Cal Students’ Deaths May Affect Water Polo Event

California’s water polo team, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, is considering withdrawing from this weekend’s UC Irvine tournament in the wake of the fire in which three students were killed Saturday at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house in Berkeley.

A number of the water polo players are members of the fraternity, a school official said, and memorial services for the students who died might conflict with the tournament. Coach Steve Heaston has not said if the team would participate, withdraw or send a partial team, a school spokesman said.

A fire of unknown origin swept through the off-campus fraternity house early Saturday, killing Ryan Hamilton, 19, of Sacramento.

There was still no positive identification Monday of the two other bodies, believed to be Robert D. Sciutto, 21, a junior from Lafayette, and sophomore Natalia A. James, 19, daughter of Portola Valley Mayor John James.

The water polo team was competing Saturday in Fresno.

Cal’s water polo team reached the NCAA finals last season, losing to national champion UC Irvine.

A rematch of the national championship match between Cal and Irvine was scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, but it was uncertain Tuesday evening whether it will be played.