DAVIS, Calif. – The win streak moves to six straight for the #11 Pacific women's water polo team (6-1) after the first day of competition at the UC Davis Aggie Invite.
"Today, the team did a great job battling multiple tough opponents, and we made a lot of progress as a group," said Head Coach James Graham. "We're continuing to improve each weekend, which is exciting."
In their first game of the day, the Tigers took on the Otters of Cal State Monterey Bay (2-5) and soared to an impressive 17-1 victory. In game two, Pacific defeated #19 San Jose State (2-8) 10-7 to put two in the win column for the Tigers at the Aggie Invite.
Eleven Tigers scored between the two games. Sophomore Szamira Koppány lead the team with six goals on the day, four in the game against the Otters. Sophomore Hila Futorian had five goals for the Tigers. Freshman Dora Alaksza scored three goals for Pacific.
Freshman Alicia Petkov, graduate student Lucy Davis, sophomore Addison McGowan, junior June Akpata and sophomore Lucia Sarimsakci each found the back of the net twice for the Tigers. Graduate student Brianna Utas, freshman Noemi Alaksza and sophomore Ilyana Zlobinsky each netted one goal for Pacific.
McGowan, Sarimsakci and junior Annikah Lillie each assisted on two Tiger goals. Noemi and Koppány each had one assist.
Dora and Futorian made a solid defensive effort for the Tigers with four and three steals, respectively. McGowan, Zlobinsky and Lillie each stole the ball twice to keep Pacific possession. Utas, Noemi, Koppány and junior Isabelle Knittle each had one steal. Noemi had a drawn exclusion for the Tigers.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Clara Vulpisi and Knittle split the time in the net for the Tigers against the Otters. Vulpisi finished with two saves and a 66.7 percent save percentage, while Knittle blocked all three shots she faced for a perfect 16 minutes. Against the Spartans, Vulpisi picked up another 10 saves for a 58.8 percent save percentage.
"I think the mental toughness the team is showing each week – being able to come out and compete, not always in ideal circumstances – is a good sign for the future," said Graham. "We look forward to competing tomorrow."
#11 Pacific vs. La Verne
Sunday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m.
Schaal Aquatics Center
Live Stats
#11 Pacific vs. #1 Stanford
Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4:30 p.m.
Schaal Aquatics Center
Live Stats
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