'Eaters Travel to Los Angeles to Face No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA

Friday, February 6

Los Angeles, Calif.

6:00 PM

UC Irvine

#9 LMU

Photo by: Matt Brown

'Eaters Travel to Los Angeles to Face No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA

February 04, 2026 | Women's Water Polo

IRVINE, Calif. - No. 12 UC Irvine travels to Los Angeles to face No. 9 LMU and No. 2 UCLA this weekend. The 'Eaters will face LMU at 6 p.m. on Friday Feb. 6 before taking on the Bruins on Saturday Feb. 7 at 1 p.m.

ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI moved to 3-5 overall after spliting their games at the Triton Invitational (Jan. 30-Feb. 1).
• The 'Eaters won their first game of the tournament against No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (17-3).
• UC Irvine dropped their next two games against No. 5 Hawai'i (15-16, 2OT) and No. 6 Arizona State (8-14).
• The Anteaters won their last game of the tournament against host #12 UC San Diego, 14-9.
• Junior Lauren Hett led the way with 15 goals on the weekend, bringing her season total to 29 in just eight games.
• 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 dropped to 12th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on January 28. The 'Eaters dropped one spot after going 2-2 at the Triton Invitational.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No. 9 LMU moved to 6-3 on the season after splitting their games at the Triton Invitational. The Lions defeated No. 19 San Diego State in double overtime (13-10) on Jan. 30 before falling to No. 7 Long Beach State, 5-15, on Jan. 31. LMU defeated No.12 UC San Diego, 8-7, on Jan. 31, before dropping to No. 6 Arizona State, 10-15, on Feb 1.

No. 2 UCLA improved to 6-0 on the season after going undefeated at the Triton Invitational. The Bruins defeated Cal State Fullerton, 22-4, on Jan. 30 before besting No. 6 Arizona State, 15-8, on Jan. 31. UCLA defeated No. 5 Hawai'i, 14-5, on Jan. 31, before beating No. 2 USC in the championship game, 12-9.

LAST TIME OUT
The 'Eaters split their games at the Triton Invitational this weekend to move to 3-5 on the season. UCI won their first game of the tournament against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, 17-3. Junior Lauren Hett led the charge against the Gauchos with five goals. The Anteaters dropped a hard-fought double-overtime match to Big West rival No. 5 Hawaii, 15-16. Lauren Hett led the charge once again with four goals against the Rainbow Wahine. Junior Annabelle Mundelius led a fourth quarter comeback with three goals in the frame to force overtime. UCI then fell to No. 6 Arizona State, 8-14. Freshman Michelle Urkov led the squad with two goals against the Sun Devils. The 'Eaters ended the weekend with a victory over tournament host No. 12 UC San Diego, 14-9. Lauren Hett led the Anteaters with five goals.

ON THE ATTACK
The 'Eaters have scored 12+ goals in five of their eight outings. UCI's three single-digit goal games came against three top-ten teams in No. 10 Indiana, No. 5 California, and No. 6 Arizona State. The 'Eaters, who are averaging 12.3 goals per contest, have four players with at least five goals on the season so far. Lauren Hett leads the way with 29 goals and six hat tricks, while Madi O'Hara has 14 goals and three hat tricks. Junior Sara Naulty is the third leading scorer with eight goals. Freshman Sydney Hagan ranks fourth in scoring with seven goals and two hat tricks.

MINDING THE NET
Freshman Annie Peak started in two of the four games at Polopalooza, logging 48 minutes in net and tallying three saves and five steals. Junior Ella Walker appeared in two games, logging 48 minutes and recording 10 saves with one steal. Freshman CJ Sirls and sophomore Mayezie Loggins split the game against California, each logging 16 minutes in the cage. Sirls recorded a steal while Loggins tallied two saves.

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 have their home opener next weekend and kick off a seven-game home stand when the host the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, Feb. 13-15, at Anteaters Aquatics Complex.