DAVIS, Calif. – After opening with eight straight games on the road, UC Davis women's water polo will return to Schaal Aquatics Center to host the Aggie Invite.
The Aggies will play four matches, with two on each day of the event. A pair of rematches will take place on Saturday afternoon, with UC Davis looking to avenge an early-season loss to California before taking on San Jose State in the night cap, hoping to make it two straight victories against the Spartans.

On Sunday, the Aggies host the top ranked team in the country, No. 1 Stanford. Cal Baptist will be UC Davis' final opponent of the weekend, also marking the Aggies' last home game until the middle of March.

FULL  AGGIE INVITE SCHEDULE

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LAST WEEK
UC Davis picked up a pair of wins at the Triton Invite hosted by UC San Diego. The Aggies also dropped two contests decided by just one goal in what was nearly a perfect weekend for the Blue and Gold.

UC San Diego edged the Aggies in a come-from-behind victory to kick off the tournament as the Tritons out-scored UC Davis 6-2 in the second half to complete the comeback. The Aggies bounced back with an impressive showing against CSUN, defeating the Matadors 15-6 in a dominant performance.

It quickly became two straight wins for UC Davis when six different goal-scorers and a 14-save display from Sophia Noble lifted the team to an 11-5 win over San Diego State. In the final game of the weekend, UC Santa Barbara was able to hold off a late comeback from the Aggies to notch the 6-5 win.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
California – Cal comes into the weekend ranked fourth in the nation by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). The Golden Bears hold a 7-2 overall record, with its only defeats coming to No. 1 Stanford. Three players have scored 10 goals this season – Maryn Dempsey, Cecily Turner, and Rozanne Voorvelt – for a team that has out-scored their opponents 79-50 in 2023. In the season-opening Cal Cup, the Bears grabbed a 14-7 win over UC Davis.
 
San Jose State – The Spartans fell from No. 14 to No. 17 in the most recent CWPA rankings, bringing a 2-7 record into the weekend. SJSU has only scored in double-digits twice this season, with both of those performances resulting in wins. The Aggies earned their first win over the season over San Jose State, downing the Spartans 12-8 at the Cal Cup.
 
Stanford – The reigning national champions bring a perfect 6-0 record into the Aggie Invite. Nearly all the team's wins have been particularly impressive, with five victories coming over sides ranked inside the top 10. Aria Fischer leads the Cardinal with 14 goals, posting three multi-goal games in the young season. UC Davis last faced Stanford on Jan. 25, 2020, with the Cardinal picking up a 19-9 win when they were ranked No. 2 in the country.
 
Cal Baptist – The Lancers are not currently ranked in the top 25 but received two votes in the most recent poll. Making way from Riverside, Calif., CBU carries a 5-6 record into the weekend. The Lancers have not defeated a ranked opponent this season, facing some stiff competition early in 2023. The Aggies last played Cal Baptist in 2018, scoring in the final seconds to snatch the 10-9 win.
 
NOBLE'S STUNNING START
Goalkeeper Sophia Noble has enjoyed a fantastic start to her senior season. She has registered 78 saves through the first eight games of the season. Her season-high 14 saves against San Diego State was a big reason why the Aggies were able to come out victorious.
 
WELCOME COACH WALDTHALER
After serving on the UC Davis women's water polo coaching staff for 12 seasons, Kandace Waldthaler was selected as the Coach Jamey Wright and Hodgens Family Director of Women's Water Polo. She spent the first seven seasons as an assistant coach and the last five as associate head coach. She has been instrumental in cementing the inclusive and high-performance culture the program has enjoyed under Wright. Most recently, Waldthaler joined the national team staff as an assistant coach for the Senior National "B" Team. 

The Aggies have enjoyed eight winning seasons, 19 ACWPC All-America recognitions, and 41 All-Big West honors during Waldthaler's time at UC Davis. The team has seen multiple ACWPA All-Academic honorees in every year of her tenure, including eight or more five times (2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021) with two team (2012, 2018) awards. 
 
NEXT UP
UC Davis travels to Fresno, Calif. to compete in the Fresno State Invite on Feb. 18. The Aggies will play two matches, the first a meeting with Biola before taking on Azusa Pacific to conclude the weekend.