IRVINE, Calif. – The No. 21 Pacific women's water polo team (2-7) will aim to get back in the win column when they travel to UC Irvine for the Barbara Kalbus Invite.
 
Looking for their first victory since a 12-11 thriller over No. 24 Marist on Jan. 25, the Tigers are hungry for revenge against the Bruins after dropping their previous match to UCLA, 14-7, in the first game of their doubleheader on Jan. 25.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
 
Matchup: No. 21 Pacific (2-7) vs. No 2 UCLA (14-1), Saturday and Sunday (TBD)
Date: Friday, Feb. 21 - Sunday, Feb. 23
Time: vs. No. 2 UCLA (11:15 AM, Friday. Feb. 21), Saturday + Sunday (TBD)
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Venue: Anteater Aquatics Complex
Links: Live Stats (vs. No. 2 UCLA)
 
 
LAST TIME OUT:

• Facing three top-15 teams over the weekend, the Tigers fell to No. 1 Stanford, No. 12 Fresno State and No. 14 UC Davis at the Aggie Invite in Davis, Calif. from Feb. 15 – Feb. 16.
• Leading the way, sophomores Lucy Davis and Brianna Utas paced the offensive attack for UOP throughout the weekend, tallying 6 and 5 each respectively.
• Battling the entire tournament, Tou Falvey, Brooke Contreras, Emma Myall and Ana Martinez do Amaral (2) all scored at least one goal over the weekend.

ON THE PROWL:

• Although the Tigers have faced a rough stretch as of late, Pacific still secured a place in this week's CWPA Top 25, checking in at No. 21.
• Shining in the pool, Utas currently ranks in the top ten in the GCC in three major statistical categories: goals (10th - 14), total points (6th - 23) and assists (8th - 9).
• Impressing in the cage, redshirt senior Samantha Pfaff is second in the conference in total saves with 68 while also placing second in steals with 15.
• Additionally, Davis has also delivered when called upon, ranking eight in the GCC with a .538 sprint percentage (7-6).

SCOUTING THE BRUINS:

• Coming into the matchup ranked at No. 2 in the nation, UCLA has dropped only one contest this season- The Bruins were upset by No. 11 UCSB, 9-8, on Friday, Jan. 17.
• In their last match, UCLA responded with an upset of their own, taking down the top-ranked USC Trojans, 7-5, to win the Triton Invitational in San Diego. This victory was huge for the Bruins as their crosstown rival had previously won the tournament in each of the last seven seasons, in addition to defeating UCLA the last seven meetings.
• Overall, the Bruins have enjoyed tremendous success in the water this year, as freshman Abbi Hill currently leads the MPSF in goals (36) and total points (47) while freshman Hannah Palmer is pacing the conference with 15 assists. Furthermore, Palmer is also tied for second in steals with a total of 14.
• Locking down in goal, redshirt freshman Georgia Phillips ranks third in the MPSF with a total of 65 saves.

TIGERS IN THE OLYMPICS:

• Pacific will redshirt five players competing for their home countries in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo: Kyra Christmas (Canada), Truly Dorland (United States) Mariana Duarte (Brazil), Viktoria Tomas (Hungary) and Clara Vulpisi (Canada). 
• Christmas ranked second in the GCC in goals last season (71) and first in goals per game (3.23) to earn a spot on the All-CWPC First Team, while Vulsipi ranked fifth with 189 total saves.

 
FOLLOW US:
For more information and updates on the Pacific women's water polo team, please follow the team on Twitter (@Pacific_WWP), Instagram (@pacificwaterpolo) and Facebook (@pacificwomenswaterpolo).