DAVIS, Calif. — Following a Big West home win last Saturday, UC Davis women's water polo heads to Southern California for two more conference games against Long Beach State and UC Irvine. The matchup with the Beach is set for Friday, Feb. 27, at 7:00 p.m. PT, with the game against the Anteaters taking place two days later on Sunday, Mar. 1 at 12:00 p.m. PT.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Feb. 27 — at Long Beach State |
Live Stats | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
Mar. 1 — at UC Irvine |
Live Stats | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
GAME NOTES
- Last Time Out: The Aggies are 8-9 on the season and 1-0 in conference play after beating UC Santa Barbara 14-6 at home last Saturday, Feb. 21.
- Top Goal Scorers: Securing the hat trick last Saturday at home against UC Santa Barbara, Ashley Wallin sits at the top of the scoring list with 25 goals, also serving as the top distributor for the team with 39 assists for 64 points. Close behind her with 24 points are Gianna Nocetti and Chelsea Johnson.
- 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
- Long Beach State is 7-8 on the season and will open Big West play against the Aggies on Friday. The Beach is coming off a week off of rest following the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, where they took losses to USC, Fresno State, and UC Irvine.
- Elisa Portillo, who ranks first in the conference with 39 goals, serves as the team's primary offender. Lucy Miszewski (30) and Chiara Amoroso (25) round out the top scorers for the Beach.
- Polina Synytsia serves as the team's primary goalkeeper, playing 370 minutes and recording 88 saves.
- UC Davis is 0-1 against Long Beach State this season, with the two teams last meeting at the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational in late January where the Beach took a 15-6 victory.
- UC Irvine is 5-9 on the season and 1-0 in the Big West. The Anteaters are coming off their conference opener home win against UC San Diego last Friday and will compete against Hawaii on Saturday before facing the Aggies on Sunday.
- Lauren Hett leads the team offensively with 38 goals on the season. In their most recent victory over the Tritons, Hett led the charge with four goals, while Michele Urkov and Deirdre Murphy chipped in three of their own in the team's 14-10 victory.
- In goal, the Anteaters are anchored by Ella Walker, who ranks fourth in the conference with 70 total saves and holds a .422 save percentage on the season.
- Sunday's matchup marks the first meeting between the two programs since the 2025 season, where UC Irvine took the contest 17-13.
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/.
