DAVIS, Calif. — Champions of the Western Water Polo Association for the third time in the last four seasons, the No. 10-ranked UC Davis men's water polo team will take on Golden Coast Conference champion and No. 5-ranked Pepperdine in the quarterfinals of the NCAA National Collegiate Water Polo Championships as the seven-team bracket was revealed on Sunday night.
The Aggies and Waves meet on Thursday (Dec. 5) at 2:45 p.m. at the Chris Kjeldsen Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. The winner will face host Pacific in the national semifinals on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. PT, with the championship match contested on Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. PT.
UC Davis is making its seventh appearance in the National Collegiate Championship, earning berths previously in 1974, 1975, 1996, 1997, 2016, and 2017. The Aggies are a combined 4-8 in the national tournament, finishing third in 1996 with a win over Massachusetts and fifth in 1974 with wins over Air Force and Stanford following an opening round loss.
This will be the second all-time meeting between UC Davis and Pepperdine in the national tournament and the first since the Waves posted a 13-8 win in 1997.
No. 9 Harvard and No. 13 Bucknell play an opening-round game, with the winner facing co-No. 1 USC on Dec. 5 in Stockton at 1 p.m. The winner of that match will meet MPSF champion and co-No. 1 Stanford in the national semifinal on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m.
Pepperdine is in the national tournament for the first time since 1997, defeating Long Beach State, 14-12, in the GCC championship match on Sunday. The Waves, who enter the postseason at 24-7 overall, are led offensively by sophomore All-GCC first-team selection Balazs Kosa, who scored 86 goals on the year and finished with 42 assists — both of which led the league. Kosa, along with teammate Sean Thomas, were among the top five in steals with 30 apiece, while Kyle McKenney was fifth in the league with 110 stops.
UC Davis dominated on its way to the 2019 WWPA championship — its fifth overall following crowns in 1996, 1997, 2016, and 2017 — outscoring its three opponents by a 49-17 margin, including a 14-5 win over rival and preseason favorite UC San Diego in the championship match. Junior goalkeeper
Jonah Addington was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, who made 14 stops in the title game and finished with 32 saves and a .653 save percentage on the weekend.
Junior
Jack Stafford and senior
Holden Tamblyn also earned first-team all-tournament honors along with Addington, while junior
Kyle Reilly was named to the second team.
The Aggies enter the postseason at 16-7 overall following an unbeaten 7-0 run in WWPA play, winning their last nine consecutive matches and holding opponents to single-digit goals in each one of those victories. Sophomore
Nir Gross, who was a first-team All-WWPA selection, led the squad with 54 goals while senior
Yurii Hanley, an All-WWPA second team choice, was the top point scorer with 18 goals and 42 assists. Eight different UC Davis players finished with at least 20 goals.
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, the Aggies allowed a league-low 49 goals in seven conference matches and out-scored opponents 308-216 on the year. Addington, an All-WWPA second team selection, ranked fourth in the league in saves (230) and third in saves per game (10.45), while standing second in steals per game (1.77).
UC DAVIS IN THE NCAA NATIONAL COLLEGIATE MEN'S WATER POLO TOURNAMENT
1974 — Lost vs. Cal State Fullerton (7-4); Win vs. Air Force (9-2); Win vs. Stanford (4-3)
1975 — Lost vs. UC Irvine (19-4); Lost vs. Arizona (9-8); Win vs. Army (20-3)
1996 — Lost vs. UCLA (18-6); Win vs. Massachusetts (11-8, third-place game)
1997 — Lost vs. Pepperdine (13-8); Lost vs. Queens (NY) (5-3, third-place game)
2016 — Lost vs. Harvard (16-15 ot)
2017 — Lost vs. Pacific (13-12)
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 15 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
