THE SCHEDULE
Game 1
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 UC San Diego
Saturday, Dec. 6 • 1:00 p.m.
2014 NCAA Championship Semifinals
Canyonview Aquatic Center • La Jolla
Live Stats • Live Video
Tournament Homepage

Game 2
No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 USC
Saturday, Dec. 6 • 3:10 p.m.
2014 NCAA Championship Semifinals
Canyonview Aquatic Center • La Jolla
Live Stats • Live Video
Tournament Homepage

Game 3
TBD
Sunday, Dec. 7 • 1:00 p.m.
2014 NCAA Championship Third Place Game
Canyonview Aquatic Center • La Jolla
Live Stats • Live Video
Tournament Homepage

Game 4
TBD
Sunday, Dec. 7 • 3:10 p.m.
2014 NCAA Championship Game
Canyonview Aquatic Center • La Jolla
Live Stats • Live Video
Tournament Homepage

UCSD IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
2014 marks the 13th time the Tritons have advanced to the National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship. The Tritons have previously reached the national tournament in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2011 and 2013. The 2000 campaign was a pinnacle year for the Tritons as they defeated USC, 9-8, in the national semifinal in Malibu to become the first non-Division I team to play in the NCAA Championship Game. UCSD finished third in 1995, 1998 and 2006, fourth in 1999, 2002 and 2011, sixth in 1989, 1991 and 1992, and eight in 1993. In 1995, Harper's squad became the first Division III team to advance to the NCAA Final Four and repeated the feat in 1998 and 1999. Last year UCSD received the Western Water Polo Association's automatic qualifier into the 2013 NCAA Tournament. They faced St. Francis in the play-in game and suffered a 6-5 loss. This is the third year that the Tritons have hosted the NCAA Championship. They previously hosted the tournament in 1996 and 1999.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2014 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship are sold out. Those who purchased all-session passes and did not receive them in the mail can begin to pick them up this Friday. The will call tent at Canyonview Aquatic Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. Fans will need to show an ID and the PDF version of the tickets (with matching ID name)  in order to pick up their tickets at will call. Will call opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and gates open at noon.

TOURNEY TIME
The 2014 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship featured two play-in games to reach the four-team, single elimination championship bracket, hosted by UCSD in La Jolla on Dec. 6-7. Four conferences were granted an automatic qualifier into the bracket or play-in game, while the final two teams were selected at-large without any geographical restrictions. Brown University represents the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), Stanford won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Whittier advanced from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and UCSD represents the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The two at-large bids went to UCLA and USC of the MPSF. By earning the top two seeds, No. 1 seed UCLA (27-3) and second-seeded Stanford (25-3) automatically advanced to the national final four. The Tritons defeated No. 9 Brown University, 12-7, on Nov. 29 at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Tritons will face UCLA on Dec. 6 at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The other play-in game featured No. 3 seed USC (22-6) hosting sixth-seeded Whittier (23-12) as the Trojans took an impressive 19-4 victory. USC moves on to the final four bracket and will play Stanford on Dec. 6 in La Jolla. For the interactive bracket, click here. For the tournament homepage, click here.

WWPA CHAMPIONS
Thanks to posting a perfect 6-0 record in conference play, the Tritons received a first round bye, putting them directly into the semifinals on Saturday against the sixth-seeded California Baptist. Seniors Matt Michalko (San Diego/The Bishop's School), Lukas Syka (San Diego/Westview HS), Josh Stiling and Luca De Vivo all recorded hat tricks as the Tritons defeated the Lancers, 15-9. UCSD moved on to face 17th-ranked Loyola Marymount in the championship game on Sunday. With a phenomenal defensive performance led by goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach (La Jolla/La Jolla HS) and a well-balanced offensive attack, UCSD earned a 12-6 win in LMU's home pool and received the league's automatic qualifier into the 2014 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship. The Tritons held the Lions to just one goal in the first half and had as much as an 11 point lead. Additionally, seniors Joe Dietrich and Syka both recorded a hat trick on Sunday. After posting 28 stops, Ravanbach was named the WWPA Tournament Most Valuable Player. Dietrich, Stiling and Ravanbach were all named to the WWPA All-Tournament First Team and Syka was named to the second team. Prior to the WWPA Championship, six Tritons had received honors. Stiling was named the WWPA Player of the Year for the second time in his career the Tuesday before the championships. Stiling previously received this honor in 2012 as a junior. Stiling leads UCSD with 56 goals in the regular season. He also leads the team with 40 steals. Ravanbach joined Stiling as an All-WWPA First Team honoree. This is the third year Ravanbach has been named All-WWPA First Team. In addition, senior David Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) was named to the All-WWPA Second Team, Michalko and Dietrich received Honorable Mention recognition, and Thomas Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) was selected to the All-Freshman Team.

WWPA HISTORY
UCSD and head coach Denny Harper have claimed 17 WWPA Championships throughout his tenure after winning the conference title this season. The 2014 championship earned the Tritons back-to-back titles and their third title in four years. Last season, the 2013 squad grabbed a 6-4 win against UC Davis while holding the Aggies to 4-32 shooting. In 2012, UCSD fell 9-7 in the championship game to Air Force, who the Tritons' had beaten three times earlier in the season. The 2011 team also defeated UC Davis for the WWPA title. The Tritons grabbed an 8-7 win over UC Davis on a game-winning goal from Josh Stiling and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship to win the WWPA. From 2003-10, Loyola Marymount won seven of the eight conference titles, only losing to the Tritons in 2006. Previously from 1998-2002, UCSD claimed four of the five titles.

LAST WEEK REVIEW
After completing a hat trick early Saturday night at Canyonview Aquatic Center, Josh Stiling went on to tally six total goals as No. 6 UC San Diego defeated ninth-ranked Brown, 12-7, to earn a berth into the final four of the National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship. UCSD's (16-9) night was highlighted by a third quarter that featured Stiling netting three goals and the Tritons holding Brown (27-7) scoreless. After a close first half, UCSD pulled ahead in the final two quarters. With the Tritons up 7-6, Stiling scored two straight goals. Junior Chase Cockerill extended UCSD's lead with his first of the night and Stiling recorded his sixth shortly after to make it 11-6. Senior goalie Cameron Ravanbach held the Bears to just one goal in the second half, which came with just 10 seconds left in the match. Ravanbach finished the night with 11 stops and UCSD had goals come from five different scorers.

HARPER EARNS 600
UCSD head coach Denny Harper, who is in his 35th season leading the Tritons, earned his 600th career win Nov. 23 as UCSD defeated LMU in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) championship game. He has compiled a record of 601-439-4. Harper has led the Tritons to 17 WWPA titles and 13 appearances in the NCAA Championship. He has been named the WWPA Coach of the Year 16 times and the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPA) Division II Coach of the Year five times.

ABOUT THE BRUINS - No. 1 SEED
UCLA posted its largest margin of victory on Sunday, Nov. 23 (10-5, five goals) over USC in 25 years (the Bruins beat USC 10-4 on Nov. 10, 1989). The win also gave the Bruins three over USC in 2014, pushing the record to 3-1 against the Trojans this year and 5-2 against USC in the last two years. The Bruins have beaten Stanford twice this season, both wins were while Stanford was ranked No. 1. UCLA has been ranked No. 1 in the country for seven weeks in 2014, compared to four weeks for Stanford and one week for USC. The Bruins went undefeated at 8-0 in the MPSF and UCLA has the best record away from home in the country at 18-1, going 10-0 in neutral games and 8-1 in road games. The Bruins are 8-2 this year against the NCAA Championship field (3-1 vs. USC, 2-1 vs. Stanford, 2-0 vs. UC San Diego). This is UCLA's first appearance in the NCAA Championship field since an 11-10 overtime loss to USC in the 2012 title game.

SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 57-2 all-time against the Tritons. The two squads faced off twice this year with UCLA taking both wins, a 13-5 decision on Sept. 20 and a 17-5 contest on Oct. 11. The last victory against the Bruins came in 2006 in front of a record crowd of 1,740 at the Canyonview Aquatic Center.  The Tritons grabbed a 13-12 victory after scoring the game winning goal with 28 seconds remaining.

ABOUT THE CARDINAL - No. 2 SEED
Stanford earned an automatic berth into the NCAA championship by claiming the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) title on Sunday, Nov. 23. The Cardinal won the program's fifth league championship, and first since 2004, with a 9-8 victory over tournament host Long Beach State. Stanford is one of the most decorated men's water polo programs when it comes to national titles. The Cardinal's 10 NCAA championships (1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002) are second only to Cal's 13, with the last trophy making its way to The Farm in 2002. Stanford has also finished as the national runner-up on 10 occasions (1982, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008) and has appeared in the NCAA postseason 31 times. The Cardinal will be making back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since it went five straight years from 2001 to 2005. Stanford is 4-2 this year against the NCAA championship field (2-0 vs. USC, 1-2 vs. UCLA, 1-0 vs. UC San Diego).

SERIES HISTORY
Stanford holds a commanding 33-0 all-time record against the Tritons. The Cardinal won the last meeting earlier this season on Sept. 20, a 13-6 decision. At the NCAA Championship, Stanford holds a 4-0 record against UCSD.

ABOUT THE TROJANS - No. 3 SEED
USC has staked its claim on a 10th consecutive trip to the NCAA Semifinals to improve on the Trojans' chances of defending their historic run of six straight national championships. USC holds a 23-6 overall record entering the 2014 National Collegiate Championships. The Trojans beat No. 6 seeded Whittier, 19-4, in last weekend's NCAA Play-in game. The NCAA title winners in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Trojans are making their 29th overall appearance in the national tournament. With seven crowns claimed in the past nine seasons, USC made history in 2012 as the first collegiate men's water polo team to make eight consecutive appearances and then added to their historic efforts in becoming the first collegiate water polo team ever to win six straight NCAA titles last season in 2013. This year's offense is led by senior Kostas Genidounias with 76 goals. USC's freshman goalie McQuin Baron is averaging 10.89 saves and 6.76 goals-against per game. Overall, USC has outscored opponents 419-193, with 10 different Trojans having scored 20 or more goals so far and an average of almost eight different USC scorers per game.

SERIES HISTORY
USC is 33-2 all-time against UCSD. The two teams last clashed on Sept. 14, 2013, a game won by the Trojans 17-5. USC holds a 2-1 record over UCSD in NCAA Championship play, with the lone win coming in 2000 in the semifinals for the Tritons in Malibu.

RAVANBACH MOVING UP
Senior goalkeeper Cameron Ravanbach (La Jolla/La Jolla HS) entered the 2014 season in seventh place on UCSD's all-time saves list with 557. The senior made 12 stops against California Baptist and 16 saves against No. 17 Loyola Marymount during the Western Water Polo Association Championship Tournament to move him into third place. This past weekend, Ravanbach posted 11 stops against Brown University in the NCAA play-in game and is now tied for second place. Ravanbach has posted 10 or more saves in 21 games so far this season.

STILING CRACKS TOP 10
Senior Josh Stiling is now on UCSD's career goals top-10 list. After scoring five times in the Western Water Polo Association Championship Tournament, Stiling sole possesion of ninth place. The Beaverton, Ore., native recorded six goals this past weekend in the NCAA play-in game against Brown University and has moved into eight place with a mark of 183. Stilling is seven goals away from Steven Donohoe's seventh place mark

MICHALKO ENTERS RECORD BOOK
Senior Matt Michalko (San Diego/The Bishop's School) continues to move up UCSD's all-time ejections drawn list. Michalko has helped give the Tritons a 6-on-5 advantage 148 times, which is good for sixth on the list. Michalko first earned a spot on the list earlier this season on Sept. 6 against Cal when the senior recorded a career-high five ejections drawn. He is now closing in on Romas Kudirka's fifth place mark of 156. He is also in ninth place on the all-time penalties drawn list with 12.

HIGGINSON HELPING HIS WAY INTO HISTORY
David Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) is approaching UCSD's all-time assists list. Higginson has a career total of 105 assists, putting him just one shy of Vladmir Djapic's 10th place mark. Higginson had a stellar performance in the SoCal Tournament where he notched seven assists in addition to three goals and four steals.

TRITON NOTES
Josh Stiling leads UCSD with 67 goals this season. He has been the Tritons' top scorer in 17 games. Stiling also leads the team in assists with 43... Junior Chase Cockerill leads the squad with 31 assists, while sophomore Andy Moore and senior David Higginson (San Diego/The Bishop's School) is right behind with 26 and 25, respectively... Eight Tritons have recorded hat tricks this season - Stiling (12), Lukas Syka (San Diego/Westview HS) (4), Luca De Vivo (2), Joe Dietrich (2), Matt Michalko (2) (San Diego/The Bishop's School), Higginson (1), Chase Cockerill (1), and Andy Moore (1)... UCSD has earned 12 wins against nationally ranked opponents so far this season. The highest ranked opponent the Tritons have defeated was No. 6 UC Santa Barbara.

GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.

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