Dennerly making quick ascent up all-time saves list


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The No. 4 USC men’s water polo team has had quite a first week of the season. The Trojans have reeled off four consecutive victories to begin the year, including wins over No. 8 Loyola Marymount and No. 10 Long Beach State. The wins kept USC undefeated in the MPSF and extended the team’s home winning streak to 36 games.

To cap the week off, junior goalie Joel Dennerly was named MPSF Player of the Week after recording 22 saves over USC’s two ranked opponents.

The announcement marked the fifth time that Dennerly has earned MPSF Player of the Week honors, and the first time that a Trojan has earned conference honors so far in the 2010 season.

Dennerly put together a solid performance in the Trojans’ home opener against Long Beach State at McDonald’s Swim Stadium, recording a season-high 12 saves, nearly twice his average while allowing only four goals to a team that averaged eight coming in to the match. He also stopped three of five power-play opportunities.

The next day against LMU, Dennerly picked up ten saves in the cage and did not allow the Lions to score in the second half.

The junior from Chester Hill, Australia is now seventh on the Trojans’ all-time saves list, with 440 career stops.

Dennerly and the Trojans will attempt to continue their impressive start to the season this weekend at the NorCal Tournament in Berkeley, Calif.