STOCKTON, Calif. — Sophomore
Nir Gross finished with a team-best four goals, while senior
Holden Tamblyn closed out his UC Davis tenure with his fourth career hat trick, but the No. 9-ranked Aggies could not hold off No. 4-ranked Pepperdine, falling by the score of 15-12 in an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal match-up on Thursday afternoon at the Chris Kjeldsen Aquatic Center in Stockton.
UC Davis' season came to an end with a 16-8 overall record, a Western Water Polo Association regular season and tournament crown, and a third trip to the NCAA championships in the last four seasons.
"We knew Pepperdine was going to be a tough opponent and they had an answer for every time we tried to scrape and claw back into it, so hats off to them," Child and Meisel Families Director of Men's Water Polo
Daniel Leyson said. "I'm very proud of our effort, how we carried ourselves, and our resiliency in this game."
The Waves, who received six goals from Chris Dilworth, improved to 25-7 overall and will meet host and No. 5-ranked Pacific in the national semifinals on Saturday (Dec. 7). No. 2-ranked USC defeated Bucknell in the day's opening game, advancing to face No. 1 Stanford in Saturday's first semifinal.
A back-and-forth battle between a pair of top-10 squads threatened to turn into a rout as three-straight Pepperdine goals in the third quarter gave the Waves a 12-8 advantage with just 1:47 remaining in the period.
Undaunted, the Aggies clawed their way back in it. Senior
Yurii Hanley snuck in his first goal of the day at the right point on the powerplay to make it a 12-9 contest with 24 seconds remaining in the quarter, and Gross opened the fourth with another 6-on-5 score to draw UC Davis within a pair.
The Aggies' run continued as junior
Jack Stafford converted a 5-meter opportunity when an excluded Pepperdine player did not leave the field to make it a one-goal contest, and Hanley came up big once again, scoring his second of the day — again on the powerplay — with 4:25 remaining in the game to make it 12-12, capping the 4-0 run.
"I've been really proud of how we've never given up and we'll just do anything to try and get back into the game," Leyson said. "We're never out of a game. Even at halftime, when we were down three goals, we felt like, 'Hey, we're not going to give up, one possession at a time and let's see what happens.'"
However, that would be as close as UC Davis would get as the Aggies could not find the go-ahead score. The Waves answered Hanley's tying goal with one of their own from Dilworth just 14 seconds later and Sean Ferrari and Dilworth closed out the contests with back-to-back goals with 2:00 and 18 seconds remaining, respectively to complete the victory.
The hat trick was Gross' 10th of the season, while Tamblyn tied his career high in scoring, adding an assist for a four-point day. Stafford and Hanley, who also added a pair of assists apiece, each finished with multiple goals, while
Eric Martel, added another.
"This last year, having more of a leadership role, I knew coming into this game that I was going to have to hit some shots," Tamblyn said. "I'm happy that I got to spend the last four years with this group and help lead the program to where we are."
Back-to-back goals by Tamblyn and Gross got the Aggies on the board in the first quarter, countering Pepperdine's opening goal, and UC Davis trailed by just one after the first period. The Aggies then rallied to take their first lead of the day in the second quarter, erasing a two-goal deficit thanks to scored by Stafford, Gross, and Tamblyn, to make it 5-4 with 4:12 remaining in the half, but a 4-0 burst by the Waves quickly turned the tide, staking them to an 8-5 advantage at the break.
"I think that having won conference three of the last four years, it's a good example of the trajectory of our program," Leyson said. "We want to be back here next year. I know the guys who are coming back don't want to hear anything about next season right now, but we want to be in this position and go a step further.
"I think that it shows that our program is one to be reckoned with and we have a bright future. We'll continue working and continue marching forward."
2019 NCAA TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINALS
#4 PEPPERDINE 15, #9 UC DAVIS 12
PEP — 3-5-4-3 — 15
UCD — 2-3-4-3 — 12
UC DAVIS GOALS: Nir Gross 4,
Holden Tamblyn 3,
Jack Stafford 2,
Yurii Hanley 2,
Eric Martel 1
PEP GOALS: Chris Dilworth 6, Balazs Kosa 4, Sean Ferrari 1, Marko Asic 1, Sean Thomas 1, Kaden Kaneko 1, Curtis Jarvis 1
SAVES: Jonah Addington (UCD) - 7; John Claude Marco (PEP) - 8
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.
