No. 7 UC Irvine Hosts Barbara Kalbus Invitational

Friday, February 23

Irvine, CA

4:15 PM

UC Irvine

Loyola Marymount

No. 7 UC Irvine Hosts Barbara Kalbus Invitational

February 21, 2018 | Women's Water Polo

By: Sarah Zetlmeisl

UC IRVINE HOSTS 2018 BARBARA KALBUS INVITATIONAL
Tournament Central

UC Irvine will host the Barbara Kalbus Invitational Friday-Sunday (Feb. 23-25). Games will be played between the Anteater Aquatics Complex and Corona del Mar High School Pool.

UCI will entertain No. 11 Loyola Marymount in its first game Friday at 4:15 p.m. at the Anteater Aquatics Complex. The Anteaters will play either No. 2 Cal or No. 19 CSUN at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at a site to be determined based on results.

NATION'S BEST CONVENE IN IRVINE
The Barbara Kalbus Invitational is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country, featuring 16 teams that are all ranked in the top 20, including the top nine teams in the nation.

The tournament field features No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Cal, No. 3 USC, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Hawai'i, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 7 UC Irvine, No. 8 Pacific, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Loyola Marymount, No. 14 San Diego State, No. 15 UC San Diego, No. 17 UC Santa Barbara, No. 18. San Jose State, No. T-19 CSUN and No. T-19 Long Beach State.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
The Tournament Central pages features all of the information fans need to follow this weekend's action. Schedule, rosters, ticket information, results and live stats links can all be found in this location.

REMEMBERING BARBARA
The tournament was renamed in 2017 to honor Barbara Kalbus, an influential figure in not only UCI water polo, but USA water polo as well.

Kalbus was a 1993 inductee into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, serving as a longtime manager for the Men's Senior National Team as well as holding a variety of leadership positions within USA Water Polo, including the title of President from 1980-1984.

At UC Irvine, she served as the desk manager for both the men's and women's teams for over 30 years.

In 2010, the Barbara Kalbus Distinguished Volunteer Award was established by USA Water Polo, recognizing those in the sport that have gone above and beyond in volunteer service to the sport.

VERSUS THE LIONS
UCI holds a 25-11 advantage over LMU in the all-time series. The Anteaters and Lions met twice last season with UCI winning on both occasions by scores of 9-5 (Feb.4) and 12-0 (Apr. 21).

LMU is 7-8 on the season with recent wins against No. 13 UC Santa Barbara (7-6), No. 12 Indiana (6-3) and Cal State East Bay (11-4).

IN THE RANKINGS
UCI has remained seventh in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) weekly rankings through the first six weeks of the season.

LAST TIME OUT
UCI fell, 8-7, in a double overtime thriller against No. 4 UCLA at Anteater Aquatics Complex last Friday. The game remained tied through the half before the Bruins pulled away in the third quarter, leading by three. The 'Eaters scored four straight to take a one-point advantage in the fourth quarter before UCLA tied it in the final minute, sending the game into OT. Neither team scored in the first extra period but the Bruins notched a powerplay goal in second OT to seal the win.

Senior Allie Loomis led UCI with two goals while freshman Tara Prentice tallied one goal, one assist and three steals. Morgan Jones made five saves in goal.

PRENTICE IN THE LEAD
Freshman Tara Prentice has wasted no time making an immediate impact on the UCI roster. She currently leads the team with 13 goals including a career-high four against Cal. Against UCLA, she tallied one goal, three steals and one assist.

She earned the 'Eaters first Big West Player of the Week nod for the week of January 31.

COIN DRIVE
Throughout the month of February, UC Irvine's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is participating in the 11th annual Big West Coin Drive. Student-athletes will be collecting donations at 10 events on campus, including the first day of the women's water polo Barbara Kalbus Invitational . This year, the Anteaters are raising money for UCI Active Minds, which helps destigmatize mental health awareness and promotes emotional wellness on campus and in the community.

HOME COOKIN'
The Anteaters' host nine home games as well as the two-day Barbara Kalbus Invitational and the Big West Tournament.

The home opener is set for Friday, Feb. 16 against UCLA at 7:00 p.m. UCI then hosts the annual Barbara Kalbuus Invitational Feb. 23-25.

The Anteaters play six-straight home games spanning from March 10-31. The stretch includes two conference games against CSUN (Mar. 10) and UCSB (Mar. 31).

UCI will host the 2018 Big West Championship April 27-29. The three-day tournament returns to Irvine for the first time since 2013.

2018 OUTLOOK: NEW FACES, SAME GOALS
Coming off a 2017 season that proved to be one of the most successful in program history, 14^th-year head coach Dan Klatt has similar hopes in mind for his 2018 squad that boasts seven seniors and 12 newcomers.

"My goals and expectations rarely change," said Klatt. "We focus on maximizing the potential of the group we have. This season we have a very new group so realizing what that potential actually looks like and then utilizing it will be a main focus throughout the year".

Klatt brings back 13 players, including six seniors that he believes will continue to provide great leadership in and out of the pool. He expects contributions from all of his returners.

The seniors include goalie Riley Shaw, attacker Allie Loomis, attacker Corinna Toledo, attacker Julie Swieca, attacker Keana Eldridge and center Natalie Seidemann. The 'Eaters returning leading scorer and All-American Mary Brooks will be redshirting.

"It's a group that is very hardworking that has established a great culture in the weight room, team room, in the pool and academically," said Klatt.

Along with a seasoned veteran presence, the 'Eaters have a big group of newcomers that will add depth across the roster.

"You will see scoring and contributions all over the board from us this year. We have talent in our veterans and in our younger group, which will lead to well-rounded play throughout the entire roster," added Klatt.

BIG SHOES TO FILL
The Anteaters graduated six senior field players that accounted for 152 of UCI's 303 goals scored in 2017 as well as second team All-Big West goalkeeper Annika Nelson. The 'Eaters will also be without leading scorer, Mary Brooks, who will redshirt this year. Brooks was the 2017 Big West Player of the Year led UCI in scoring with 66 goals.

LOOKING AHEAD
UC Irvine will jump into Big West action with a game in Honolulu against No. 5 Hawai'i Saturday, March 3 at 6:00 p.m.