Mater Dei seeks repeat in Santa Barbara
Mater Dei's top-ranked boys water polo team is among the 16 teams that will compete this weekend at the Santa Barbara Invitational, the first major tournament of the season.
The tournament runs Friday and Saturday at two high schools - Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos of Goleta.
Mater Dei captured the inaugural Santa Barbara tournament last season en route to a 31-0 campaign.
The Monarchs produced Orange County's first perfect season since Newport Harbor went 27-0 in 1978.
The two-time defending Division 1 champions won their season-season opener Thursday night against Dos Pueblos, 21-4, extending the Monarchs' Southern Section record 49-match winning streak. The Monarchs' last defeat came in Oct. 18, 2010 at El Toro.
Mater Dei also has captured seven consecutive regular season tournaments. The last tournament title the Monarchs didn't claim was the 2009 North-South Challenge, won by El Toro.
The other top seeds at the Santa Barbara tournament: Loyola of Los Angeles (Division 1), Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton and Agoura, the top-ranked team in Division 2.
Mater Dei defeated Agoura, 13-7, in the tournament final last season.
