LA VERNE, Calif. -- The Augustana Vikings women's water polo team will head to Southern California on Friday and Saturday for the annual Claremont Convergence tournament. The Vikings will battle No. 3 Cal Lutheran and No. 5 La Verne at La Verne before taking on Caltech and No. 8 Occidental in Los Angeles.

Augustana enters the weekend with a 4-2 record, recently going 3-1 at the Macalester Invite on February 15-16. Augie dropped the opener to VMI by a single point before three straight double-digit victories over Ottawa (Ariz.), Caltech, and Carthage. Alayna Ickert and Keira Luhrs were recognized by the CWPA following their performances in Minnesota.Ickert scored 10 times and drew 10 exclusions across four games over the weekend, including a four-goal effort in the team's one-point loss to Division I foe VMI. She also added one assist on the weekend. Luhrs was named the league's Rookie of the Week after posting four goals, three assists in four steals.

On Friday, the Vikings will face a pair of top-five nationally ranked foes, beginning with No. 3 Cal Lutheran at 12:15 p.m. CT. Cal Lutheran is 3-8 on the season and will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak. In the most recent outing, the team dropped a close 13-10 contest to Mount St. Mary's. Cal Lutheran has faced just one Division III opponent this season, which was a 20-7 victory over Whittier on February 21. Friday will be just the second meeting ever all-time between Augustana and Cal Lutheran. The Vikings fell by a score of 13-4 in their lone encounter in 2023.

Augie will then take on the No. 5 ranked La Verne Leopards at 5:15 p.m. CT. The Leopards sit with a 1-5 overall record and are looking to snap a five-game skid after beginning the year with a victory. In the team's most recent outing, La Verne fell to Fresno Pacific by a score of 20-8. The Leopards are 1-0 against Division III foes this season, defeating Redlands by a score of 21-9. Friday will be the third meeting all-time between Augustana and La Verne. The Leopards won the first two meetings, both coming during the 2022 season.

On Saturday, the Vikings will face Caltech for the second time this season. The Beavers are 0-5 this season, recently enduring an 0-4 trip to the Macalester Invite two weeks ago. In their most recent contest in Minnesota, Caltech fell to McKendree by a score of 17-11. Saturday will be the third meeting between the Vikings and Beavers, with Augie winning both so far. The Vikings won the earlier-season matchup in St. Paul by a score of 17-4.

The final game of the weekend will feature Augustana against No. 8 Occidental, who enter with a 2-1 record. The Tigers picked up wins over fellow CWPA opponents Carthage and Austin to begin the season before falling to the University of Toronto in their most recent contest. Augie has never lost to Occidental, winning all four previous battles. The Vikings defeated the Tigers twice last season by scores of 12-5 and 11-8.

All live coverage for the weekend can be found here.