Teams: No. 12 UC Davis vs. No. 3 California; at No. 4 Stanford
Records: Aggies, 20-9 (11-4); Golden Bears, 17-3 (5-1, MPSF); Cardinal, 15-4 (4-2, MPSF)
Where: Schaal Aquatics Center; Avery Aquatic Center — Palo Alto, CA
When: Saturday at 10 a.m.; Sunday at noon
Who to watch: Senior Luke Collins is shooting 77 percent this season.
He has tallied 31 goals on just 40 shots.
Did you know? Senior Walter Eggert has won 87 percent (21-of-24) of the sprints he’s attempted this season.
Eggert is also averaging 17.8 minutes per match, the highest of any position player this year.
Preview: Seniors Eggert, Collins, Ryan Hagens, Kevin Peat, and Aaron Salit will be doing everything in their power to ensure victory in this last weekend of games (including their home finale) before the Western Water Polo Association Championships.
“On the one side, it’s very tough to have to play [California] and Stanford,” coach Steven Doten said. “But on the other, no one is going to be as good as they are. We want to play the best, and hopefully it can really help us prepare for the conference tournament.”
The game in UC Davis is sure to be as exciting as they come. The Aggies will be playing their last home game of the season, so there will be ceremonies for the seniors, as well as that extra incentive to win.
“The last day for the seniors is always a great day,” Doten said. “We have such a great group of seniors, hopefully we can keep it together mentally and the concepts straight, because Cal and Stanford are looking for a National Championship this year and they are great competition.”
No matter the outcomes of this weekend, they won’t affect the Aggies’ standing in the WWPA, and will not negate an exceptional season from men’s water polo, in which they reached 20 wins for the first time since 2007.
— Russell Eisenman
