DAVIS, Calif. — Following an eventful home weekend that included a narrow 13-12 decision against No. 4 Cal, No. 17 UC Davis women's water polo carries that momentum to Ann Arbor, Mich. to compete in the Midwest Invite. The Aggies open play Saturday, Feb. 14, with a 7:15 a.m. PT matchup against McKendree before taking on the host, No. 16 Michigan, at 10:15 a.m. PT. Competition continues Sunday, Feb. 15, as UC Davis faces No. 10 Indiana at 6:15 a.m. PT before wrapping up the weekend in a 9:30 a.m. PT finale against Mercyhurst.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Feb. 14  — vs Mckendree | Live Stats | Live Stream | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
Feb. 14  — at Michigan | Live Stats | Live Stream | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
Feb. 15  — vs Indiana | Live Stats | Live Stream | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
Feb. 15  — vs Mercyhurst | Live Stats | Live Stream | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)

GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: The Aggies sit at 5-7 on the season following a home weekend against two of the nation's top programs. UC Davis opened with a loss to top-ranked Stanford (20-3) before nearly pulling off a massive upset against No. 4 Cal on Sunday. In a wire-to-wire thriller, junior utility Ashley Wallin delivered a career-high five goals—including four in the final frame—to pull the Aggies within one in the final seconds before ultimately falling 13-12.
• Top Goal Scorers: Redshirt senior Gianna Nocetti continues to anchor the Aggie attack, leading the team with 19 goals on the season. Nocetti found the back of the net three times over the weekend, including two goals against Cal and one of the Aggies' three scores against top-ranked Stanford. Ashley Wallin is tied for second on the team's scoring list with 17 goals, fueled by her explosive five-goal performance against the Golden Bears. 
• 2025 Recap: UC Davis finished the 2025 season 13-15 with a fifth place finish in the Big West Conference. The Aggies fell to UC San Diego in the Big West Quarterfinals.
• 2025 Poll: The Aggies were picked tied for fourth in the Big West preseason poll, receiving 28 points.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• The McKendree Bearcats enter the weekend with a 3-4 record following a 12-11 victory over Augustana to close out the Lischwe Memorial Invitational.
• The Bearcats are led offensively by junior Bella Morquecho, who has totaled 19 goals on a .514 shooting percentage through seven games this season. 
• In the cage, freshman Delaney Judkins leads the McKendree defense with 24 saves and six steals in her debut campaign.
• Saturday's opening match marks the first-ever meeting between the Aggies and the Bearcats.
• The Michigan Wolverines enter the tournament with a 3-6 record after having last competed at the Triton Invitational.
• Michigan defeated UC Davis 11-5 earlier this season by a score of 11-5, setting the stage for a highly anticipated rematch on the Wolverines' home pool.
• Offensively, the Wolverines are led by sophomore Ari Karampetsou, who has a team-high 22 goals and 33 points so far this season.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Bunnell anchors the defense with 52 saves on the season, including a 13-save performance against UC Davis in their previous meeting.
• The Indiana Hoosiers carry an 8-1 record into the weekend, with their lone loss coming in a narrow 9-8 decision against Harvard.
• The last time the Aggies faced off against the Hoosiers was during the 2025 season, falling by a narrow 15-14 margin in an overtime competition at the Kalbus Invitational.
• Senior Louisa Downes fuels the Hoosier offense with 22 goals on a .611 shooting percentage, including a perfect 5 for 5 performance against Wagner.
• In goal, senior Jasmine Higgs has been a focal point for Indiana, recording 94 saves for a .591 save percentage through 10 matches.
• The Mercyhurst Lakers open their 2026 season this weekend in Ann Arbor after finishing the 2025 campaign with a 5-24 overall record. 
• The Lakers are led by senior Krista Domaracki, who paced the team last season in goals (22), assists (7), and second highest in steals (7). 
• Sophomore Gianna Boscacci is expected to take over primary goalkeeping duties as she begins her first season of competition for the Lakers.
• This will also be the first time UC Davis has competed against Mercyhurst.

SEASON NOTES

• UC Davis is led by Jamey Wright and Hodgens Family Director of Women's Water Polo Kandace Waldthaler, who enters her fourth season as head coach and 15th season overall on staff.
• Returning for her third season is former Aggie and current assistant coach Dakotah Sturla.
• The Aggies return a strong core of returning players. Coming off an appearance at the 2025 World Aquatics U20 Water Polo Championships, Chelsea Johnson enters year three looking to use her international experience to elevate the Aggies to new heights. After leading the offense a year ago, Bridget Miller also enters her third season for the team, being selected to the preseason All-Big West Team.
• Despite the departure of all-time assist leader Kelly Hungerford, UC Davis brings in a strong recruiting class, with Hanalora Abel, Adi Englebert, Megan Garner, Audrey Quilala, and Sydney Rubin joining the Aggies.
• With the team joining the Golden Coast Conference in 2027, this season will mark the last in the Big West for the Aggies.

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/.