IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine men's water polo player Samuel Otta was named the Big West Player of the Week on Wednesday afternoon the conference announced.

This is the program's first Big West weekly honor in their inaugural year in the league as well as the redshirt sophomore's first career honor.

Otta amassed seven goals, seven assists, four drawn exclusions, nine steals, three field blocks, and two sprint wins in a 2-1 week for UC Irvine. In the 21-2 victory over Whittier, Otta scored two goals, assisted on five, had five steals, and tallied two field blocks in just 16 minutes of action. The redshirt sophomore's five assists against the Poets are the second most in program history dating back to 2017.

The attacker notched his second hat-trick of the season against the reigning Division III national champions, Redlands, behind his four-goal performance to help the second half offensive surge seen by the Anteaters to defeat the Bulldogs, 14-9. Otta continued his defensive excellence against Redlands with three steals.

In the narrow 12-10 loss to No. 2 USC, Otta posted one goal on three shots. All four of the attacker's drawn exclusions for the weekend came against the Trojans. The Fresno native added two assists, one steal, and a field block against No. 2 USC. 

Otta and the Anteaters will return to action on Sunday September 17^th for a 10 a.m. start against No. 16 Brown.