| Box Score 2 Score: UC Davis 11, San Jose State 8
Location: Berkeley, Calif. (Spieker Aquatics Complex)
Records: UC Davis 3-1, San Jose State 0-5

BERKELEY, Calif. — No. 16 UC Davis women's water polo defeated No. 12 San Jose State 11-8 at the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational, maintaining a narrow lead throughout the matchup.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Redshirt senior Gianna Nocetti won the opening sprint, setting up junior Bridget Miller to score off an assist from junior Ashley Wallin.
• After San Jose State tied it, junior Sadie Henry put the Aggies back on top with another Wallin assist.
• Nocetti added a goal on a pass from sophomore Margo Tempel, before Tempel added one herself with an assist from Alison Giusti, giving UC Davis a 4-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
• Nocetti won the sprint to start the second quarter and notched her second goal. 
• The Spartans briefly took the lead 6-5, but senior Ally Smith answered with a buzzer-beating goal off Giusti's assist with 25 seconds remaining, sending the teams into halftime tied at 6-6.
• In the third, Miller scored again on Wallin's third assist, followed by Wallin herself, giving the Aggies an 8-6 advantage.
• San Jose State responded with two goals to even the score once more, only for Nocetti to complete her hat trick with a goal assisted by sophomore Katy Westphal, closing the quarter 9-8.
• Nocetti struck first in the fourth quarter after winning the final sprint, assisted by Wallin, before Smith added another goal from senior Madison Sparre, putting the Aggies ahead 11-8.
• Redshirt sophomore goalie Eva Stein anchored the defense, recording two more saves for a game total of 11, helping UC Davis hold the lead through the final whistle.

Exhibition Note: UC Davis also faced USA Academy in an exhibition game earlier in the day, ending in a 15-15 tie.

UP NEXT: The Aggies will return to action tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., facing Long Beach State at 9:30 a.m. PT before taking on Fresno State at 3:30 p.m. PT. 

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.