"It was a hard game to be disappointed about," Floerchinger said. "They played an outstanding game, and so did we. They're just a great team."

In the first elimination game, Harvard cruised past George Washington, 14-6.

The NCAA appearance will cap off Harvard's recent ascent in the sport. Once largely unrecognized by the water polo community, the team came a game short of reaching this milestone last year under mid-season replacement Rick Handt.

Floerchinger took the helm this year, and the combined abilities of Floerchinger and Handt, as well another year of experience, was enough to take the team to the next level.

"It's been a while since this has happened," Munoz said. "It's great because we'll get a lot more respect -from the athletic department, from other teams, from everybody."

The team will fly to Indiana on Thursday. Although seeding has not yet been determined, the Crimson will likely face one of the west's elite teams in the opening round on Friday.

"Chances are we'll end up playing one of the tough California teams," Munoz said. "I guess that could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. We're curious to see what happens."

Floerchinger was more optimistic.