Aug. 30, 2005

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine men's water polo team was picked to finish fifth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) by the league's coaches Tuesday. The Waves finished the 2004 season with an 18-12 overall record, 3-5 in MPSF play, while finishing seventh in the conference.

Despite being selected to finish fifth in the nine-team MPSF, Pepperdine received a first-place vote, while racking up 49 total points. UCLA received 75 points and five first-place votes, opening the year as the preseason favorite, California checked in at second with 71 points, including two first-place votes. USC (64 points), Stanford (53 points) and Pepperdine round out the top five.

The Waves will open the 2005 season this weekend at Triton Tournament in San Diego, Calif. The Waves' first home match of the season is scheduled for Sat., Sept. 10, against Loyola Marymount. The match is slated for a Noon start.

Rk. Team Points (1st place) 1 UCLA 75 (5) 2 Cal 71 (2) 3 USC 64 (1) 4 Stanford 53 5 Pepperdine 49 (1) 6 Long Beach 37 7 UC Irvine 28 8 Pacific 22 9 UCSB 10