Teams: UC Davis at Fresno State; Stanford

Records: Aggies, 9-4 (2-2); Bulldogs, 0-11, (0-4); Cardinal, 10-5, (4-1)

Where: Bulldog Stadium – Fresno, Calif.; Cagan Stadium – Palo Alto, Calif.

When: Friday at 3 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Junior Gina Hoffmire [cq] has been an offensive force all season.

The Corte Madera, Calif. native leads the team in goals with 41 and shooting percentage at .612. The midfielder is ranked 13th nationally in goals per game with 3.15.

Did you know? Fresno State, in just its second year with a lacrosse program, has yet to win a game. To date, the Bulldogs have gone 0-25.

Preview: The UC Davis offense ranks tenth in the nation in goals per game at 14.31, so scoring has not been a problem for the Aggies.

Turnovers, on the other hand, have been an issue.

In UC Davis’ two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation losses to Denver and Oregon, the Aggies had 37 combined giveaways. Coach Elaine Jones [cq] feels that protecting the ball will be key for UC Davis down the stretch.

“Turnovers really hurt us against Oregon and Denver,” Jones said. “I think they’re caused by lack of communication and poor decision making.”

Jones attributes this to a lengthy season. With a pivotal MPSF battle this weekend against Stanford, Jones needs to ensure her team stays mentally tough down the stretch.

UC Davis enters this weekend’s games in fourth place in the conference. Depending on how it plays and how Oregon fairs against Denver, the Aggies could enter the MPSF tournament as a No. 3 seed.

“We’ve never been in a situation to play for a third seed,” Jones said. “The players tend to tighten up in these situations as they play with higher expectations.”

Jones said the team will not look past the winless Bulldogs, but knows the real challenge will come against the Cardinal.

“Stanford is a very tough team,” Jones said. “We need to execute both offensively and defensively and not allow their offense to run the tempo in our zone.”

– Jason Alpert

The Aggies had their eyes on the Big West Conference Championship from day one. Having finished second the past two years, they were hungry for a title.

“We’d been talking about this all year,” said coach Anne Walker. “We’ve worked really hard and the Big West was our goal.”

Their effort paid of Tuesday when UC Davis brought home its first ever Big West title at the San Luis Obispo Country Club in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

“It feels great,” Walker said. “I’m glad we continued the good play we’ve had all year.”

The Aggies took an 8-stroke lead in the first round on Sunday and they never looked back as they blew out second-place Long Beach State by 19-strokes on the tournament. This type of dominance was just what UC Davis had expected.

“We weren’t surprised at all,” Walker said. “We felt like we were by far the best team in the Big West and we showed it.”

The Aggies were led by junior Chelsea Stelzmiller who defeated freshman teammate Amy Simanton in a three-hole playoff to win the tournament after the duo finished the final round tied for the lead at 8-over.

It was the first win at the conference tournament for Stelzmiller who had finished in second the prior two years including a loss in a three-hole playoff as a freshman in 2008.

“Her experience really came into play this week,” Walker said. “It was thrilling to see her win after watching her be the runner-up the last few years. It was really huge for her.”

Stelzmiller also tied for the best single-round of any player at the tournament by shooting even-par on Monday.

Simanton began her final round with a bang.

She fired the Aggies’ only eagle of the tournament on the first hole and shot 1-under on the front nine en route to a score of 5-over.

However, it was not Stelzmiller and Simanton alone who carried UC Davis.

Freshman Demi Runas shot 1-over in her final round to move from eighth to fourth as she finished at 10-over.

Runas’ teammate, junior Alice Kim tied Stelzmiller for the best single-round of the tournament at even par on the first day, as she cruised to a fifth place finish at 11-over.

Senior Kimberly Johnson finished tied for 15th.

This event marked the third tournament win for UC Davis this season and the first time the Aggies have had four players in the top-5.

By winning the Big West the Aggies have locked up a spot in the NCAA West Region Championships for the second time in their three years as a division I program. The tournament will begin on May 6 in Palo Alto, Calif.

TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton

Records: Aggies, 16-24 (5-3); Titans, 9-32 (4-5)

Where: Anderson Family Field – Fullerton, Calif.

When: Saturday at noon, 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to watch: Marissa Araujo finished the 2009 season with 13 doubles ranking first for the Aggies and third in the Big West Conference.

In the 2009 campaign, the senior from Indio, Calif. delivered a pair of doubles on two occasions – once against Fresno State and once in game two of the Cal State Fullerton series.

Did you know? The Aggies have set foot on Titan soil five times this season at the DeMarini Invitational.

Only one of these games resulted in an Aggie victory, but none of the five were against the hosting Cal State Fullerton.

Preview: While Dana Waldusky and Alex Holmes teamed up to throw a shutout in game one against Long Beach State last weekend, the two pitchers were also backed by a solid offense.

Araujo, Holmes, Jessica Gonzalez, Elizabeth Santana and Kylie Fan each delivered at least one hit during that game.

Additionally, Santana, Fan and Holmes combined to post four RBI in the 5-0 win.

“We took advantage of some opportunities in the first couple of innings with runners in scoring position,” said coach Karen Yoder. “Anytime you can do that, it really sets the tone for the rest of the game.”

As Yoder emphasized, it’s always a top priority to capitalize with runners in scoring position.

While the pitching staffs of each team dominated the second game of the series, Yoder said game three was a different story in terms of the Aggies’ performance at the plate.

“We didn’t do a very good job,” Yoder said. “We took a step back offensively but we’re going to pick it up.”

In fact, UC Davis will need to bring its A-game to the plate come Saturday afternoon, as Cal State Fullerton collected a total of 27 hits in last weekend’s series against Cal Poly.

– Grace Sprague

Event: Brutus Hamilton Invitational

Where: Berkeley, Calif.

When: Saturday, all-day

Who to watch: Lauren Wallace is having a strong outdoor season.

In the UC Davis Classic, the sophomore from Ukiah, Calif. won the 800 with a time of 2:13.87. A week later at the Johnny Mathis Invitational, she took third in the 400, and ran the third leg for the 4×400 team that took first.

On Picnic Day in front of thousands of spectators, Wallace broke yet another personal record in the 800, ending with a time of 2:11.00.

“This is her first year running the 800,” said women’s coach Deanne Vochatzer. “She keeps on having breakthroughs.”

With wins at the Johnny Mathis Invitational and the Woody Wilson Classic, Wallace has put together all the ingredients to have an exceptional April.

Did you know? The Aggies will get a rare opportunity to compete with some of the world’s best. Several international Olympians will attend the event, including runners Yuriko Kobayashi, Jen Rhines and Amy Begley. Kobayashi and Begley competed in the 2008 Olympics, while Rhines is a three-time Olympian.

Preview: The Aggies look to bring the energy they exhibited in the Woody Wilson Classic to Berkeley, Calif. on Saturday as they attend the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.

Yet the strength of competition doesn’t concern the Aggies. This is because one of Cal’s coaches, Erv Hunt, is the man who started the event in honor of Golden Bear legend Brutus Hamilton.

In his 30-year tenure as head coach of Cal’s track team, Hunt guided his men’s teams to a .773 winning percentage as well as close to 250 dual meet victories.

Hunt expressed his admiration of the team ethic at UC Davis, something not always held highly at other schools.

“There’s a real team concept,” Hunt said. “The coaches here try to get a real and complete team. Usually at other schools, that’s not the case. There are holes in a lot of different events.”

The Aggies will look to demonstrate this team chemistry in the final meets before the Big West Conference Championships in May.

– Matt Wang

Teams: UC Davis vs. Nevada

Records: Aggies, 8-11; Wolf Pack, 7-7

Where: Caughlin Club – Reno, Nevada.

When: Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior Nic Amaroli will be playing in his last regular season contest of his four-year career.

Going into this final contest, the Hillsborough, Calif. native has won 19 singles and 28 doubles matches in his Aggie career.

Did you know? UC Davis has a three-game losing streak against Nevada spanning the last three years.

Preview: This Sunday will be a regular day for many students.

They will wake up late, socialize and come nighttime, realize they should do their homework.

For three of those students, Sunday will be very different.

The regular season finale against Nevada will be the last time Amaroli, Hunter Lee and Tyler Lee all get an opportunity to help the Aggies get a victory.

This contest marks the end of a season that had plenty of ups and downs for the Aggies. This is because some players spent a large part of the season trying to find themselves.

The team started off the year with a respectable 4-2 record before a six-contest losing streak put them off track.

However, all they needed was a little time off.

Since spring break, the Aggies have gone 4-3 as each contest has taken place on their home court.

Although the team is improving, their home stand ended with a 7-0 defeat against UC Irvine.

UC Davis will look to finish strong as the regular season comes to a close.

Momentum will be key as the Aggies head into the Big West Conference Tournament in Indian Wells, Calif. starting on Apr. 30.

When the tournament comes to an end, Amaroli and the Lee twins will each be finished with their four years as a part of the tennis team.

Even though the Aggies will lose three of their top seven players at the season’s end, some of their core players will be coming back for more experience.

Freshmen Toki Sherbakov and Connor Coates have each had undeniably successful seasons on the court.

In addition, junior Nick Lopez now has an entire year as No. 1 under his belt to use to his advantage next season.

– Zander Wold 

Urijah Faber can’t hold in his excitement.

This is because the former UC Davis wrestler and current Mixed Martial Arts fighter will take on current featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a World Extreme Cage fighting match on Saturday at Arco Arena, a mere 20 miles from his hometown of Lincoln.

“It’s going to be one for the ages,” Faber said. “It will be insane. It seems that every time I fight, it gets more and more electric. I look forward to the [home] crowd.”

The UC Davis standout, also known as “The California Kid,” graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s of science in human development. He soon picked up mixed martial arts and has become one of the most recognized fighters in the world.

A win over Aldo would give him the same belt that he had successfully defended for over two years. In order to do that, Faber will have to beat the man who made short work of Mike Brown, an opponent that has bested Faber twice in the past.

When Faber and Brown fought last, the judges determined the outcome – a unanimous decision in favor of Brown. Despite the loss, Faber’s performance is impressive due to the fact he resorted to throwing kicks and elbows after sustaining injuries to both his hands.

“I had to push through 21 minutes of not having my hands available,” Faber said. “It was a moral victory for me, and reassured me that I was still tough enough. It was a fight I’m proud of.”

Faber’s former wrestling coach, Lenny Zalesky, added that despite losing two of his main weapons, Faber still showed competitiveness and talent.

“Urijah Faber is tough,” Zalesky said. “In the second fight against Brown, he still won a round or two with broken hands.”

Coming off two straight losses to Mike Brown, Faber looked to show he still could win. With rehabilitated hands, Faber took down fighter Raphael Assuncao in January of this year.

To close the second round, Faber threw a huge over-hand right into the chin of Assuncao, showing the MMA community that his hands were still strong enough to deliver punishment.

In the third round, Faber delivered another vicious right that knocked Assuncao to the ground. Faber finished the fight with nearly a minute to go as he managed to get behind Assuncao and finish with a rear naked choke.

“[My hands] feel great now,” Faber said. “I was very active making sure that I’ve been on track. My hands feel as good as normal.”

With the win, Faber padded his already impressive resume. He is now 23-3 and has made a career of taking on tough opponents using his incredibly quick hands, wrestling techniques and unbelievable conditioning.

“He’s really powerful and lightning fast,” Zalesky zaid. “He’s extremely explosive. He picked up Muay Thai and is a pretty good boxer.”

Faber now looks to stop Aldo’s recent dominance of the featherweight division. Three months after Mike Brown took the belt from Faber, Aldo defeated Brown with a second-round TKO.

Aldo, like Faber, is a very explosive and exciting fighter. He rides a nine-fight win streak into Arco Arena and has not lost since 2005. The Brazilian is 16-1 has used a flurry of punches and kicks along with knee-strikes to defeat his last six opponents by technical knockout.

“His biggest weapons are his kicks and knees,” Faber said. “He’ll try to bait me into bringing my head down.”

While Faber acknowledges Aldo’s abilities along with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, the former Aggie remains confident.

“I know him better than a lot of fighters,” Faber said. “I want to strike first and challenge him on the ground. I enjoy the standup game and I really enjoy the ground game. I don’t think he’s been in any danger on the ground yet.”

Zalesky agreed with Faber’s strategy, saying he wanted to see Faber engage Aldo on the ground.

“Faber has a variety of different techniques,” Zalesky said. “Still, I would love to see him put [Aldo] in a submission hold so both guys come out looking clean and not too hurt.”

Still, this fight will certainly be one for the ages.

“It will be an exciting fight,” Faber said. “Aldo is definitely the type of fighter where I need to bring my best game.”

MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Irvine

Records: Aggies, 16-16 (2-4); Anteaters, 20-13 (5-4)

Where: Dobbins Stadium

When: Friday at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Shortstop Justin Schafer has the Anteaters figured out.

During last season’s three-game series with UC Irvine, the junior out of Los Gatos, Calif. racked up six hits, two runs, two RBI and two stolen bases.

This time around, Schafer and the rest of the Aggies have the benefit of playing in the confines of Dobbins Stadium.

Did you know? UC Davis will play a single midweek game against No. 15 California on Tuesday. Having beat the Golden Bears 8-0 earlier this season, the Aggies will look to repeat the feat at Dobbins Stadium this time around.

Preview: UC Davis has been busy lately.

Playing five games in a span of six days last week, the Aggies have had to battle through injury and fatigue. The road doesn’t get any easier as they face UC Irvine, a team who was ranked in the top-10 nationally before the season began.

“The Big West is competitive top-to-bottom,” said coach Rex Peters. “We wanted to try and build some momentum heading into another big series with UCI. You have to show up every day.”

Unfortunately for the Aggies, they have stumbled as of late. After mounting a tremendous comeback against Cal State Bakersfield by scoring nine times in the final inning of play to win 12-11, UC Davis dropped the final two games of the series by a total score of 31-12.

The good news is that the Aggies don’t attribute the series loss to anything more than fatigue.

“We’re worn down,” Peters said. “Having only nine healthy pitchers doesn’t work over the long haul. After a while it begins to catch up with you.”

Another reason why the Aggies are so fatigued is their style of play. They know they’re not a team that can win on sheer talent alone so they play all-out every single time they take the field.

“We’re not a super talented team so we have to work hard for our victories,” Peters said. “Everybody has to be working together.”

In order to win this weekend series against a tough UC Irvine opponent, the plan is simple: relax.

When asked how his team would prepare for the Anteaters, Peters simply said, “We’ve got to get some rest.”

– Mark Ling