BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
Anteater Aquatics Complex - Irvine, Calif.
April 27-29
Big West Tournament Page | Tournament Program | Game Notes

COMING UP
No. 3 seed UC Irvine (11-13, 3-2) will compete at the Big West Championship at Anteater Aquatics Complex Friday, April 27-Sunday, April 29.

UCI begins the tournament Friday, April 27 against sixth-seeded CSUN () at 2:00 p.m.

If the Anteaters win Friday, they will advance to the second semifinal game against second-seeded UC Davis Saturday, April 28 at 1:00 p.m. If UCI loses Friday It will play in the fifth place match Saturday, April 28 at 11:00 a.m. against the loser of the first round match between No. 4 Long Beach State and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara.

The championship (2:00 p.m.) and third place (12:00 p.m.) matches will take place on Sunday, April 29.

All matches will feature live stats and live video. David Gascon will be on the call.

AT THE BIG WEST TOURNAMENT
The Anteaters have won the Championship six times, (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017) the most out of any Big West school.

Last season, UCI earned its sixth Championship title after defeating Long Beach State 8-7 in Davis, Calif. Mary Brooks was named the Tournament MVP after notching a Big West tournament record 10 goals on the weekend.
UCI holds an overall Big West Tournament record of 18-3 (.857).

PREVIOUSLY, AGAINST CSUN
UCI played CSUN twice during the regular season and won on both occasions. The Anteaters defeated the Matadors, 19-7, at the Triton Invitational before topping CSUN 13-3 in Big West action.
ABOUT THE MATADORS

19^th ranked CSUN (15-6, 0-5) has lost four-straight with its last win coming on March 24 against Redlands (16-3). The Matadors are led by Madeleine Sanchez and Katelyn Fairchild with 50 and 44 goals, respectively. In goal, Niki Van Vugt has 192 saves for a 7.68 goals against average.

A LOOK AT THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
First-seeded Hawai'i (20-4, 5-0) finished the Big West season with a perfect 5-0 record. The Rainbow Wahine defeated UCI, 12-6, in the regular season.

No. 2 UC Davis (18-10, 3-2) grabbed a narrow 9-8 win over the Anteaters earlier this season. UCI will play the Aggies in the semifinals if they win on Friday.

The Anteaters beat UC Santa Barbara (7-2) and Long Beach State (11-8) at home earlier this season.

UCI TOURNAMENT RECORDS AGAINST BIG WEST OPPONENTS
vs. CSUN – 3-0
vs. LBSU – 5-0
vs. UCD – 7-0
vs. UCSB – 1-1
vs. UH – 0-2

LAST TIME UCI HOSTED THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
UC Irvine last hosted the Big West Championships in 2013. The Anteaters defeated UC Davis 7-5 in the first round and San Diego State 7-5 in the semifinals to advance to the Big West Championship Game. UCI fell in the Championship Game to Hawai'i in double overtime, 5-4.

IN THE RANKINGS
UCI came in at No. 9 in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national poll. The Anteaters were seventh in 10 of the 14 polls this season and spent two weeks ranked No. 8.

BIG WEST PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The Anteaters have received two Big West Player of the Week nods this season. Tara Prentice was the first Anteater to earn the honor for the week of Jan. 21. Isabel Rack grabbed the final weekly award of the season for the week of April 25.

SEIDEMANN IN THE STATS
Senior center Natalie Seidemann leads the Anteaters with 34 goals this year. She notched a career-high five goals against UC San Diego and has led UCI in scoring in six games so far. Seidemann has scored at least one goal in 19 of 24 games.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Freshman Tara Prentice has wasted no time making an immediate impact on the UCI roster. She currently second on the roster with 33 goals including three four-goal performances. Prentice has scored in 17 of 24 games and also leads the roster in steals with 34.

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

BALANCED SCORING ATTACK
Seven players have tallied double-digit goals this season including Natalie Seidemann (34), Tara Prentice (33), Julie Swieca (23), Allie Loomis (22), Isabel Rack (22), Keana Eldridge (18) and Cara Borkovec (17).

GOLDEN IN GOAL
Jenna Phreaner has played 17 games in goal for the 'Eaters this season. She has a team-high 151 saves to go along with a .409 goals against average. Phreaner notched a career-high 16 saves against No. 12 Hartwick. She has had double digit saves in six games this seasons.

IN THE BIG WEST
Phreaner ranks third in the Big West in saves (151) and save percentage (.604). She is second in saves per game (8.35). Tara Prentice is seventh in the conference in steals with 34.