Conference title in sight

The IU men's water polo team holds the Big Ten Championship this weekend, hoping to continue a record-breaking season by winning the conference title.\nPreviously ranked as high No. 7 in the nation this season by the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the now-No. 8 Hoosiers have their sights set high for this tournament. The team begins play at 8 p.m. tonight at the Doc Counsilman Aquatic Center. They play again Saturday at noon and the championship matches conclude the tournament Sunday. \n"I think we have a really good chance to win," senior Corey Mosher, playing in his third full season with the team, said.\nAfter going 11-19 last year, the team comes into this tournament sporting a 16-8 record and an all-time best national ranking. They have beaten every team in the Big Ten this year, and the team is understandably optimistic.\n"We feel very confident," team president junior Dave Johnson said. "We're the No. 2 seed, but we beat the No. 1 seed last week in another tournament."\nAlthough not a varsity sport in many areas of the country, club water polo is played at most major universities. Varsity water polo is found almost exclusively at coastal colleges -- especially those on the West Coast.\nDespite being popular with those who play it and being included in Olympic competition for over a century, water polo has never been a major spectator sport. The players, however, feel that attending a match is well worth the time.\n"It's an exciting sport that few people in Indiana know much about," Johnson said. "It's high scoring and there are a lot of good rivalries in the Big Ten."\nIf the Hoosiers are able to capture the Big Ten title, they will advance to the national championship tournament in Texas two weeks later.\nAccording to the water polo team Web site, the Hoosiers take on Iowa at 8 p.m. Friday, and Ohio State at noon Saturday, while the rest of the games are to be determined.\n-- Contact staff writer Jacob Surface at lsurface@indiana.edu.