MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's water polo team is back on the road this weekend to play three nationally-ranked NCAA Division I opponents at the Aggie Invite in Davis, Calif. The Bobcats will play #9 UC Davis and #17 San Jose State on Saturday before closing out the Aggie Invite with #22 Pacific. Ninth-ranked UC Davis will match the Bobcats highest ranked opponent in program history.
All three matches will have live stats on The FOSH.
The Bobcats (1-5) earned a win in their last tournament, beating Carthage College 12-8 at the Indiana Classic. While in Bloomington, the Bobcats also got their first look at future conference opponents McKendree and Salem but lost both matches. UC Merced also fell to #16 CSUN, however the Bobcats tallied eight goals which marked the most goals against a nationally-ranked team in program history. The eight goals also tied the program's single-game scoring record against any NCAA Division One opponent.
UC Merced averaged 7.7 goals a match at the Indiana Classic.
Freshman Kiryn Wicker leads all Bobcats with ten goals on the year. Nine of her ten tallies came at the Indiana Classic, including a hat trick each against Carthage and CSUN.
Nine total Bobcats have deposited at least one shot into the back of the net. Melanie Torres, the Bobcats top returning goal scorer from last season, is up to seven goals. Juniors Claudette Asenjo and Viviana Luna have recorded six and five goals, respectively.
Madeline Guo has been credited with a team-high four steals.
Goalkeeper Amelie Ramirez has logged all 192 minutes in the cage this season, earning the win over Carthage. The freshman is averaging 9.4 saves per game.
UC Merced has already played three nationally-ranked opponents in the early campaign, matching their total from last season. UC Merced plays three more this weekend and has one more on their schedule later this season, #21 Brown.
Head coach Johnny Bega is in his third season leading the Bobcats and has led his squad to a postseason trophy each of the first two years. The Bobcats took first in the CWPA Club Sierra Pacific "B" Division Championship in 2023 and were California Pacific Conference champions last year. This season, UC Merced is not eligible to compete in the postseason but will be able to compete for the WWPA Championship trophy in 2026.
UC Merced's home opener is scheduled for March 22 against Biola.
UC DAVIS OUTLOOK
Ninth-ranked UC Davis is 5-5 on the season, most recently splitting its last four matches at the Triton Invite which included a 22-21 win over LMU. Sadie Henry leads the Aggies with 25 goals, followed by Sam Yoo's 17 goals. Gianna Nocetti has filled the stat sheet with 14 goals, ten assists, and ten steals. Lucy Holland and Eva Stein have split time in the cage with 43 saves and 38 saves, respectively.
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE
No. 19 San Jose State is coming in on a three-match winning streak and is 4-5 on the season overall, most recently beating #16 Santa Clara 21-6. San Jose State has scored 20+ goals in each win during the streak. Darcy Spark is the Spartans leader with 30 goals and eleven steals, while Bridget Cranley is up to 18 goals. Goalkeeper Gracie Smith has tallied 56 saves.
A GLANCE AT PACIFIC
No. 22 Pacific is 4-0 to start the year for the first time since 2018. The Tigers swept their four games at the Bruno Classic last weekend, including beating host No. 22 Brown 11-10 in the weekend finale. Hila Futorian has delivered 17 goals for the Tigers followed by Dora Alaksza's 13 goals.
UC Merced is 0-1 against UC Davis and Pacific, but has never played San Jose State.
