DAVIS, Calif. — Following a busy road slate last weekend, No. 16 UC Davis women's water polo returns home this weekend to host a pair of top-five rivals. The Aggies will take on No. 1 Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 7, before facing No. 4 California on Sunday, Feb. 8, with both matches set for 12 p.m. PT.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Feb. 7 — vs Stanford |
Live Stats | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
Feb. 8 — vs Cal |
Live Stats | @ucdaviswwp (X/Instagram)
GAME NOTES
- Last Time Out: The Aggies sit at 5-5 on the season after a 2-2 showing at the Triton Invitational last weekend. UC Davis secured decisive wins over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (12-5) and San Diego State (11-6), while dropping a narrow one-goal thriller to UC San Diego (11-12) and falling to No. 14 Michigan (5-11).
- Top Goal Scorers: Junior Bridget Miller took over the team lead in scoring after a dominant nine-goal weekend in La Jolla, highlighted by a career-high performance against CMS. Miller now paces the Aggie offense with 17 goals on the year. Redshirt senior Gianna Nocetti follows closely behind with 16 total goals, continuing to be a focal point for the attack after adding to her season tally over the four-game stretch.
- 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 defending NCAA champion Stanford Cardinal enters the weekend with a 2-0 record.
- Redshirt junior Jenna Flynn leads the Cardinal offense with 11 goals on 13 shots through their first two games.
- In goal, junior Christine Carpenter is the primary goalkeeper, recording 10 saves while maintaining a 6.50 goals-against average.
- UC Davis is 0-1 against Stanford this season and will look to even the series in their first home meeting of the year.
- The California Golden Bears enter the weekend at 6-0 on the season, marking the program's best start since 2018.
- Offensively, freshman Despoina Drakotou leads the way with 20 goals, having scored in every match this season.
- Redshirt sophomore Talia Fonseca serves as the primary goalkeeper for Cal, tallying 43 saves for an average of 7.8 stops per game.
- Sunday marks the first official meeting between the Aggies and Golden Bears this season following an exhibition match in late January.
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/.
