Weekend will give Bruins chance to scope opposition

Friday, October 11, 1996

By Rick Banks

Daily Bruin Contributor

A power-packed tournament field awaits the UCLA men’s water polo
team as they return to competition after a one week absence.

The No. 1 Bruins head to Stockton this weekend to participate in
the NorCal Tournament, hosted by the University of Pacific.

The 14-team field boasts the top 11 ranked squads and looks to
be similar to last month’s SoCal Tournament. If the seedings hold
this weekend, a USC-UCLA rematch could be seen in the championship
game.

"We would love to be in the championship game," UCLA head coach
Guy Baker said. "We’ll see what happens."

The road to the possible rematch with the Trojans will take UCLA
into uncharted waters. Saturday’s first round pits the Bruins
against Occidental, a team that UCLA has dominated over the years
with a 9-0 record.

A win against Occidental would send UCLA into a match-up against
the winner of the Air Force-Pepperdine game, both teams that the
Bruins have already defeated this season.

The tournament will serve as a guide for teams, as they gear up
for the bulk of their season. The Bruins will get to look at all of
their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation competitors this
weekend.

"After this weekend, everyone gets a general idea of where
you’re standing as far as the season goes," Baker said. "We get a
good look at even the teams we don’t play."

Those teams include the best MPSF teams. No. 2 USC, No. 3 Cal,
and No. 4 UC Irvine look to be leading the charge to unseat the
undefeated Bruins.

UCLA still has the bulk of their season remaining, with six
league games (11 overall) on the horizon after this weekend’s
action.

The Bruins go into the tournament looking to get in top form as
they go into the season’s stretch run.

"We are continually making certain adjustments," Baker said.
"We’re trying to improve on what we’ve done before."

In the first 10 games this season, the Bruins have scored 141
points en route to a perfect record. The consistent play of goalie
Matt Swanson (54 saves in 26 quarters) has kept opponents out of
the net and UCLA’s offense rolling.

The Bruins have also been getting solid play from their starting
rotation. Corbin Graham, Jeremy Braxton-Brown, Steve Covec, Jim
Toring, Matt Armato and Randy Wright have all performed well this
season.

"We have gotten good play out of our starting lineup," Baker
said.

Several other players have stepped up and contributed this
season. Luther Weidner, Brett Stern and Brian Bent have all come on
to support the starting lineup.

The competition this weekend will put the depth and experience
of the Bruins to the test. With the rest of the MPSF in attendance,
the tournament should be a good gauge for how the rest of the
season will play out.

Daily Bruin File Photo

Goalkeeper Matt Swanson has helped the team to an undefeated
record with 54 saves in the last 26 quarters.