Water Polo to face Gauntlet Schedule
The Westcliff men’s water polo team will face an incredibly tough schedule filled with highly ranked NCAA DI and DIII opponents in 2022. The Warriors start the season against Long Beach State, a DI water polo juggernaut, Saturday, Sept. 3 as the first contest of the Triton Invite. It doesn’t get any easier from there.
By Brandon Petersen
The Westcliff men's water polo team will face an incredibly tough schedule filled with highly ranked NCAA DI and DIII opponents in 2022.
The Warriors start the season against Long Beach State, a DI water polo juggernaut, Saturday, Sept. 3, as the first contest of the Triton Invite.
It doesn't get any easier from there.
Among Westcliff's toughest opponents will be DI No. 8 UC Santa Barbara and No. 10 Pepperdine, as well as DIII No. 1 Pomona Pitzer, No. 2 Claremont, No. 3 Cal Lutheran and No. 4 Whittier.
"The schedule is tough, and that's the way it's supposed to be," Westcliff head coach Preslav Djippov said. "Playing the best will allow us to grow as a team. If we want to get better, that's the only way to improve."
Djippov says that expectations around the program are elevated this season.
2021 co-captain, goalkeeper Roberto Berrera, is the Warriors' lone captain until Djippov names a second.
Berrera had a fantastic summer in the pool, helping lead Mexico to a high-level tournament qualifying finish.
"His amazing work ethic and his leadership is noticed by everyone," Djippov said. "Roberto is my first recruit and he has never let me down. He definitely deserves to be our captain."
Djippov says that expectations have risen for a number of returners, including Vincenzo Inguanta, Shalva Kizanishvili, Patrick Zsiros, Mark Merai and Inigo Gonzalez.
"I expect these players to take the lead and perform very well in their last seasons with the program," Djippov said. "These are seniors — returners — and they bring a lot of experience. Having already played at a high level, they will be among our most confident players and will help lead us to better performances."
Djippov recruited heavily overseas and was incredibly successful and bringing in a number of high-level players to Westcliff, among them Metea Bosic, Giljan Alfano and Dominic Murisinac.
"A few of the new guys are semi-professionals and will be a huge asset to the team," Djippov said. "Having played in very strong leagues and having that experience will be key for us this year. I'm sure they'll become true leaders, and be successful in the classroom as well."
Because there are currently just two men's water polo teams at the NAIA level, Westcliff knows that it will again compete against OUAZ for the championship, even before the year begins.
Last season, OUAZ captured the crown narrowly at Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine.
This year, the Warriors will travel to Phoenix at the end of the year hoping to exact a little revenge, and bring home Westcliff's first NAIA team championship.
"The main goal is to bring home that trophy," Djippov said. "We are heading into that contest with Ottawa with a winning mentality, and a positive mindset, and we will capture the trophy we let slip away last season."
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RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
Westcliff men's water polo easily faces the toughest schedule in program history this fall. Here is a lineup of the Warriors' most highly-ranked opponents.
NCAA Division I
No. 6 Long Beach State
No. 8 UC Santa Barbara
No. 10 Pepperdine
No. 11 UCI (exhibition)
No. 13 Cal Baptist
No. 15 UC San Diego
NO. 18 Saint Francis
Air Force (RV)
Santa Clara (RV)
NCAA Division III
No. 1 Pomona Pitzer
No. 2 Claremont
No. 3 Cal Lutheran
No. 4 Whittier
No. 6 Chapman
No. 9 Redlands
No. 10 La Verne
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