No. 17 Air Force Hosts No. 13 Loyola Marymount

Oct. 12, 2011

The 17th-ranked Air Force water polo team returns to action this Friday, Oct. 14, as it hosts Western Water Polo Association rival Loyola Marymount. The game against the 13th-ranked Lions is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Cadet Natatorium.

LAST TIME OUT...
Following a 12-9 conference victory against Chapman on Sept. 30, Air Force captured a 14th-place finish at the prestigious SoCal Tournament, held Oct. 1-2. While dropping contests to No. 2 UCLA and No. 12 UC San Diego on the first day of competition, the Falcons earned a 12-10 victory over 15th-ranked Santa Clara, their first win over a ranked team this season. Air Force then closed out the weekend with a tough loss to 13th-ranked Long Beach State.

Sophomore Andrew Hamilton led the Falcons in their five-game stretch, tallying 13 goals and an assist, while junior Cruz Smithson added eight goals and three assists. In addition, junior Dillon Fisher scored two goals and a team-best 11 assists.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS...
The Air Force Falcons, ranked tied for 17th in this week's coaches poll, enter this weekend with a 5-9 overall record, including a 3-4 mark in the Western Water Polo Association.

Sophomore Andrew Hamilton leads the Falcons' offense with 30 points on the season, including a team-best 28 goals. Meanwhile, juniors Cruz Smithson (21g, 6a) and Dillon Fisher (7g, 20a) are second on the team with 27 points each. Fisher's 20 assists are also the highest total on the team.

SCOUTING THE LIONS...
The Loyola Marymount Lions, ranked 13th in the latest coaches poll, currently hold a 9-6 overall record and 6-1 mark in the WWPA. The Lions are coming off a 13-3 loss to fourth-ranked USC.

LMU is coached by John Loughran, in his 15th year at the helm of the program. All-American Edgaras Asajavicius leads the Lions with 30 goals and 18 assists on the season, while freshman Joe Ferretti has added 19 goals and 11 assists on the year.

SERIES RECORDS...
Friday evening's contest between Air Force and Loyola Marymount will be the 17th in the all-time series, with the Lions holding a slight 23-21 advantage. Loyola Marymount, which has won the last 16 contests in the series, came away with a close 7-5 victory earlier this season.

BACK IN THE RANKINGS...
After falling out of the national rankings earlier this season, Air Force made its return to the top 20 following its strong performance at the SoCal Tournament Oct. 1-2. Boosted by a 12-10 victory over then-15th-ranked Santa Clara, Air Force moved to a tie for 16th in the coaches' poll, marking its highest ranking since the 2009 season.

UP NEXT...
Next weekend, the Falcons head to Santa Clara, Calif., to take part in The Rodeo. Air Force will face host Santa Clara, as well as Brown, UC Davis and Stanford during the two-day tournament.