While being the ninth-ranked team in the country sounds impressive, the ASU water polo team’s ranking is nothing compared to the ranking of its upcoming opponent.
The Canadian National Team is currently ranked second in the world and will visit the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe for three scrimmages against the Sun Devils on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Canadian team finished fifth in the 2010 FINA World Cup and third at the 2010 Canada Cup.
Although not at full strength because some players are competing collegiately and others are injured, the Canadian squad will still pose a tough test for the Sun Devils.
“It’s going to be really good preparation for us,” ASU coach Todd Clapper said. “It’s really great that they came down here to play us.”
Canada is a very physical team, which will help the Sun Devils prepare for the grueling and competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference.
While conference play is still on the horizon, the scrimmages against team Canada will also go a long way toward helping ASU prepare for the rigorous Stanford Invitational at the beginning of February.
“It’s going to be really good for us to get ready for the Stanford tournament, which is the most competitive tournament in the county,” Clapper said.
— William Boor
