STOCKTON, Calif. – #17 Pacific women's water polo begins its second week of the season at the Aggies Invite at Schaal Aquatics Center.
 
Pacific (2-2) faces Cal State East Bay for the second time at 10 a.m. followed by UC Merced at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Tigers will play the tournament host in #14 UC Davis at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
 
Pacific started the year at the Stanford Invitational last weekend. The Tigers dropped their season opener against #2 California 12-5 before coming back to beat Cal State East Bay 12-6 on Saturday. The victory against the Pioneers also marked the first win for head coach Candice Vorbeck. Pacific opened day two with a 14-7 win over #23 Biola before coming up short against #6 Stanford by a score of 14-3 on Sunday.
 
Sophomore Dora Alaksza has been on fire since the start of the season. The Budapest, Hungary native currently leads the Tigers with 15 goals and 10 steals. Alaksza matched her career-high six goals against Biola and had a career-high five steals against Cal State East Bay.
 
Junior Hila Futorian is second on the team with 14 points on 10 goals and four assists. The Petah Tikva, Israel native led Pacific with a season-high five goals against Cal State East Bay and had a season-high three assists against Biola.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Maja Lizy Dulic has made an impact in her first season in net. The Kecskemet, Hungary native made 31 stops in the Tigers' first four matches. Dulic had a season-high 13 saves at Stanford.
 
Cal State East Bay (1-1) has only one win on the season which took place against Santa Clara at the Stanford Invitational, 11-8. The Pioneers are led in scoring by Luna Sarmiento who has 97 points on 72 goals and 25 assists.
 
UC Merced (1-2) is in its second season as a program. During their first year, the Bobcats earned third in the NAIA Water Polo Finals before winning the CWPA Club Sierra Pacific Division "B" Championship. Goalkeeper Hope Stokes has made 14 stops in net for UC Merced.
 
UC Davis (1-9) picked up its first win of the season with an 8-7 overtime victory against #13 Long Beach State in the Triton Invite. Grace Pelkey is the Aggies' leading scorer with 19 points on 12 goals and seven assists. Goalkeeper Nellie McAdams has tallied 102 saves on the season. She is the Big West's leader in total saves while second in stops per game (7.9).
 
Up next, Pacific competes at the Bronco Invitational hosted by Santa Clara on Feb. 16-18. The Tigers will face Marist, Brown, San Jose State and CSUMB in the tournament.
 

Starting off the 2024 season at the Stanford Invitational!?? #PacificProud #WaterPoloU #DreamBig pic.twitter.com/o4xbWT73vJ

— Pacific Water Polo (@UOPWaterPoloU) February 5, 2024

 
NOTES
-Pacific holds an eight-game winning streak against Cal State East Bay. This will be the second of three meetings between the two teams.
 
-The Tigers face UC Merced for the first time in program history.
 
-Pacific will look for its first win against UC Davis since 2019. The Tigers earned a 10-8 victory against the Aggies at the Stanford Invitational that year.
 
-Three Tigers are ranked in the top 10 in statistical categories in the Golden Coast Conference. Noemi Alaksza is tied for second in field blocks (5) while Dora Alaksza is tied for eighth in total goals (15). Maja Lizy Dulic is ranked ninth in total saves (31).
 
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#PacificProud