Keelhaulers return to the postseason for this weekend’s Cal Pac / NAIA Tournament
Game 12 – Round Robin Game
Cal Maritime Keelhaulers
vs.
Westcliff Warriors
Friday, Nov. 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Merced, Calif. – UC Merced Aquatic Center
Video
Live Stats
Tournament Central
Tickets
UC Merced Campus Map
Game 13 – Round Robin Game
Cal Maritime Keelhaulers
at
UC Merced Bobcats
Friday, Nov. 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Merced, Calif. – UC Merced Aquatic Center
Video
Live Stats
Tournament Central
Tickets
UC Merced Campus Map
Game 14 – Round Robin Game
Cal Maritime Keelhaulers
vs.
Ottawa (AZ) Spirit
Saturday, Nov. 11 – 9 a.m.
Merced, Calif. – UC Merced Aquatic Center
Video
Live Stats
Tournament Central
Tickets
UC Merced Campus Map
Championship Game
No. 1 Round Robin Seed
vs.
No. 2 Round Robin Seed
Sunday, Nov. 12 – 11 a.m.
Merced, Calif. – UC Merced Aquatic Center
Video
Live Stats
Tournament Central
Tickets
UC Merced Campus Map
VALLEJO, Calif. – Cal Maritime will return to postseason action this weekend when it heads to UC Merced for the inaugural Cal Pac / NAIA Tournament.
Since Friday is a holiday, parking is free at UC Merced; there is no charge for parking on Saturday or Sunday either. All games will take place at the UC Merced Aquatic Center, click here for a campus map and driving directions to help you find the tournament and navigate your way around campus.
Please note that parking is free from Friday, due to the holiday, through Sunday; please park in an unmarked spot only since campus police will patrol the area 24/7 and ticket any car parked in a marked space.
Astute water polo fans will notice this weekend's event is the Keelhaulers' second postseason tournament: Since Cal Maritime is a member of the Collegiate Water Polo Association — its playoff tournament took place at PEAC Pool October 14 and 15 — and California Pacific Conference – a NAIA-affiliated league — men's water polo will compete for the Cal Pac's inaugural men's water polo title and berth at the national tournament.
Visiting Merced this weekend, in addition to CSUM and the tournament hosts, are Westcliff and Ottawa (AZ) as these four teams will begin round robin play on Friday, November 10.
Throughout the 10th and 11th, each team will compete against one another for one of two coveted spots in Sunday's championship match. The top two teams, once round robin action concludes, will return to the Aquatic Center the following morning.
In men's water polo's first tournament of the season, the Cal Pac Round Robin, UC Merced and Westcliff each squared off against Cal Maritime and secured victories against the host Keelhaulers. However, when those games took place, a young CSUM squad only had two games of experience under its belt since the team's schedule started weeks after most men's water polo teams, due to students not returning to campus until late August, compared to the start of the month for everyone else.
That difference allowed the Warriors and Bobcats to practice their way into playing shape and play seven and 13 games, respectively, before facing CSUM.
It is undeniable how much Cal Maritime improved since its inaugural tournament of the season: After its come-from-behind victory versus San José State in last month's Sierra Pacific Division Championship, Cal and Stanford — two water polo powerhouses — barely edged the Keelhaulers throughout that event's final games.
After enjoying a nice hiatus to rest, recover and prepare for this weekend's postseason tournament, the team Westcliff and UC Merced will face this time is vastly different from the group it faced at the start of the season.
This is the first meeting in recorded program history between OUAZ and Cal Maritime.
Since there is no consolation/third place game scheduled on Sunday, only the top two teams will extend their season by a day when they battle for the Cal Pac / NAIA crown.