Michigan Earns No. 5 Seed for 2010 NCAA Championship Tournament

2010 NCAA Championship Bracket (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The NCAA Women's Water Polo Committee announced Monday, May 3, that the University of Michigan water polo team has earned the No. 5 seed for the 2010 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship. The Wolverines will face No. 4-seed California in the opening round at 5:45 p.m. PDT on Friday, May 14. San Diego State will play host to the championship that runs May 14-16 in the Aztec Aquaplex. The fifth-seed selection for the Maize and Blue is the highest for a CWPA team since the NCAA field expanded to eight teams.

Michigan, ranked seventh nationally, punched its third ticket to the NCAA Championship in as many years with an automatic bid as CWPA Eastern champions (April 30-May 2). U-M's first opponent, California, earned an at-large bid with a third-place finish at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship. Cal is making the first NCAA Championship appearance in program history.

The Wolverines have earned four previous bids to the NCAA Championship, placing fourth in 2002, fifth in 2009 and sixth in 2005 and 2008. Head coach Matt Anderson is coaching his fourth Maize and Blue squad in the championship and boasts a 4-5 record. Michigan went 2-1 at the 2009 NCAA Championship, marking the program's best record at the national tournament en route to a fifth-place finish.

No. 2 seed Southern Cal and No. 7 seed Marist will kick off the first game of the championship at 12:30 p.m. PDT. UCLA and Loyola Marymount -- whom Michigan defeated in the 2009 fifth-place game -- will follow, before No. 1 seed Stanford takes on No. 8 seed Pomona-Pitzer in the third game of the day at 4 p.m. PDT. The final contest of the night will pit No. 5 seed Michigan against No. 4 seed California at 5:45 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online via ticketmaster.com, by visiting the Aztec Ticket Office at the Aztec Aquaplex or by calling (619) 283-SDSU (7378).

2010 NCAA Championship Seeding
No. 1 -- Stanford (24-2 Overall, At-Large)
No. 2 -- Southern Cal (22-3 Overall, At-Large)
No. 3 -- UCLA (20-7 Overall, 1st MPSF)
No. 4 -- California (24-8 Overall, At-Large)
No. 5 -- Michigan (32-6 Overall, 1st CWPA)
No. 6 -- Loyola Marymount (20-7 Overall, 1st WWPA)
No. 7 -- Marist (18-14 Overall, 1st MAAC)
No. 8 -- Pamona-Pitzer (18-14 Overall, 1st SCIAC)

NCAA First-Round Schedule (Friday, May 14)
Game 1 -- No. 2 seed Southern Cal vs. No. 7 seed Marist -- 12:30 p.m. PDT
Game 2 -- No. 3 seed UCLA vs. No. 6 seed Loyola Marymount -- 2:15 p.m. PDT
Game 3 -- No. 1 seed Stanford vs. No. 8 seed Pomona-Pitzer -- 4 p.m. PDT
Game 4 -- No. 4 seed California vs. No. 5 seed Michigan -- 5:45 p.m. PDT