Teams: No. 10 UC Davis vs. Pacific
Records: Aggies, 20-8 (3-1); Tigers, 9-20 (1-3)
Where: Schaal Aquatic Center
When: Saturday at noon
Who to watch: Senior captain Sophia Patronas has been doing all the little things for the UC Davis women’s water polo team.
The Downey, Calif. native now holds the single-season school record for assists with 39. She has three regular season contests remaining to build on that number.
Patronas drew five exclusions last weekend, including the five-meter penalty shot that put the Aggies into overtime against Long Beach State. UC Davis went on to win the extra-time contest, 8-7.
Did you know? With a victory over the Tigers this weekend, the Aggies would clinch a first-round bye in the Big West Conference Tournament. They currently sit in second place.
Preview: UC Davis is finishing its Big West slate against a Tigers team that has struggled throughout the season.
The Aggies, meanwhile, haven’t had any problems finding success, as they’ve won five of their past six.
“We’re 3-1 in conference, and taking care of business against Pacific will put us 4-1,” said coach Jamey Wright. “I think that’s huge.“
UC Davis is coming off a weekend where it converted on just 20.3 percent of its shots. It will have to put its offensive woes behind it starting Saturday as it moves closer to the conference tourney.
“We have to shoot the ball better or we won’t win the conference,” said Wright. “Whether it’s on 6-on-5s or regular shots, that’s clear.“
– Sammy Brasch
