USC, LMU WILL TRY TO SINK STANFORD.

Byline: - Heather Gripp

The USC and Loyola Marymount men's water polo teams will try to prevent host Stanford from winning its third consecutive NCAA championship this weekend.

The Trojans last reached the four-team tournament in 2000 but are prime candidates to stop a Stanford team that has won 10 national titles. Top-seeded USC (22-3) has defeated No. 2 Stanford (21-4) three times this season, including 8-6 in the final of last weekend's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.

But regular-season results don't mean much against Stanford in the postseason, as the Cardinal showed last year when it lost to California in the MPSF final then beat the Bears a week later for the national title.

Stanford has more than tradition on its side. Junior driver Tony Azevedo has won back-to-back NCAA Player of the Year honors and was named MPSF Player of the Year for a third consecutive season.

Before USC gets its shot at Stanford, third-seeded Loyola Marymount (16-13) faces the Cardinal in tonight's 7:30 semifinal. USC opens against fourth-seeded Navy (25-6) at 6 p.m.

Loyola Marymount is making its second appearance in the NCAA Championships, finishing third in 2001. The Lions earned a berth in this year's tournament by defeating San Diego for the Western Water Polo Association title.

Navy is the only member of the four not ranked in the top 10 nationally. Navy, ranked 11th, qualified by winning the Collegiate Water Polo Association championship. The Midshipmen, who have never defeated USC, have won 12 of their past 13 games.

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MEN'S WATER POLO NCAA TOURNAMENT