2013 Michigan kick off tournament five ranked teams

The first big even for the 2013 women's NCAA water polo season is the Michigan kick-off. The tournament features teams from all over the country, and there are five teams which finished ranked in the final CWPA top-20.

Here are the teams taking part in the tournament, with 2012 record and rankings:

No. 13 Michigan (23-12)
No. 14 Indiana (29-9)
Colorado State (9-23)
No. 3 UCLA (23-4)
No. 9 San Jose State (19-13)
No. 8 San Diego State (22-11)

The field is stacked with five ranked teams, four teams with 20 or more wins, plus UCLA who finished third at the 2012 NCAA championships. This is a big opening weekend tournament to see who various teams will face against top competition.

For Michigan and Indiana it is a chance for them to face top teams from California without having to travel out West. Colorado State gets a chance to gauge themselves against some elite teams, and see how they have improved over the offseason.

For the teams from California, it allows them to see some very good competition and style of play they may not see at home by going up against a pair of Midwest teams.