GAME NOTES 

IRVINE, Calif. - No. 9 UC Irvine women's water polo team hosts their final home game of the season at Anteater Aquatics Complex on Sunday, March 22, at 10 a.m. as they face No. 11 Harvard. The 'Eaters then travel to Northridge for a Big West match against CSUN on Thursday, March 26, at 3:30 p.m.

ANTEATER TIDBITS
• UCI improved to 10-12 overall and 3-2 in Big West play after going 3-0 last week. 
• The 'Eaters defeated Concordia, 16-10, on March 10. 
• UC Irvine topped Cal State Fullerton, 17-5, in Big West action on March 12.
• The Anteaters capped the week with a 15-11 victory over California Baptist on March 13. 
• Junior Lauren Hett led the squad with 14 points on 11 goals and 3 assists and added six steals.  
• Sophomore Deirdre Murphy netted eight goals while junior Sara Naulty recorded four goals and four assists. 
• 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 9th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association rankings released on March 18. The 'Eaters climb one spot after going 3-0 last week. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No. 11 Harvard improved to 21-1 on the season after a 2-0 showing at the Aztec Invite. The Crimson defeated No. 18 San Jose State, 13-4, on March 15 before topping No. 19 San Diego State, 14-9, later that day. Harvard will face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer on March 18 and No. 2 UCLA on March 21 before meeting with the 'Eaters on Sunday. Junior Maya O'Dea led the Crimson at the Aztec Invite with with six goals, followed by senior Heidi Heffelfinger who notched four goals and six assists. Sophomore Orli Cooper led Harvard in net with 18 saves on the weekend.

CSUN improved to 16-5 overall and 2-1 in Big West play after defeating UC Santa Barbara 12-6 on March 13. The Matadors face Connecticut College (March 18) and Hawai'i (March 20) before meeting with the 'Eaters on March 26. Freshman Mira Dravucz leads CSUN with 83 points on 58 goals and 25 assists, followed by sophomore Sofia Martinez with 61 points on 44 goals and 17 assists. Junior Erika Staine leads the Matadors in net with over 451 minutes logged and 136 saves with a 9.70 goals-against average. The goalkeeper also has five assists and 21 steals on the year.

LAST TIME OUT
The 'Eaters defeated Concordia 16-10 on March 10 with junior Sara Naulty and sophomore Deirdre Murphy tallying three goals each. Junior Ella Walker and freshman Annie Peak split the game in net, with Peak recording three saves and Walker recording two. UCI topped Cal State Fullerton in a Big West match to improve to 3-2 in conference play on March 12. Junior Lauren Hett led the squad with a six-point performance behind four goals and two assists. Freshman Anya Frey netted her first career goal and notched her first hat trick against the Titans. The Anteaters capped off the week with a 15-11 win over California Baptist on March 13. Hett led UCI with another six-point outing on five goals and one assist while sophomore Deirdre Murphy recorded the hat trick. Junior Ella Walker had an impressive showing between the pipes against the Laners, recording 10 saves. 

ON THE ATTACK
The 'Eaters, who are averaging 12.1 goals per contest, have four players with at least 20 goals on the season. Lauren Hett leads the way with 64 goals and 14 hat tricks, while Madi O'Hara has 29 goals and five hat tricks. Junior Sara Naulty ranks third on the squad with 27 tallies on the year while freshman Michelle Urkov rounds out the top four with 26 tallies on the season, reaching the 20-goal mark for the first time in her career. Deirdre Murphy sits at 19 goals on the year, while Pippa Heaver and Annabelle Mundelius each have 17, each of them looking to reach the 20-goal club for the first time in their careers. 

MINDING THE NET
Junior Ella Walker has appeared in 17 of 22 games this season and started for 12 of those matches. She has logged over 427 minutes in the cage with a 6-7 record. Walker has recorded 102 saves, seven steals, and four assists, with a season-high 12 saves against No. 2 UCLA (Feb. 7). Walker owns a 10.47 goals against average and a .421 save percentage. Freshman Annie Peak has appeared in 10 games, starting in five of them, and logging 168 minutes in net. She has tallied 32 saves and 10 steals and owns a 2-3 record. Sophomore Mayezie Loggins has appeared in four games for 23 minutes in net, recording five saves and one steal. Freshman CJ Sirls appeared in two games, logging 32 minutes with four 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 travel to Long Beach for their final game the regular season against No. 8 Long Beach State on Thursday, April 2, at 7 p.m.