Women's water polo to open season at Cal Lu tournament

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University women's water polo team will look to support its CWPA Division III No. 9 ranking this weekend as it makes its season-debut in the Posada Royale Invitational hosted by Cal Lutheran University. The Panthers will open play on Saturday against Fresno Pacific University and Cal State Northridge followed on Sunday with games against Long Beach State and SCIAC opponent Caltech.

Head Coach Eric Ploessel will look to improve on last year's 2-2 finish in the invitational. In the tournament, the Panthers defeated Grove City and La Verne en route to a 14-12 season that saw the Panthers finish at No. 7 in Division III.

In its opening day, Chapman will take on Division I opponent CSUN for the first time since 2010, when the Panthers fell 17-5. The Matadors enter the invitational off a two-game win streak with a record of 10-5. In the afternoon contest, the Panthers will face Fresno Pacific (1-8), an NAIA team the Panthers last played in 2009, when they lost 13-9.

Sunday will start with a more familiar opponent in Caltech, who will also be making their season debut in the tournament. Caltech looks to beat the Panthers after losing in both meetings last season. Chapman will conclude the invitational in the afternoon against their toughest opponent of the week in Long Beach State (10-2). The 49ers are currently ranked No. 9 in Division I by the CWPA and are looking to build on their seven-game win streak.

The Panthers will look for a strong start to the season, hoping to take the tournament momentum into their first home game, March 6 at 4 p.m. against Villanova (PA).

by Bogart Avila
Sports Information Intern

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