MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's water polo team picked up two wins on Sunday to close out Sierra Pacific Division B action, beating UC Davis' club team 9-6 in overtime and dominating UC Santa Cruz's club team 12-3 in the league finale.

The Bobcats (6-5, 6-0) finish league play as the only unbeaten team and will be the top seed in the CWPA Sierra Pacific Division B Championship scheduled to begin on April 15.

Viviana Luna led all Bobcats with six goals in the doubleheader. Hope Stokes scored five goals, while Miranda Cruz, Myranda Martinez, Arianna Martinez, and Kaitlyn Kimmel scored two goals each.

Goalkeeper Carlin Rodelo recorded two more wins between the cage and played all 28 minutes in each contest.

Game One

The second meeting of the year between UC Merced and the Aggies was just as thrilling as the first round. After a 9-8 buzzer beating win against UC Davis on February 12, the two teams went to overtime on Sunday and it was the Bobcats outscoring the Aggies 3-0 in the extra time to earn a 9-6 win.

Tied 6-6 after regulation, Luna scored first in overtime to complete a hat-trick and that was all the scoring Bobcats needed to earn the win. Along with strong defensive play, Stokes and A. Martinez put an exclamation point on the Bobcats win with a goal each in the second overtime period.

Prior to OT, no team held more than a one-score lead. Also of note, the Bobcats only deficit was 2-1 at the end of the first quarter.

Luna erased the Bobcats only deficit with a goal just 65 seconds into the second frame. She found the back of the net again with two and a half minutes to go, only to have that score answered by UC Davis to make it a 3-3 affair heading into halftime. That would be a similar storyline the rest of the way as the two teams traded goals for the final 14 minutes of regulation.

UC Merced took three different one-goal leads in the second half, but UC Davis answered each time including with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter. UC Davis had one more chance with 12 seconds left, but Villalta Valle slowed down the Aggies attacker to extend the game to overtime.

Luna's hat-trick was paired with two goals from Stokes, and a goal each from A. Martinez, Kimmel, and Villalta Valle.

Rodelo finished with six saves in the game.

Game Two

Luna notched another hat-trick and Rodelo and the Bobcats allowed just three goals to earn a 12-3 win over UC Santa Cruz in the final game of the weekend.

The Bobcats 12 goals marked the second highest scoring output of the year, while the three goals allowed was the fewest given up by UC Merced in 2023.

Luna was one of four Bobcats with multiple goals in the win. Cruz, Stokes, and M. Martinez joined Luna with two goals apiece.

A. Martinez set the tone early with a score in the first 30 seconds. After UC Santa Cruz tied the game 1-1 shortly after, head coach Johnny Bega's squad scored three unanswered to grab a 4-1 lead early in the second quarter highlighted by back-to-back Stokes goals. UC Merced led 5-2 at intermission.

The Bobcats scored twice and shutout the Banana Slugs in the third quarter to extend their lead to five goals. The Bobcats continued their dominance in the final frame, outscoring UC Santa Cruz 5-1 to put the finishing touches on a 12-3 victory. M. Martinez scored twice in the final frame. Also of note, Carly Kissinger scored her first career goal in the fourth quarter.

Rodelo was credited with six saves in the win. Four different Bobcats were credited with a steal.

Looking ahead, UC Merced will play a pair of games at Cal State East Bay on Saturday, March 11 starting with CSUEB at 9:30am at Pioneer Pool in Hayward, Calif.