REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team released their 2026 schedule this week opening things up in Irvine on August 29 taking part in the UCI Invitational.
The Bulldogs will compete in three tournaments with opponents to be announced (TBA) and have 15 games scheduled, 12 of which are within Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play. Seven of their 15 currently scheduled games are at the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC) with eight occurring on the road.
After beginning the season in Irvine at the end of August, Redlands returns home to host the Inland Empire Classic (IEC) on September 4-5. They will play two games each day with full details added to the schedule once available.
The next week on September 10 the Maroon and Grey travel to play at California Baptist University (CBU) in Riverside. The Lancers were 24-11 in 2025 with a 7-3 home record. They finished 2-0 against SCIAC opponents last season.
On September 11 Redlands travels to California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) to take part in the CSUF Invitational where they will take on the Titans and another opponent TBD. CSUF finished their fall 17-16 with a 7-5 home record and a 4-0 record against SCIAC.
In their return home the U of R hosts non-NCAA opponent Golden West College on September 19.
A week later they begin their SCIAC schedule on September 26 at the TAC against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS). The two sides end the regular season in Claremont on November 14. CMS took second in the regular season SCIAC standings at 11-1. They then beat Redlands and then the top-seeded Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) to win the SCIAC Tournament title. At the USA Water Polo Division III National Championships they once again topped P-P, 9-4, to win the USA Division III Collegiate National Championships.
A midweek game comes on September 30 against Chapman University. A month later the Panthers travel to the Bulldogs on October 31. Chapman missed the SCIAC Tournament in 2025 after finishing seventh at 4-8 in SCIAC play.
In a return to non-conference action, the Bulldogs compete at the Gary Troyer Tournament on October 2-3. They will play 2-4 total games with the schedule to be released at a later date.
On October 7 Occidental College will come to the TAC. Redlands will go into Los Angeles on November 11. The Tigers were the co-fourth-place team in the SCIAC Tournament at 6-6. They lost to Whittier College in the first-round game, 16-11.
The University of La Verne (ULV) hosts the Bulldogs on October 10 with Redlands hosting the Leopards on November 4, their final home game of the season. ULV finished eighth in the final conference standings at 2-10.
The aforementioned Poets of Whittier College will serve as the host on October 14 in the lone scheduled meeting between the two sides. Whittier tied Occidental at 6-6 in 2025. After winning the first-round game they lost 18-13 at No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer.
Redlands' first and only meeting with California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is at home on October 17. The Beavers finished ninth last season at 0-12.
Reigning SCIAC regular season champion Pomona-Pitzer is in town on October 21. The Bulldogs and Sagehens meet only once this season. The Sagehens were a perfect 12-0 during SCIAC play until going 1-1 in the tournament and 1-1 at the National Championships.
Following the quick two-game homestand, the Bulldogs make their longest SCIAC trip of the season when they go to Thousand Oaks on Oct. 24 for a matchup with California Lutheran University (CLU). The Kingsmen took sixth at 5-7 as the first team out of the SCIAC Tournament.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top five teams in the SCIAC standings will qualify for the tournament. The No. 4 and No. 5 teams will play in a first-round game with the winner advancing to face the No. 1 seed in the semifinals. The other semifinal will feature the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. The two semifinal winners will automatically qualify for the USA Water Polo National Championships and then play for the tournament championship.
