LA JOLLA, Calif. - With six wins in its last seven matches and a 3-1 performance at last weekend's SoCal Tournament, the UC San Diego men's water polo team moved up to the No. 9 spot in the latest national top 20 poll. With a win on Friday at home against eighth-ranked Long Beach State, the Tritons could jump even higher.

UCSD started the 2010 season at 3-5 but now stands at an overall record of 9-6 with improved play over the last three weeks. Last weekend, the Tritons started the two-day competition in Los Angeles with a loss to Stanford but rebounded to finish with three-straight wins. In a dramatic final day of SoCal Tournament action, UCSD secured one-goal victories over No. 9 Pepperdine and No. 10 Loyola Marymount to capture ninth place in the 16-squad field.

Junior goalkeeper David Morton received the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Week honor for the week of Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, after totaling 45 saves across the tournament's four games.

On Saturday afternoon against Concordia Irvine, Morton set a new school record for saves in a single game with 21. It topped his previous career of 19, which he tallied last season against the same CUI program. Morton was outstanding down the stretch on Sunday, helping the Tritons hold the Wave and Lions to just one fourth-quarter goal between the two matches.

On offense for UCSD, sophomore Brian Donohoe has recorded a team-high 27 goals this season with his best performances coming in the past two weeks. Ryan Allred (20 goals), Bryce Madsen (18) and William Brown (17) have also carried a large portion of the scoring load. Madsen and Allred are tied for the team lead in assists with 17 apiece.

First sprint for Friday's match against LBSU at Canyonview Pool is set for 6 p.m. The 49ers enter the week at 6-6 overall, including a 1-3 mark at last weekend's SoCal Tournament. LBSU started off the competition with an 11-10 triple-overtime win over Pepperdine, before dropping its last three decisions to No. 1 USC, No. 4 Stanford and No. 7 Pacific. Freshman Nick Rascon leads the 49ers' attack through the early going at 25 goals, having opened his college career by scoring in all 12 games this season.

The most recent meeting between UCSD and LBSU took place on Oct. 30, 2009, with the 49ers pulling out a 7-6 home victory despite the Tritons tallying four fourth-quarter scores.