UC Irvine Opens Big West Slate With UC San Diego

Friday, March 8

Irvine, CA

6 p.m.

UC Irvine

UC San Diego

UC Irvine Opens Big West Slate With UC San Diego

March 07, 2024 | Women's Water Polo

By: Jordan Kehoe

IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine kicks off their Big West slate with a home contest with No. 13 UC San Diego (Mar. 8).

Week Seven Notes

GAME SCHEDULE
No. 13 UC San Diego at No. 7 UC Irvine
Friday, March 8 | 6:00 PM | Anteater Aquatics Complex
Live Stats | Watch

THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
> UC Irvine enters the week at the seventh ranked spot in the weekly CWPA poll, moving up three spots
> UCI comes in ranked seventh in the inaugural ACWPC weekly poll, moving up two spots
> The Anteaters open their Big West slate with No. 13 UC San Diego
> UCI looks to collect their first home win of the season
> No. 13 UC San Diego comes into the contest with an identical 10-8 record and is 1-0 in Big West play
> The Tritons defeated CSUN last weekend, 16-7, in La Jolla for their first league win of the season
> UCSD is led by Caroline Christl with a team best 33 goals and has recorded a hat-trick in her last four appearances
> Kendal Thomas is next up in the goal scoring effort with 30
> Syndey Munatones dished out a Triton best 20 assists over 18 games
> In the cage, Katie Ward has played 10 games and has blocked 54 shots for an 8.49 GAA

NOTES
> UC Irvine went a perfect 4-0 at the Convergence Invitational
> UCI defeated all four of their opponents by eight or more points
> Against Santa Clara (W, 19-5)
   - Freshman Marilynn Hassett ignited UCI's offensive effort as she notched her first career three-goal game by the end of the first period. Hassett then went on to dish out two assists and stole the ball a team best three times
    - Sophomore transfer Maja Layden and redshirt freshman Charley Birdsall also notched their first career hat-tricks as Anteaters by the end of the contest.
    - Freshman Lauren Hett poured in three goals as well for her second three-goal performance of the season
   - UC Irvine shot at a blistering 0.576 clip (19-33) clip on the game and converted on 50 percent of their power play chances (4-8)
   - Freshman Rachel Kirchner started between the posts recording her second consecutive win and tied her career high 10 saves
> Against Pomona-Pitzer (W, 14-6)
   - Madi O'Hara notched her first hat-trick of the season in a four-goal showing to pace the UC Irvine offense.
   - Juniors Libby Alexander and Kennedy East had multiple goal games with two apiece
   - Kili Skibby, Airian Grisham, Sabina Shackelford, Gracie Helberg, Lauren Hett, and Madeline Kasper chipped in one goal each
   - Skibby, Grisham, and Marilynn Hassett each dished out two assists, a game high
> Against Marist (W, 15-7)
   - Junior Libby Alexander notched a hat-trick in the second frame to finish the contest with a game high four goals
   - The trio of Jensine Bugelli, Charley Birdsall, and Gabby Norris recorded two goals each
   - Airian Grisham, Madi O'Hara, Lauren Hett, Sara Naulty, and Marilynn Hassett rounded out the scoring with their goals
   - Senior Jordan Frost earned the start in the cage, stopping three shots in 16 minutes
> Against San Diego State (W, 20-8)
   - Graduate student Brooke Hourigan powered the UCI attack with four goals on six total shots
   - Kili Skibby, Kennedy East, Libby Alexander, Gracie Helberg, Lauren Hett, and Sara Naulty each tallied two goals in the game
   - Charley Birdsall, Marilynn Hassett, Vivian Bailey, and Madeline Kasper rounded out the scoring effort
   - Faith Tedesco earned the win in the cage, blocking 12 shots, assisting on three goals, and had two takeaways
> Tedesco ranks fifth in the Big West in both saves (113) and save percentage (0.475) and sixth in goals against average (9.26)