Biola seeks third straight title, McKendree earns first chance

WWPA Championship Central

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The Western Water Polo Association East and West Region regular season champions will play for the 2025 WWPA title after both top seeds took care of their counterparts on Saturday at Peak Health Aquatic Center at Mylan Park.

Biola (10-16) has an opportunity for its third straight conference crown while McKendree (20-7) is making its first appearance in the title match.

Championship game time is set for 1pm and live coverage will be free of charge on thewwpa.com.

Salem (10-18) and Gannon (7-14) face off at 9am for fifth place before Fresno Pacific (14-12) and Cal State Monterey Bay (8-18) clash at 11am for third place.

Semifinal 1: McKendree 16 - Fresno Pacific 10

A seven-goal third quarter pushed McKendree past Fresno Pacific in the opening semifinal.

The Bearcats nursed a two-goal halftime lead and increased the lead to five midway through the third quarter. Three consecutive scores in the first three minutes of the fourth put the game out of reach.

Bella Morquecho netted all six of her shot attempts while Hailey Munoz tossed in four. McKendree shot .500 (16-for-32) as a team.

Maddie Murad contributed a hat trick for FPU.

Semifinal 2: Biola 16 - Cal State Monterey Bay 9

Biola improved to 3-0 on the season against the Otters thanks to its work on the defensive end.

After falling behind by two in the opening minute, the Eagles flipped the match by holding CSUMB scoreless for the next 14:30. They took an 8-4 lead into halftime before Lizzy Birch and Gwendolyn Pidd extended the lead to six out of the break.

Alicia Fregoso posted a tournament-high 13 saves which matches her 2024 WWPA Championship Final effort. She grabbed a handful of steals to create counterattack opportunities for BU.

Pidd led all scorers with five goals while Destiny Moreno registered a hat trick and four assists. Ava LoBue matched Moreno with four assists and added two goals and two steals for good measure.

Autumn Day and Kaya Eaton notched hat tricks for CSUMB.