MICHIGAN -- 3:15 p.m. PDT
Game 3 -- No. 1 seed UCLA vs. No. 8 seed Pomona-Pitzer -- 5 p.m. PDT
Game 4 -- No. 4 seed San Diego State vs. No. 5 seed UC Davis -- 6:45 p.m. PDT
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Matt Anderson
On the championship draw... "In order to play for the national championship and to have an opportunity to win a national championship, you have to go through the big programs. So far, that has proven to be Stanford, UCLA and USC. You always have to expect to play one of those three when you make it in the tournament. In 2005 we had to play Stanford, and this time it is USC. You go out there to compete against the best, and USC's program is one of the best. We are looking forward to it."
Contact: Ryan Sosin (734) 763-4423
