Historically, collegiate water polo has been dominated by four teams. Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC have captured all but five national championships. The last time one of the four did not win a national title was in 1997, when Pepperdine University defeated USC.
This season, the University of the Pacific looks to be the team that could join, and possibly surpass, the four teams at the top of the sport. The Tigers were picked to finish third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s preseason coaches’ poll, ahead of UCLA and Cal, and they validated that high ranking with a win over Stanford last Sunday.
In the most recent Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings, released Wednesday, Pacific moved to No. 3 nationally. The third-overall ranking is tied for the highest ever in program history, with the first coming earlier this season.
So when the Tigers (9-1, 1-0 in the MPSF) take on No. 4 Cal (8-2, 0-0 MPSF) at Spieker Aquatic Complex at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, they will have another chance to validate their rise in the collegiate water polo ranks.
But according to Bears’ senior Collin Smith, the Tigers are already there.
“We have to treat them just as we have to treat any other team like USC, Stanford and UCLA,” Smith said. “They’ve earned that right.”
Saturday’s match will be another test for the Tigers to prove they deserve to be considered a legitimate title contender.
“That, to me, is very interesting,” said Greg Mescall, who will be the analyst for the Pac-12 Network’s broadcast of the match. “To see how this team can line up and if Cal can respond to that challenge.”
And the Bears will be challenged. The Tigers have a number of high-level players on their roster, which means the team has the skill to beat anyone.
Last year, Pacific finished the season sixth overall at the MPSF conference tournament. In the regular season, the Bears and the Tigers split their two meetings, with both matches decided by two goals or fewer.
But Croatian two-meter player Goran Tomasevic redshirted last season, and the three-time All-American’s strong presence inside is a welcomed readdition to the Tigers’ team.
Tomasevic is joined by senior attacker Balazs Erdelyi, who was the 2012 winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award. The award, named after a former Cal coach, is given each year to the best male and female collegiate water polo player in the country. The Hungarian scored 83 goals last season.
Tomasevic and Erdelyi are joined offensively by junior Alex Obert and sophomore Aleksandar Petrovic, who both earned All-American honors last season.
With all of the potential scorers for the Tigers, Cal’s team defense will be key. UOP scored 14 times in their win over Stanford, a total the Bears will want to limit.
“If (Cal) can force them to rush their shots and fluster them on offense, I think that will go a long way,” Mescall said.
But whether or not the Tigers win Saturday, the potential of having a nontraditional team join the competition for a national title is refreshing for fans.
“Any time you have more teams playing at a higher level, it is better for the sport,” Mescall said.
Stephen Hobbs covers men’s water polo. Contact him at [email protected].