Friday, March 12
No. 4 UC Irvine Anteaters (6-2) vs. No. 12 UC Davis Aggies (4-2)
12:00 PM and 4 PM– Schaal Aquatics Center – Davis, Calif.
Live Stats (Game 1) | Live Stats (Game 2) | Live Video (BigWest.TV)

STORYLINES
- UCI improved to 6-2 on the season after winning a pair of games against No. 10 UC San Diego in non-conference action
- The Anteaters first game at 12 p.m. will count towards the Big West standings while the second contest (4 p.m.) will be counted towards UCI's non-conference record
- UCI earned a No. 4 preseason national ranking by the CWPA, marking the highest rank in program history to open a season. The Anteaters remain at No. 4 in this week's rankings
- The Anteaters are 15-6 in season openers including wins in four of their last five
- Before the cancellation of the 2020 season, UCI was riding a five-game winning streak and a No. 5 national ranking. The 'Eaters ended the short season with a 15-5 overall record
- 27 Anteaters will suit up for the 2021 season. UCI's 2021 squad is heavy veteran team with 14 upperclassman
- UCI welcomes five new faces to the 2021 roster
- Dan Klatt returns for his 17^th season at the helm in 2021 with a 332-166 overall record

LAST TIME OUT
> UCI earned two wins against No. 10 UCSD including an 8-1 victory in game one and won a 9-7 decision in game two
> In goal, Morgan Jones finished with 24 saves over the two games, including a season-high 14 stops in the second game. In game one, she only allowed one goal and recorded a .909 save percentage
> Piper Smith finished with five goals over two games including a hat trick in the second contest. She also grabbed four steals and went 6-1 in sprints
 
STAT LEADERS
Goals: Piper Smith (11)
Points: Kayleigh Schultz/ Smith (13)
Assists: Schultz/Ayala (4)
Saves: Morgan Jones (57)
Sprints: Smith (11-1)

ABOUT THE AGGIES
> UC Davis has won four-straight games and sits at 4-2 on the season
> This will be the first Big West contest for both teams
> Junior center Noelle Wijnbelt leads UCD with 15 goals while Nellie McAdmas has 22 saves in goal
> UCI is 32-10 all-time against the Aggies
> The Anteaters won a 14-8 decision against the Aggies last season

BIG WEST PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
> UCI's Morgan Jones, Danielle Ayala and Jensine Bugelli  have all earned Big West Player of the Week honors this season
> Jones was named POW after helping UCI to two wins over UC San Diego (March 5-6). Jones tallied 24 saves in goal over two games, finishing with a .909 save percentage in an 8-1 win in game one and a season-high 14 saves in the 'Eaters 9-7 victory in the second game
> Ayala was named POW after leading the 'Eaters with four points against USC (two goals, two assists) Feb. 13
> After scoring her first career goals against CBU, sophomore Jensine Bugelli was named the first Big West Player of the Week for 2021
> Bugelli tied the team best with two goals in UCI's 11-5 win over CBU. She followed that up a few hours later with a team-high three goals in UCI's 16-3 victory against the Lancers

PRENTICE NAMED 2021 BIG WEST SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Redshirt Tara Prentice was named UC Irvine's 2021 Big West Female Scholar-Athlete of the year. Each institution is awarded one male and female award winner. The award acknowledges their accomplishments on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities

MISSING FROM THE ACTION
> UCI will be missing two of its top-scorers from last season in graduate Tara Prentice and sophomore Elena Flynn. The duo will be redshirting in 2021. Additional redshirts include freshman Brooke Banta and Airian Grisham

SISTER, SISTER
> Senior Toni Shackelford will be joined this year by her younger sister, freshman Sabina
> Also, on the roster are sisters Portia and Mica Schiavone, who are both sophomores
> The sister connection runs deep at UCI as senior Calysa Toledo also played with her older sister Corinna (2018 graduate) and sophomore Sydney Milham's older sister Mackenzie (2017 graduate) also played for UCI

COACHING STAFF
> Head coach Dan Klatt returns for his 17^th season at the helm with 328 career wins at UCI
> Associate head coach Andrew Rowe returns for his 12^th season with the 'Eaters
> Director of Operations Bruce Reynolds enters his 18^th year at UCI

UP NEXT
> UCI continues conference play with a home game against Long Beach State Saturday, March 20 at 12 p.m.