Teams: No.11 UC Davis vs. No.16 Pacific; No. 19 Air Force; No. 10 Long Beach State
Records: Aggies, 7-10; Tigers, 10-12; Falcons, 12-8; 49ers, 12-7
When: Friday at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Where: Schaal Aquatics Center
Who to watch: If there is one thing senior Paul Wilson has learned from his three years being a reserve hole set, it’s how to take advantage of sparse opportunities with the ball.
The Santa Barbara, Calif. native started off the season 13-for-13 and now has 24 goals on 39 attempts. The 61.5 percent conversion rate is the best on the team.
Did you know? Pacific and UC Davis play on the same squad in the off-season as a club team. Expect some friendly handshakes in the beginning, but with two physical contests this season in the books, don’t expect any mercy from either squad once the ball hits the water.
Preview: The Aggies are looking to bounce back from a painful weekend in which they fell to two of the nation’s top teams in No. 3 California and No. 5 Pepperdine.
This weekend should be different, as UC Davis faces a Tigers team that it has only lost to once in the past three years.
Air Force is the only conference opponent in the home round robin for the Aggies, who enter with a 5-2 record in Western Water Polo Association play.
The Falcons have presented a challenge for the Aggies at home in the past three years, winning one out of three and losing the other two by a one- or two-goal margin.
The biggest threat this weekend is Long Beach State. The 49ers have won numerous big games this year, including victories over No. 6 Loyola Marymount, No. 7 UC San Diego and Pepperdine.
“I like playing the best teams,” head coach Steve Doten said. “Pacific is a fine water polo team. So [are] Air Force and Long Beach State. We could go 0-3 or we could go 3-0. We’re playing good competitive teams where we can walk away and feel good about it.“
– Sammy Brasch
