Anteaters Trek To NorCal For Two Contests At No. 17 UC Davis; No. 5 Cal
April 11, 2025 | Women's Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. – No. 7/7 UC Irvine stays on the road to take on No. 17/17 UC Davs (Apr. 12) in a Big West matchup before closing out the non-conference slate with No. 5/5 California (Apr. 13).
Week 12 Notes
GAME SCHEDULE
No. 7/7 UC Irvine at No. 17/17 UC Davis
Saturday, April 12 | 12:00 PM | Schaal Aquatics Center
Live Stats
No. 7/7 UC Irvine at No. 5/5 California
Sunday, April 13 | 1:00 PM | Spieker Aquatics Complex
Live Stats | Watch
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
> UC Irvine enters the week ranked seventh in the CWPA Weekly Poll and seventh in the Association of College Water Polo Coaches poll
> UCI heads to Northern California with meetings against Big West foe No. 17/17 UC Davis and a non-conference matchup with No. 5/5 California
> The Anteaters are looking to get back into the win column after dropping an overtime battle last weekend in Honolulu
> No. 17/17 UC Davis enters the contest with a 12-13 overall record and sit 2-3 against Big West opponents
> The Aggies last faced Long Beach State on Saturday (Apr. 5) where they fell 10-7
> UCD is well balanced on the attack with six players recording 50 or more points
> Bridget Miller paces the offense with 43 goals followed by Sadie Henry's 41 scores
> Both Maddie Sumner and Kelly Hungerford hold the team-best in assists at 35 and Madison Sparre is close with 31
> On defense, Hungerford also leads with 37 steals and 12 field blocks
> Eva Stein and Lucy Holland share time in the cage with 24 and 22 outings respectively
> Stein has made 114 saves while Holland blocked 98 shots
> No. 5/5 California heads into the meeting with a 16-3 overall record and 3-2 in the MPSF
> The Golden Bears are on a three-game win streak and collected an 18-14 victory over Arizona State las weekend
> Cal's offense runs through Ruby Swadling's 45 goals and former Anteater Elena Flynn's 38 tallies
> Talia Fonseca holds it down between the pipes for 127 saves in 18 games played
NOTES
> UC Irvine dropped a 16-11 overtime contest to No. 3/4 Hawai'i in a pivotal Big West matchup
> Against the Rainbow Wahine...
-- Sara Naulty played hero as her shot hit the back of the cage with one second left in regulation, tying the game 11-all, and forcing the extra frame
-- Lauren Hett led the scoring with a team-high three goals, her third straight hat-trick, and added a steal
-- Naulty, Nioka Thomas, and Madi O'Hara each contributed two goals
-- Kennedy East and Pippa Heaver tallied one goal apiece
-- Heaver and Hourigan recorded the team's only two assists
-- Rachel Kirchner stopped five shots and tied Thomas for the team-best three steals
-- UH shot 53.3 percent (16-30) in the contest while UCI went 31.4 percent (11-35) at the cage
> Lauren Hett is the team leader at 77 points with 56 goals and 21 assists
> Hett's 56 goals rank 15th all-time in a single season as she sits sixth in the Big West in goals
> Brooke Hourigan next at 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists) followed by Nioka Thomas' 44 goals and 10 assists for 54 points
> Libby Alexander, Sara Naulty, and Kennedy East also sit above the 40-point threshold, tallying 48, 47, and 43 respectively
> Madi O'Hara leads the Anteaters with 38 drawn exclusions as Thomas is nearby with 30
> Hourigan also holds the team lead in steals (25) while East has the top-spot in field blocks (8)
> Rachel Kirchner has 96 saves in the cage through 19 games and Ella Walker has 53 in nine
Week 12 Notes
GAME SCHEDULE
No. 7/7 UC Irvine at No. 17/17 UC Davis
Saturday, April 12 | 12:00 PM | Schaal Aquatics Center
Live Stats
No. 7/7 UC Irvine at No. 5/5 California
Sunday, April 13 | 1:00 PM | Spieker Aquatics Complex
Live Stats | Watch
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
> UC Irvine enters the week ranked seventh in the CWPA Weekly Poll and seventh in the Association of College Water Polo Coaches poll
> UCI heads to Northern California with meetings against Big West foe No. 17/17 UC Davis and a non-conference matchup with No. 5/5 California
> The Anteaters are looking to get back into the win column after dropping an overtime battle last weekend in Honolulu
> No. 17/17 UC Davis enters the contest with a 12-13 overall record and sit 2-3 against Big West opponents
> The Aggies last faced Long Beach State on Saturday (Apr. 5) where they fell 10-7
> UCD is well balanced on the attack with six players recording 50 or more points
> Bridget Miller paces the offense with 43 goals followed by Sadie Henry's 41 scores
> Both Maddie Sumner and Kelly Hungerford hold the team-best in assists at 35 and Madison Sparre is close with 31
> On defense, Hungerford also leads with 37 steals and 12 field blocks
> Eva Stein and Lucy Holland share time in the cage with 24 and 22 outings respectively
> Stein has made 114 saves while Holland blocked 98 shots
> No. 5/5 California heads into the meeting with a 16-3 overall record and 3-2 in the MPSF
> The Golden Bears are on a three-game win streak and collected an 18-14 victory over Arizona State las weekend
> Cal's offense runs through Ruby Swadling's 45 goals and former Anteater Elena Flynn's 38 tallies
> Talia Fonseca holds it down between the pipes for 127 saves in 18 games played
NOTES
> UC Irvine dropped a 16-11 overtime contest to No. 3/4 Hawai'i in a pivotal Big West matchup
> Against the Rainbow Wahine...
-- Sara Naulty played hero as her shot hit the back of the cage with one second left in regulation, tying the game 11-all, and forcing the extra frame
-- Lauren Hett led the scoring with a team-high three goals, her third straight hat-trick, and added a steal
-- Naulty, Nioka Thomas, and Madi O'Hara each contributed two goals
-- Kennedy East and Pippa Heaver tallied one goal apiece
-- Heaver and Hourigan recorded the team's only two assists
-- Rachel Kirchner stopped five shots and tied Thomas for the team-best three steals
-- UH shot 53.3 percent (16-30) in the contest while UCI went 31.4 percent (11-35) at the cage
> Lauren Hett is the team leader at 77 points with 56 goals and 21 assists
> Hett's 56 goals rank 15th all-time in a single season as she sits sixth in the Big West in goals
> Brooke Hourigan next at 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists) followed by Nioka Thomas' 44 goals and 10 assists for 54 points
> Libby Alexander, Sara Naulty, and Kennedy East also sit above the 40-point threshold, tallying 48, 47, and 43 respectively
> Madi O'Hara leads the Anteaters with 38 drawn exclusions as Thomas is nearby with 30
> Hourigan also holds the team lead in steals (25) while East has the top-spot in field blocks (8)
> Rachel Kirchner has 96 saves in the cage through 19 games and Ella Walker has 53 in nine
Players Mentioned
Wednesday, May 13
Monday, April 20
Saturday, April 11
Monday, March 23
















