Friday, February 13
Irvine, Calif.
12:00 PM
UC Irvine
vs
Stanford
Photo by: Matt Brown
'Eaters Open Home Slate with Barbara Kalbus Invitational Feb. 13-15
February 12, 2026 | Women's Water Polo
Game Notes
IRVINE, Calif. - No. 11 UC Irvine hosts the home-opening Barbara Kalbus Invitational, Feb. 13-14, at Anteater Aquatics Complex. The seven other teams competing in the tournament are No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Cal, No. 5 Hawai'i, No. 7 Long Beach State, and No. 13 Fresno State. The 'Eaters will face Stanford in the first game of the tournament at 12 p.m. on Friday. Depending on the outcome of Friday's matches, UCI will either face Hawai'i or Cal on Saturday afternoon.
ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI moved to 3-7 overall after dropping to No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA
• The 'Eaters fell to LMU, 7-9, on Feb. 6
• UC Irvine dropped to UCLA, 10-15, on Feb. 7
• Junior Lauren Hett led the way with 4 goals on the weekend, bringing her season total to 33.
• Freshman Michelle Urkov netted four goals, bringing her season total to 10.
• UCI finished second in the Big West last season with a 5-2 conference record and 15-13 overall.
• The 'Eaters recorded 413 goals in 28 games played in 2025, a new best in single season history.
• UC Irvine has posted a winning record for 20 straight seasons.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCI improved to 11th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on February 11. The 'Eaters climb one spot after falling to two top-ten teams.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No.1 Stanford has posted a 3-0 record to start the 2026 season. The Cardinals defeated No. 17 UC Davis, 20-7, on Jan. 18 before besting No. 6 Long Beach State, 23-11, on Jan. 24. Stanford topped UC Davis, 20-3, on Feb. 7 to cap off their undefeated start. Redshirt junior Jenna Flynn leads the Cardinals with 12 goals, followed by redshirt junior Juliette Dhalluin with nine goals and seven assists. Junior Christine Carpenter leads Stanford in net with 13 saves.
No. 4 Cal improved to 7-0 on the season after defeating UC Davis, 13-12, on Feb 8. The Golden Bears bested No. 17 Pacific, 25-9, on Jan. 31. Cal also topped No. 9 Fresno State, 15-11, and No. 12 San Jose State, 21-7, Jan. 24-25, at the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational. Freshman Despoina Drakotou leads the Golden Bears with 21 goals, followed by junior Feline Voordouw with 18 tallies. Redshirt sophomore Talia Fonseca leads Cal between the pipes with 52 saves.
No. 5 Hawai'i improved to 5-2 on the season after winning three of their four games at the Triton Invitational. The Rainbow Wahine defeated Concordia, 17-9, on Jan. 30. Hawai'i bested UCI, 16-15, in double overtime, before falling to UCLA, 5-14, on Jan. 31. The Rainbow Wahine defeated Long Beach State, 10-8, on Feb. 1 to close out the tournament. Redshirt sophomore Agatha Weston leads Hawai'i with 19 goals. Junior Daisy Logtens leads the Rainbow Wahine in net with 43 saves.
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Eaters fell to No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA. UCI dropped a 9-7 decision to the Lions on Feb 6. Freshman Michelle Urkov led the way with three goals and recorded her first hat trick. Junior Ella Walker posted a .600 save percentage with six saves against LMU. The Anteaters fell to No. 2 UCLA, 15-10, on Feb. 7. Junior Lauren Hett led the squad with three goals and recorded her seventh hat trick of the season. Freshman Sydney Hagan added two tallies against the Bruins, notching her third multi-goal game of her career. Junior Ella Walker recorded 12 saves between the pipes.
ON THE ATTACK
The 'Eaters, who are averaging 11.4 goals per contest, have four players with at least ten goals on the season so far. Lauren Hett leads the way with 33 goals and seven hat tricks, while Madi O'Hara has 19 goals and three hat tricks. Junior Sara Naulty is the third leading scorer with 12 goals. Freshman Michelle Urkov ranks fourth in scoring with 10 goals and four multi-goal games.
MINDING THE NET
Junior Ella Walker has appeared in seven of the 10 games this season for over 166 minutes in the cage. She has recorded 38 saves and three steals, with a season-high 12 saves against No. 2 UCLA (Feb. 7). Freshman Annie Peak has appeared in five games, logging 110 minutes in net and tallying 17 saves and eight steals. Freshman CJ Sirls appeared in two games, logging 32 minutes with four saves and one steal. Sophomore Mayezie Loggins has appeared in two games for 17 minutes in net, recording two saves and one steal.
COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Freshman Sydney Hagan quickly made an impact for the 'Eaters, scoring seven goals in her first weekend of collegiate competition. Her first goal came against San Jose State, where she tacked on two more for her first career hat trick on Jan. 17. She notched her second hat trick in her very next game against Fresno State. Chloe Patist netted her first career goal against No. 5 California on Jan. 18.
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior attacker Lauren Hett was named to the seven-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Hett is coming of a 2025 campaign in which she led the 'Eaters with 67 goals and 97 points. Last year, she also earned a third-team All-America selection and an All-Big West First Team honor. Hett was also the first player in program history to be named to the watch list for the prestigious Peter J. Cutino award in 2025.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
With recent rule changes promoting offense, the Anteaters recorded 413 goals in 28 games played in the 2025 season, a new best in single-season history. Last year's squad also averaged 14.8 goals per game, a new single-season record. The 2026 'Eaters aim to build on the offensive momentum generated last season.
NEW FACES, NEW ROLES
The 2026 roster features eight newcomers this season who look to make an immediate impact. The squad added two goalkeepers, Annie Peak and CJ Sirls, along with center Jess Reagan and defender Chloe Patist. The 'Eaters also welcomed four attackers: Sydney Hagan, Anya Frey, Michelle Urkov, and Marisol Cowles.
ALL-BIG WEST RETURNERS
The Anteaters return three All-Big West honorees from the 2025 squad. Lauren Hett was named to the first team, and Madi O'Hara garnered honorable mention distinction. Pippa Heaver was selected to the All-Big West Freshman Team in her rookie season
UP NEXT
The 'Eaters will continue their home stand as they kick off Big West action against UC San Diego at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Anteater Aquatics Complex.
IRVINE, Calif. - No. 11 UC Irvine hosts the home-opening Barbara Kalbus Invitational, Feb. 13-14, at Anteater Aquatics Complex. The seven other teams competing in the tournament are No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Cal, No. 5 Hawai'i, No. 7 Long Beach State, and No. 13 Fresno State. The 'Eaters will face Stanford in the first game of the tournament at 12 p.m. on Friday. Depending on the outcome of Friday's matches, UCI will either face Hawai'i or Cal on Saturday afternoon.
ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI moved to 3-7 overall after dropping to No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA
• The 'Eaters fell to LMU, 7-9, on Feb. 6
• UC Irvine dropped to UCLA, 10-15, on Feb. 7
• Junior Lauren Hett led the way with 4 goals on the weekend, bringing her season total to 33.
• Freshman Michelle Urkov netted four goals, bringing her season total to 10.
• UCI finished second in the Big West last season with a 5-2 conference record and 15-13 overall.
• The 'Eaters recorded 413 goals in 28 games played in 2025, a new best in single season history.
• UC Irvine has posted a winning record for 20 straight seasons.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCI improved to 11th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on February 11. The 'Eaters climb one spot after falling to two top-ten teams.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No.1 Stanford has posted a 3-0 record to start the 2026 season. The Cardinals defeated No. 17 UC Davis, 20-7, on Jan. 18 before besting No. 6 Long Beach State, 23-11, on Jan. 24. Stanford topped UC Davis, 20-3, on Feb. 7 to cap off their undefeated start. Redshirt junior Jenna Flynn leads the Cardinals with 12 goals, followed by redshirt junior Juliette Dhalluin with nine goals and seven assists. Junior Christine Carpenter leads Stanford in net with 13 saves.
No. 4 Cal improved to 7-0 on the season after defeating UC Davis, 13-12, on Feb 8. The Golden Bears bested No. 17 Pacific, 25-9, on Jan. 31. Cal also topped No. 9 Fresno State, 15-11, and No. 12 San Jose State, 21-7, Jan. 24-25, at the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational. Freshman Despoina Drakotou leads the Golden Bears with 21 goals, followed by junior Feline Voordouw with 18 tallies. Redshirt sophomore Talia Fonseca leads Cal between the pipes with 52 saves.
No. 5 Hawai'i improved to 5-2 on the season after winning three of their four games at the Triton Invitational. The Rainbow Wahine defeated Concordia, 17-9, on Jan. 30. Hawai'i bested UCI, 16-15, in double overtime, before falling to UCLA, 5-14, on Jan. 31. The Rainbow Wahine defeated Long Beach State, 10-8, on Feb. 1 to close out the tournament. Redshirt sophomore Agatha Weston leads Hawai'i with 19 goals. Junior Daisy Logtens leads the Rainbow Wahine in net with 43 saves.
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Eaters fell to No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA. UCI dropped a 9-7 decision to the Lions on Feb 6. Freshman Michelle Urkov led the way with three goals and recorded her first hat trick. Junior Ella Walker posted a .600 save percentage with six saves against LMU. The Anteaters fell to No. 2 UCLA, 15-10, on Feb. 7. Junior Lauren Hett led the squad with three goals and recorded her seventh hat trick of the season. Freshman Sydney Hagan added two tallies against the Bruins, notching her third multi-goal game of her career. Junior Ella Walker recorded 12 saves between the pipes.
ON THE ATTACK
The 'Eaters, who are averaging 11.4 goals per contest, have four players with at least ten goals on the season so far. Lauren Hett leads the way with 33 goals and seven hat tricks, while Madi O'Hara has 19 goals and three hat tricks. Junior Sara Naulty is the third leading scorer with 12 goals. Freshman Michelle Urkov ranks fourth in scoring with 10 goals and four multi-goal games.
MINDING THE NET
Junior Ella Walker has appeared in seven of the 10 games this season for over 166 minutes in the cage. She has recorded 38 saves and three steals, with a season-high 12 saves against No. 2 UCLA (Feb. 7). Freshman Annie Peak has appeared in five games, logging 110 minutes in net and tallying 17 saves and eight steals. Freshman CJ Sirls appeared in two games, logging 32 minutes with four saves and one steal. Sophomore Mayezie Loggins has appeared in two games for 17 minutes in net, recording two saves and one steal.
COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Freshman Sydney Hagan quickly made an impact for the 'Eaters, scoring seven goals in her first weekend of collegiate competition. Her first goal came against San Jose State, where she tacked on two more for her first career hat trick on Jan. 17. She notched her second hat trick in her very next game against Fresno State. Chloe Patist netted her first career goal against No. 5 California on Jan. 18.
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior attacker Lauren Hett was named to the seven-member Preseason All-Big West Team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Hett is coming of a 2025 campaign in which she led the 'Eaters with 67 goals and 97 points. Last year, she also earned a third-team All-America selection and an All-Big West First Team honor. Hett was also the first player in program history to be named to the watch list for the prestigious Peter J. Cutino award in 2025.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
With recent rule changes promoting offense, the Anteaters recorded 413 goals in 28 games played in the 2025 season, a new best in single-season history. Last year's squad also averaged 14.8 goals per game, a new single-season record. The 2026 'Eaters aim to build on the offensive momentum generated last season.
NEW FACES, NEW ROLES
The 2026 roster features eight newcomers this season who look to make an immediate impact. The squad added two goalkeepers, Annie Peak and CJ Sirls, along with center Jess Reagan and defender Chloe Patist. The 'Eaters also welcomed four attackers: Sydney Hagan, Anya Frey, Michelle Urkov, and Marisol Cowles.
ALL-BIG WEST RETURNERS
The Anteaters return three All-Big West honorees from the 2025 squad. Lauren Hett was named to the first team, and Madi O'Hara garnered honorable mention distinction. Pippa Heaver was selected to the All-Big West Freshman Team in her rookie season
UP NEXT
The 'Eaters will continue their home stand as they kick off Big West action against UC San Diego at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Anteater Aquatics Complex.
Players Mentioned
ATTACKER
/ Women's Water Polo
ATTACKER
/ Women's Water Polo
ATTACKER
/ Women's Water Polo
ATTACKER
/ Women's Water Polo
GOALKEEPER
/ Women's Water Polo
ATTACKER
/ Women's Water Polo
UTILITY
/ Women's Water Polo
DEFENDER
/ Women's Water Polo
GOALKEEPER
/ Women's Water Polo
CENTER
/ Women's Water Polo
ATTACKER
/ Women's Water Polo
GOALKEEPER
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