Aug. 30, 2016

DAVIS, Calif. -

Ten months ago, UC Davis men's water polo entered the Western Water Polo Association tournament with an undefeated conference record, a No. 9 national ranking, and a first-round bye. The Aggies escaped an early deficit in the semifinal around, then fell by a single goal to UC San Diego, the championship's third seed and a team that entered the draw with a losing record.

The program's success up to that point, and the pain endured from falling just short in the title game, will motivate fourth-year head coach Daniel Leyson and his Aggie squad as the 2016 season begins this weekend in Rhode Island. UC Davis competes at the Bruno Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, taking on Harvard, George Washington, St. Francis and tournament host Brown.

That the Aggies open in New England is oddly appropriate, as it was the ordeal of a Boston ice hockey team that illustrates Leyson's hope for the year. In 2010, the Bruins led the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-0, in the Eastern Conference semis. Philly then won the next four to take the series. A year later, Boston won its first Stanley Cup in almost 40 years.

"I was reading about Milan Lucic, who said they had to lose that series to Philly to understand how to win the Cup," Leyson said. "In some ways, I feel like we had to have the experience of having the higher ranking and the better conference record going into the tournament, then having difficulty in the tournament, in order to understand what we have to do to win that thing.

"It was definitely a valuable experience for me. We've been in pain ever since because we did not play well. It's hard to get all the way there and not play well. I learned a lot from that pain, and I know the guys did, too."

The 2016 UC Davis squad that seeks to erase last November's memory has depth and versatility, plus a maturity level unexpected for a roster that lists just one senior. The team returns three All-WWPA honorees: junior goalie Spencer Creed plus sophomore scoring machines Sasa Antunovic and Ido Goldschmidt. 

Antunovic and Goldschmidt, who combined for 88 goals and 61 assists in 2015, also grabbed ACWPC All-America honorable mention. Both men have returned for the second years as greater physical specimens. Antunovic, who added WWPA Freshman of the Year accolades, added 15 quality pounds to his frame in the offseason. Goldschmidt, who is actually the oldest player on the team, scored 37 of his team-leading 50 goals in the second half of the season as acclimated to the program. According to Leyson, Goldschmidt returns fitter and stronger, with a better understanding of the system.

Creed, who started all 26 games and logged 234 saves, enjoyed another invaluable experience by playing for Team USA NorCal in the second season of USA Water Polo's National League. He played nearly 80 percent of NorCal's minutes in the cage, and tied for third among the NL's saves leaders.

"It wasn't a stretch to give him a spot," said Leyson, who served as NorCal's head coach en route to earning USAWP's Monte Nitzkowski Distinguished Men's Coaching Award. "Then when he went out there and played well, I think that gave him more confidence. Not only that, but the guy is such a hard worker every day. He just flat-out works. It's impressive to watch."

However, when it comes to transformations, no Aggie player earns raves from Leyson quite like Tennyson May, the team captain and lone senior on the roster. Largely a supporting player in his first three seasons, the 6-foot-7 center has been thrust into a lead role for his final year. May responded as any coach hopes a senior would, his teammates voted him team captain, and in turn, May has elevated his game even more in the preseason.

"It has been fun to see somebody go that direction. Sometimes players don't rise to the occasion, but Tennyson has grown into a leadership role," Leyson said. "It has been just super-exciting to see. He has really responded in a great way."

Among the other juniors, Cory Laidig continues to provide the jack-of-all-trades ability that made him WWPA Newcomer of the Year in 2014 and one of the team's steals leaders in each of his first two seasons. Spencer has totaled 21 goals and 46 assists in his first two years, and his passing ability has dazzled even the veteran eyes of Coach Leyson. Carlo Burney, a JC All-American from West Valley College and an alumnus of the New Zealand Youth National Team, will look to offer his good size (6-2, 220) to the center-defender position.

Antunovic and Goldschmidt lead a second-year class that made huge strides down the stretch of the 2015 season, and whose experience at last year's conference tourney should pay dividends in 2016. Brock Gordon scored 20 goals with 15 assists last season after redshirting in 2014. Riley Venne, better known as "Wally," leads the center-defender crew with his combination of physical skills and shooting ability. "He's relentless, super-fit, fast, and he has a lot of variety with his shooting," said Leyson. "He can wear people down and he has incredible endurance and pain tolerance." 

Look for utility Nick Coufal and attackers Colter Knight and Marcus Anderson to have breakout years after paying their dues for two years. Coufal, another player earning the "relentless" tag from Leyson, saw quality minutes down the stretch of 2015. Knight was among the team's top statistical performers in the preseason, while Anderson brings scoring potential from both sides of the cage. 

Two redshirt freshmen, Max Somple and Holden Tamblyn, also will look to make their marks in the first playing seasons. Somple earned first-team All-America honors at Soquel High School. His scoring ability resulted in a whopping 132 goals as a prep senior. Tamblyn is a relatively hidden gem from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He earned All-America honors during his last two high school seasons. Like many of his teammates – Galli, Antunovic, Laidig, Anderson, et al – Tamblyn is a threat from either the 1-2 or 4-5 positions, providing Leyson with more flexibility in formulating winning combinations.

Three newcomers should also contribute as rookies. Yurii Hanley, who boosted Campolindo High to the North Coast Section title last November, was on Leyson's recruiting radar for two years for his big-game abilities. He offers another left-handed option along with Goldschmidt, which enables even more exciting combinations for the coaching staff. Morgan Olson-Fabbro transferred from West Valley College, where he earned an All-NorCal nod in 2015. He will provide much-needed depth at both center-defender and at center. Finally, Eric Martel gives UC Davis a combination of size (6-3, 235) and strength down low. The Abbotsford, British Columbia standout made the Canadian National Competition League All-Star squad and competed at the Youth Pan American Games in 2015.

With so many tools and such a wealth of possibilities, Coach Leyson embarks on a season-long quest to put his team in a position to win the first WWPA championship since 1997. The season-opening Bruno Invite provides the first test, plus the first chance to break loose from the cabin fever of preseason training. "In terms of being completely sick of playing each other and being ready to play an opponent, I'd say we're very ready," Leyson said. "These guys are ready to play someone else. As hard as you try to rep opposing defenses, it's just not the same as having a different face in front of you."

Both Harvard and Brown had upset UC Davis in recent years, and Leyson expects four tough games from the tournament slate, to say nothing of the newness of playing on the opposite coast, in natatoriums rather than outdoor pools, in front of unfamiliar officials. However, the wins and losses mean less to Leyson than the team's progress – a process-over-result mindset that will drive the team throughout the year.

"I want our team to continue making progress and continue learning every time we play," Leyson said. "We'll make mistakes. We'll have good games and bad games, but we have to make sure we're progressing in some way. The only thing that matters is how we're playing on November 18 through 20."

UC Davis opens the Bruno Invite with Harvard on Saturday, 10:50 a.m. Pacific time.

SKIP SHOTS: The Bruno Invitational marks the program's first East Coast trip since the 1997 NCAA Championship

SKIP SHOTS: The Bruno Invitational marks the program's first East Coast trip since the 1997 NCAA Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida... It also marks one of the few times the Aggies will play in front of a hometown crowd for reserve goalie R.J. Quigley, who helped Greenwich (Conn.) Aquatics to a silver medal at the 2013 JOs... UC Davis returns five players who scored in double digits last year: Ido Goldschmidt (50), Sasa Antunovic (38), Brock Gordon (20), Cory Laidig (19) and Riley Venne (18)... The program's most significant loss is the graduation of Sean Grab, last year's WWPA Player of the Year... Grab also became the first men's water polo player to win the Colby E. "Babe" Slater Award (UC Davis male athlete of the year) outright... The Aggies hail from five different countries: besides the majority from the U.S., the 2016 team has players from Israel (Goldschmidt), Croatia (Antunovic), New Zealand (Carly Burney) and Canada (Eric Martel)... Of course, no Aggie has the international experience of fourth-year head coach Daniel Leyson, who ââ'¬" among numerous other global achievements ââ'¬" played for the U.S. National Team for two years then later served on the Team USA coaching staff at the 2004 Olympics.