IRVINE, Calif. - No. 10 UC Irvine women's water polo returns to Anteater Aquatics Complex this week as they host Concordia on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. before facing Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. for a Big West match up. The 'Eaters close out the week against No. 22 California Baptist on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m.

ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI moved to 7-12 overall and 2-2 in Big West play after going 2-1 last week. 
• The 'Eaters defeated UC Santa Barbara in Big West action, 19-7, on March 6. 
• UC Irvine topped Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 12-5, before falling to No. 5 Arizona State, 9-16 on March 7. 
• Junior Lauren Hett led the squad with 13 points on nine goals and four assists. 
• Junior Hollis Munchoff recorded four goals and four assists while sophomore Pippa Heaver tallied six goals and one assist.
• 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 10th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on March 4. The 'Eaters fall one spot after dropping to Hawai'i and UC Davis. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Concordia moved to 11-8 after going 3-1 at the Convergence Tournament. The Golden Eagles defeated La Salle, 11-9, before falling to Villanova, 6-12, on March 6. Concordia topped McKendree 11-9, before defeating Santa Clara, 13-12, on March 7. 

Cal State Fullerton moved to 16-9 overall after going 3-1 at the Convergence Tournament. The Titans defeated Santa Clara, 14-13, before topping Mount St. Mary's, 5-4, on March 6. Cal State Fullerton fell to No. 11 Michigan, 10-15, before defeating La Salle, 11-10, on March 7. Senior Destiny Hernandez leads the Titans in goals with 43, followed by freshman Sofia Moschetti with 36 tallies on the season. Freshman Renske Boxsem leads the Titans in net with 149 saves and 25 steals. 

No. 22 California Baptist moved to 11-7 on the season after going 2-2 at the Convergence Tournament. CBU defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 15-7, before falling to No. 25 Pomona-Pitzer, 9-10, on March 6. California Baptist defeated Iona, 14-10, before dropping to No.18 Marist, 5-13, on March 7. Sophomore Emmie Ramirez leads CBU with 53 goals on the season, followed by junior Niya Bumbaca with 37 tallies. Graduate Student Tyanna Schneider leads CBU in net with 101 saves and 15 steals. 

LAST TIME OUT
The 'Eaters defeated UC Santa Barbara, 19-7, to improve to 2-2 in Big West action on March 6. UCI had their highest scoring game of the season against the Gauchos, led by Lauren Hett with four goals and Hollis Munchoff with three. The Anteaters defeated tournament hosts, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 12-5, on March 7. Hett and Pippa Heaver each netted three against the Athenas. UCI fell to No. 5 Arizona State, 9-16, on March 7. Gabbie Graniello and Hett each recorded two goals against the Sun Devils. 

ON THE ATTACK
The 'Eaters, who are averaging 11.5 goals per contest, have four players with at least 20 goals on the season. Lauren Hett leads the way with 53 goals and 12 hat tricks, while Madi O'Hara has 27 goals and five hat tricks. Junior Sara Naulty ranks third on the squad with 23 tallies on the year while freshman Michelle Urkov rounds out the top  four with 22 tallies on the season, reaching the 20-goal mark for the first time in her career. 

MINDING THE NET
Junior Ella Walker has appeared in 14 of 19 games this season and started for nine of those matches. She has logged over 363 minutes in the cage with a 3-7 record. Walker has recorded 87 saves, seven steals, and two assists, with a season-high 12 saves against No. 2 UCLA (Feb. 7). Walker owns a 10.73 goals against average and a .416 save percentage. Freshman Annie Peak has appeared in eight games, logging 142 minutes in net and tallying 27 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.

WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Junior Lauren Hett notched her fourth career, and first of the 2026 season, Big West Player of the Week Honor on Feb. 25. The attacker led the 'Eaters to their first Big West win of the season over the Tritons behind a six point performance on four goals and two assists. 

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 continue their homestand against Harvard on March 22 at 10 a.m. at Anteater Aquatics Complex.