REDLANDS, Calif. -- The Augustana Vikings men's water polo team will make its second straight appearance at the USA Water Polo Division III National Tournament on Saturday when they take on the No. 1 ranked and host Redlands Bulldogs in the semifinals. 

Augustana enters with a 15-6 overall record and recently claimed its third straight MPSF East championship with a 23-7 win over Penn State Behrend on November 24. The win for the Vikings moved their overall record to 25-0 against MPSF East Division III teams since joining the league back in 2022. The Vikings bested Washington & Jefferson in the semifinals by a score of 16-8 before taking down the Lions for the third time this season. In the win, Stevan Rasic, Ian Palmroos, Alden Brinkmeier, and Oskar Bannister all scored three times to lead the balanced effort, while Declan Hutton and Henry Sothern combined for 13 saves in net. Bannister was named the East tournament's MVP, while Rasic and Hutton were also named to the All-Tourament Team.

This weekend will be the third trip to the state of California this season. Augie went 2-2 at the Gary Troyer Tournament earlier in the fall, picking up wins over UC Merced and Biola. The two losses came to No. 6 Whittier and No. 4 Chapman by a combined four goals. Chapman is one of the other teams to participate in this year's USA Water Polo DIII National Tournament and will face MIT in the second semifinal game on Saturday. The Panthers are up to No. 2 in the ACWPC national poll.

Redlands enters the weekend with a 16-12 overall record and was 10-2 in the SCIAC Tournament, recently earning the top spot in the upcoming tournament with a 14-13 sudden-death victory over Chapman in the conference tournament title game. The Bulldogs have just two losses against Division III foes this season, a one-point loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and a two-point defeat to Pomona-Pitzer. The team has won six of its last seven outings, which included a 27-13 victory over No. 9 La Verne, the highest point total for the Bulldogs this season. Redlands is making its third straight trip to the USA Water Polo DIII national tournament. The Bulldogs won the national title in 2022 before falling in the championship game last season in Rock Island.

This will be just the second meeting all-time between the two programs, with Redlands winning the lone meeting last season in California by a score of 13-6.

Start time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT. The consolation game on Sunday will be at 12:30 p.m. CT, followed by the championship at 2:30 p.m. CT. Live stats, video, and ticket information can be fond here.