Teams: UC Davis vs. Pepperdine; vs. Fresno Pacific; vs. Brown; vs. Bucknell
Records: Aggies, 11-10 (10-3); Waves, 8-6 (1-1); Sunbirds 10-7; Bears, 18-2 (5-0); Bison, 9-10 (3-5)
Where: Schaal Aquatics Center—Davis; Sullivan Aquatic Center—Santa Clara, Calif.
When: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 11:40 a.m.; Sunday at 9:20 a.m.; Sunday at 1:20 p.m.
Who to Watch: Sophomore Trevor Allen has been an incredibly strong offensive force for the Aggies in the pool this year.
UC Davis has dropped three straight games, but Allen has scored eight goals over that span of time. This impressive stat includes his career-high four goals in the last game against 13th-ranked Air Force last weekend.
Did you know? UC Davis is ranked no. 17 in the country, but is only in third place in the Western Water Polo Association. At 11-10, the Aggies’ overall record is not that impressive, but their 10-3 record in conference is one of the better ones.
UC Davis is 4-9 against other teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation.
Preview: UC Davis will have a very busy day in the pool this weekend.
To start things off, the Aggies host Pepperdine in a night game at Schaal Aquatics Center. The Waves are ranked eighth in the nation and will be playing their first road game since September.
Pepperdine just recently dropped a close game to water polo powerhouse Stanford.
The Aggies will not get much of a break after the game on Friday, since they play at 11:40 a.m. the next morning in Santa Clara.
The Santa Clara Invitational, The Rodeo, will be a physically draining tournament for UC Davis, who will play three games in less than two days.
Several of the eight participating teams are ranked in the top 20 in the country, including the Aggies.
UC Davis faces off with Fresno Pacific in the first round on Saturday. The other matches are already scheduled, with the Aggies’ facing off with Brown University set to take place the next morning at 9:20 a.m.
The Aggies are coming off a tough loss in a shootout with Air Force by a score of 15-11. Allen had four goals, but the Aggies were unable to overcome the 9-4 deficit they had at halftime.
The Aggies have had some time off this week to rest, and they will need every ounce of energy they possess if they are to hold their own this weekend against some of the top teams in the nation.
— Matthew Yuen
