Seven Teams Vying for Four Berths

Seven teams will meet this weekend at UC San Diego in the Southern Section West Regional qualifier to compete for four spots in the NCAA women’s water polo tournament.

The qualifier, which begins today and ends Sunday, is divided into two groups. In Group 1 are top-seeded USC, No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 San Diego State. The second group consists of UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount.

The winner of Group 1 will get an automatic berth. The two other Group 1 teams will play the top two from Group 2 for the second and third berths. The losers of those games will play for the final spot.

Top-ranked USC (24-2) lost only to California, which is playing in a qualifier for Northern California schools. UCLA (18-8) is three-time defending national champion.