USC Men’s Water Polo Dominates MPSF Tournament, Embarks on 20th NCAA Championship Journey

USC Men’s Water Polo Team Advances to NCAA Tournament

The USC men’s water polo team has won three straight MPSF Tournament titles. They are set to compete in their 20th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Carson Kranz was named the MVP of the MPSF Tournament. He is the ninth Trojan to receive this honor. Kranz was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Max Miller and Bernardo Herzer.

Kranz and Miller are both captains and have received the MPSF All-Tournament selection for a second time. Last year, Miller won the MVP award. This year, Kranz scored eight goals at the tournament, including five in a key semifinal win over No. 2 Stanford. He scored three of those goals during the overtime period. In the championship match, Kranz added one goal while Miller scored three, leading USC to a 15-13 victory against No. 1 UCLA. Miller also had two goals in the semifinal and drew five exclusions throughout the tournament.

Bernardo Herzer was important for USC’s defense. He made 15 saves in the semifinal against Stanford and added nine saves in the final against UCLA. This is Herzer’s first MPSF All-Tournament honor.

USC will enter the NCAA Championship as the No. 2 seed. The tournament is scheduled for December 6-8 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center. USC will begin with a match against California Baptist on December 6 at 4 p.m. If they win, they will advance to the semifinal on December 7 at 3 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for December 8 at 3 p.m. USC aims to win its 11th national title, the first since 2018.