STOCKTON, Calif. – The #12 Pacific women's water polo team (20-7, 5-2) dominated the water for its Senior Day game against Azusa Pacific (14-11, 2-5), winning 19-8 on Saturday afternoon.

"Yesterday, we played a tough game. We hadn't played in a few weeks, so we were a little bit rusty, so we wanted to build off of yesterday and get back to where we were before the break," said Head Coach James Graham. "I felt like our energy was better; we were crisper on offense and better organized on defense. "Overall, I was happy with where we were today. We still need to tighten up a few things, but we're excited about the conference tournament and will be ready, that's for sure."

Graduate student Brianna Utas led the Tigers scoring front with a career-high five goals. "I feel great," said Utas. "This is the best I've played in a long time, and I'm just excited to continue it."

Graduate student Lucy Davis scored twice for the Tigers, and senior Aristiana Modica dented the twine once, her season high.

"Senior Day today was a long time coming," said Modica. "We had fun in the pool, played for each other, and we won for each other, and I couldn't have asked for a better senior day."

"I'm so proud of them; they do so much for the program and are leaders within the group. They show people how to adapt and iterate every week," said Graham about his seniors. "You can see a player like Bri [Utas], who has worked on many different aspects of her game throughout her career, and you can see how well that has produced in the game today. I'm super proud of all of them; watching them compete was fun."

Sophomore Szamira Koppány matched her season and career-high four goals. Freshman Dora Alaksza and sophomore Hila Futorian each found the back of the Cougars' net three times. Freshman Noemi Alaksza scored once.

"It's a great start and end to the weekend, and going into GCCs next weekend, we can build off of this and keep the momentum going," said Utas referencing the two-win weekend. "It was senior day and one heck of a game, and it felt great."

Modica, Futorian, Koppány and Davis each assisted on a Tiger goal on the offensive end. Defensively, multiple Tigers shined in a game full of exclusions and powerplays.

Redshirt senior Clara Vulpisi had seven saves for the Tigers, capturing a 58.3 percent save rating. Junior Helen McGrath had three saves for a 50 percent save rating.

Davis matched her season-high and had three steals to keep the ball with the Tigers. Koppány, Futorian, Utas and sophomore Addison McGowan each had two steals. Modica stole the ball once.

The Tigers were 9-13 on powerplays, while they kept the other big cats to 1-13.

With two wins this weekend, the Tigers capture the #3 seed heading into the conference championship tournament next weekend.

"This is huge; we're playing for a GCC championship," said Graham. "We've been one of the top teams in the country the whole season, and we're looking to bring this thing back to Pacific. Not only that, but we really want to play at our home pool at NCAAs when we host it, so that's a big deal for us. The motivation is as high as it gets, and we can't wait."

The Tigers will have a rematch of Saturday's game for their opening game of the GCC tournament. They'll take on #6 seed Azusa Pacific at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 28, in San Diego.

"Come out and support us," said Utas. "We are fighters, we never quit, and we never stop fighting until the end. So, come out and support us, and we'll be so thankful for that."

Tickets for the 2023 GCC Championships are on sale now. The tournament will be held at Aztec Aquaplex at San Diego State from Friday, April 28, through Sunday, April 30. Fans can find more information at the tournament central site. 

"Heading into conference, we're really excited for what it's going to bring and the competition level that weekend brings," said Modica. "We're excited to have some key players back, too. Fans should tune in to the conference tournament or travel down to San Diego if they can. We've been working our butts off for this; it will be something really special."

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