Event: Triton Invitational

Teams: No. 9 UC Davis vs. Redlands; No. 18 UC San Diego or No. 12 Marist; TBA; TBA

Records: Aggies, 2-2; Bulldogs, 2-3; Tritons, 0-0; Red Foxes, 0-0

Where: Canyonview Pool – La Jolla, Calif.

When: Saturday at 9 a.m., TBA; Sunday at TBA, TBA

Who to watch: Sophomore Dakotah Mohr drew a combined 20 exclusions over the four-game NorCal Cup last weekend.

The Davis native, who was selected to the All-Western Water Polo Association freshman team last year, had a career-high seven exclusions against No. 4 Hawaii on Saturday.

Did you know? The Aggies have played the Triton Invitational for the past six seasons and have yet to come away as the tournament’s No. 1 finisher. UC Davis is looking to change that this year, as they come in as the top-ranked team in their pool of four.

Preview: UC Davis is coming off an impressive start to its season with two solid victories at the NorCal Cup.

“When you clear away the dust, we beat San Jose, we played well against Hawaii and we played well against Cal,” said coach Jamey Wright. “It gives us confidence, so we’ll build on that, but we also have to be consistent.”

Wright spread out the playing time last weekend, with nine players averaging double-digit minutes during the tournament. The team’s scoring sources proved to be the biggest surprise. Freshman Kaylee Miller and sophomore Lauren Siedemann led the Aggies with four goals apiece last weekend.

Now, the inexperienced Aggies travel to San Diego as UCSD hosts the annual Triton Invitational, a 16-team tournament featuring 11 nationally-ranked teams.

“I’m really happy with our team this year,” Wright said. “I was worried that we were too young to do anything, but I think we’re going to be okay.”

– Sammy Brasch 

Who: UC Davis vs. UC Santa Barbara

Records: Aggies (4-3); Gauchos (1-0)

Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center

When: Saturday at 11 a.m.

Who to watch: Posting an overall singles record of 11-10, junior Desiree Stone has proved to be an invaluable asset at the No. 2 singles position.

The North Hollywood, Calif. native led the Aggies with an overall record of 28-18 last season, and has accumulated 34 singles victories in her career with UC Davis.

Did you know? This past weekend, the Aggies went 2-0 at home against Santa Clara and UC Santa Cruz.

Preview: As the stage is being set for the conference opener at home this Saturday, coach Bill Maze isn’t just getting prepared for the match. He’s preparing for battle.

“It’s going to be a very tough match, a real battle,” Maze said. “We’ll have to play very, very well to beat UCSB.“

The Gauchos are coming off of a shutout win over Cal State Bakersfield, 7-0. The victory was flawless, as they swept the Roadrunners in doubles and singles play.

The Aggies know a thing or two about flawless victories, too, as they are coming off one of their own.

On Sunday, the Aggies pounded UC Santa Cruz, 7-0, capping off a perfect weekend homestand.

UC Davis looks to continue its success at home on Saturday, keeping their undefeated home record in tact against a tough UC Santa Barbra squad.

– Matt Miller

Teams: UC Davis at No. 11 Boise State

Where: Bronco Gymnasium – Boise, Idaho

When: Saturday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: Last Friday against Oregon State, sophomore Abe Otrambo registered the Aggies‘ lone bonus-point victory with a pin only 1:30 into his match. The Anaheim, Calif. native is having a solid year and is second on the team with three pins.

Otrambo is in his full year in the 197-pound class after switching from 184 in January of last year. He is looking for his fifth dual victory of the season against Boise State, but he’ll have his work cut out for him as he faces No. 5 Brent Chriswell.

Did you know? The Aggies are 1-1 against ranked opponents this year. On Nov. 23, UC Davis beat No. 10 Northwestern at the Pavilion 23-15, but fell to No. 13 Oklahoma State 29-7 in Stillwater, Okla. on Jan. 4.

Preview: UC Davis split its conference duals this weekend with a convincing 22-12 victory over Oregon State at the Pavilion on Friday before losing 22-12 to Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.

“Oregon State was only the second time all year we had a full lineup,” coach Lennie Zalesky said. “We’re a pretty tough team when we have our full lineup. To get them healthy we’re just going to have to give them some rest. I thought we could have really pushed for a win at Fullerton if we had a healthy lineup there.“

The Aggies are going to need all the help they can get with the 11th-ranked Broncos, who are the frontrunners in the Pacific-10 Conference and have yet to lose a conference dual this year (4-0). Boise State has seven nationally ranked wrestlers, including four ranked in the top five.

“They’re a tough team, and I think they deserve to be ranked even higher,” Zalesky said. “We match up well with them at most of the weights and will have a chance to win our share of matches.“

The Aggies have been banged-up by injuries the last few weeks. Zalesky does not see having all his wrestlers back by this weekend, and instead looks to the Pac-10 tournament as a timetable for when his team will return to full health.

“The goal is to go into the Pac-10 tournament with each of our 10 guys healthy,” Zalesky said.

– Kyle Hyland

Teams: UC Davis vs. Long Beach State; Cal State Fullerton

Records: Aggies, 7-12 (3-5); 49ers, 4-16 (1-7); Highlanders 11-9 (7-1)

Where: The Pavilion

When: Today at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 5 p.m.

Who to watch: The last time UC Davis faced Long Beach State, the Aggies found themselves down by one point with nine seconds remaining.

Freshman Kasey Riecks then drove the ball to the basket, drew a foul and hit both free throws to give UC Davis the narrow margin of victory.

Riecks scored 15 points in 35 minutes of play for the game. The Auburn, Calif. native has started all 19 of the Aggies‘ games this season and has averaged 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in those games.

Did you know? UC Davis has played five games this season in which the final outcome has been determined by two possessions or less. They are 1-4 in those close games, with their only win coming in a 55-54 win at Long Beach State on Jan. 10, the same game in which Riecks hit two free throws with two seconds left to give UC Davis the win.

Preview: UC Davis is halfway through the Big West schedule, but still has a lot of basketball yet to play.

With only a few adjustments, coach Sandy Simpson foresees a strong showing from his team as the final nine games of the season approach.

“We understand that if we clean up some normal things like taking care of the ball and boxing out, we can anticipate a strong second half,” said Simpson. “We are young and gaining experience.“

UC Davis will attempt to begin that strong second half as they host Long Beach State tonight.

The 49ers are 1-7 in Big West action, with their only win coming against Cal State Fullerton.

The 49ers are led offensively by junior Whitney Fields, who averages 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. She also has a team-high 33 steals on the season.

After Long Beach State, UC Davis will face a UC Riverside team that is second in the conference standings and that handed the Aggies a 56-52 loss on Jan. 8 in Riverside.

The Highlanders are led offensively by senior Kemie Nkele who scores 17.7 points and grabs 7.8 boards per contest.

The San Diego, Calif. native will likely be matched up in the low post with sophomore Paige Mintun, UC Davis’s leading scorer at 13.6 points per game.

–Max Rosenblum 

Event: Cathedral City Kickoff

Teams: UC Davis vs. Southern Illinois; Fordham; James Madison; Illinois

Records: Aggies, 0-0; Salukis, 0-0; Rams 0-0; Dukes 0-0; Fighting Illini 0-0

Where: Cathedral City, Calif.

When: Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

Who to watch: In order for UC Davis to build on its 2008 season, it will need help in the circle, starting with star hurler senior Jessica Hancock.

The Long Beach, Calif. native was a first team All-Big West selection last season after recording a team-high 17 wins, five of them for shutouts. She also struck out 225 batters, good for second in the conference.

“She’s an amazing young lady both on and off the field,” said coach Karen Yoder. “She’s such a team player who works so diligently and brings everything each day. She has been such a huge influence on our underclassmen, and if she brings half of what she did last year, this program will improve.“

Did you know? UC Davis‘ schedule is loaded with road games for the two months of the season. In fact, the Aggies will be playing 31 of their first 34 games away from LaRue Field. However, 14 of their final 20 games will be played at home.

Preview: Once the first pitch has been thrown on Saturday, the Aggies will be playing softball virtually nonstop until the end of May – and they will have fun doing so due to an array of returning talent.

UC Davis returns its top five batters in terms of batting average as well as the entire pitching staff from last season. In total, the Aggies have 12 returning players and seven new players, two of which are junior college transfers.

“If we’re all healthy and all cylinders are hitting at the same time, I’m excited for what this program can do this year,“ Yoder said. “We’re on a roll right now. We’re in this upward trend with the recruits and where we’re going in the future. It’s an exciting time right now.“

Offensively, UC Davis returns its top hitter in senior Deanna Menapace.

The Livermore, Calif. native batted .266 last season with a team-high 10 doubles and 33 RBI. For her career, Menapace has 18 homeruns and 65 RBI.

The Aggies will begin their long march towards the NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. this weekend when they face four teams in a two-day span.

Rest assured, the Aggies will be ready for it.

“We’re ready for some competition,” Yoder said. “We’ve played enough of each other, and we’re ready to start the season.“

–Max Rosenblum

Who: UC Davis vs. No. 40 Fresno State; Pacific

Records: Aggies (1-2); Bulldogs (1-0); Tigers (0-1)

Where: Wathen Tennis Center – Fresno, Calif.; Marya Welch Tennis Center

When: Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Nick Lopez, a sophomore from Miramonte High School, was recently named a Big West Conference Tri-Athlete of the Week. In three matches in Portland, Lopez posted a 2-1 record in singles and a 1-2 mark in doubles play.

For the season, Lopez has seen action in both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions, posting a record of 3-2 while sitting 4-6 overall.

Did you know? Not one singles starter for Fresno State is from the United States.

Its No. 1 starter, No. 32 Rudolf Siwy, is from the Czech Republic, as is Mirko Zapletal. Rikus de Villiers is from South Africa, Tejesvi Veerepalli and Siddharth Alapati are from India and Remi Boutillier hails from France.

Preview: When the Aggies compete against the Bulldogs on Saturday, they’ll be facing their toughest test of the season, said coach Daryl Lee.

“Obviously, it should just be a great opportunity to play a team like this,” Lee said. “We have everything to gain.“

Senior Michael Reiser has shown he can be a solid leader for the Aggies at the No. 1 singles position, while Lopez has emerged as a quality starter. Freshman Chris Aria has also shown promise, going 1-0 as the No. 3 singles player.

“I think that the team overall had a great weekend in Portland,” Lee said. “Our players fought hard, had a good attitude – I was impressed.

– Matt Miller

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Irvine

Where: Schaal Aquatics Center

When: Saturday at noon

Who to watch: Coming from Fresno, Calif., senior Amber Bonds is wrapping up her career as an Aggie in a big way.

The sprinter specializes in the freestyle and butterfly events, and has anchored two relays to come-from-behind wins. This year, Bonds has posted lifetime bests in the 100 free (52.93) and in her split for the 200 free relay against UCSD.

Did you know? The first intermission will pay tribute to the 12 graduating members of the UC Davis team, acknowledging its successful transition from Division II to Division I.

The men’s team will be graduating five members: captain Trent Richardson, Adam Pluemer, Evan Kraus, Alex Arbios and diver Michael Androus.

The women will be saying farewell to seven members: Captains Sheeva Ghanbari, Emily Medved and Mary Struempf, as well as Bonds, Janice Leung, Carolyn Charvoz and diver Kendra Hughes.

Preview: UC Davis faces Big West Conference rival UC Irvine in its final dual of the regular season.

The Aggies are expected to have their hands full, as the Anteaters are one of the toughest teams in the conference.

In the preseason coaches’ poll, the UC Davis men were ranked No. 2, just one spot ahead of Irvine; meanwhile, the women were seeded No. 3, just one seed back from Irvine. The Anteaters diving squad was ranked as the conference favorite.

Since moving to Division I, the Aggies have gone 2-6 with the Anteaters, with their most recent loss being last year’s dual in Irvine.

However, the Aggie men look ahead, as they have already met with Irvine this season. The men’s squad defeated the Anteaters convincingly at their home Anteater Shootout in November, 83-31.

The meet this weekend will be the final dual event at Schaal Aquatics Center this season. The Aggies will then prepare for the Big West Championships in Long Beach (Feb. 25 to 28).

– Andrea Gutierrez

Team: UC Davis at Seattle Pacific

Where: Brougham Pavilion – Seattle, Wash.

When: Saturday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: Though last week’s balance beam – on which the Aggies had to count two falls – may not on the surface appear to have been a success, there was indeed a silver lining.

Kendall McCann, stepping up after a last-minute injury, scored a season-high 9.600 en route to her second place in the all-around (38.075). Before the meet, McCann had never competed in all-around as an Aggie.

“She did a really good job,” said coach John Lavallee. “Right now she is really having a great year. She’s got herself to be very strong on every event for us. We’re very happy with where she’s at and looking forward to a lot of good performances.“

Did you know? Before the season got under way, senior co-captain Andi Dolinsky laid down the basics:

“We’re in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with Air Force Academy, Alaska-Anchorage and Seattle Pacific,” she said. “Seattle is our rival.“

What a rivalry it’s been. SPU outscored the Aggies at the 2006 and 2007 MPSF Championships by a combined total of .600. At last year’s MPSF Championships at the Pavilion, the Aggies got the upper hand, defeating SPU 194.700 to 193.000.

Preview: The Aggies‘ only other meet against a conference opponent came at home two weeks ago, as UC Davis dominated Air Force 191.050 to 187.175. Since then, the Aggies have upped their season’s best to 191.300, and look to be equally dominating against SPU, whose season best sits at 189.000.

Much of last week’s 191.300 success was due to junior Michelle Bobonski, who set season highs as she tied for second on vault (9.775) and won beam (9.675).

“I hit everything I needed to,” Bobonski said. “I think everyone did well. Everyone did a really good job stepping up for people who weren’t there. I’m very proud of everyone.“

As long as their momentum continues, the Aggies should have no trouble taking on SPU at home on Saturday.

“This should hopefully be another good meet for us,” Lavallee said. “It’s a gym we’ve done well in the last couple of years. We’re looking forward to going up to Seattle for a conference opponent. If we can perform like we did last week and get a couple of wrinkles out of beam, I think we can post up a pretty good score and be pretty happy at where we are at this point.“

– Alex Wolf-Root 

Teams: UC Davis at Long Beach State; UC Riverside

Records: Aggies, 9-12 (4-4); 49ers, 11-9 (6-2); Highlanders, 11-9 (3-5)

Where: Walter Pyramid – Long Beach, Calif.; Student Rec Center – Riverside, Calif.

When: Today at 7:05 p.m.; Saturday at 5:15 p.m.

Radio: KFSG (1690-AM)

Who to watch: Long Beach and UC Riverside shared the same fate in their first encounter with UC Davis this season: they couldn’t stop Mark Payne.

The high-flying point guard had a double-double against both teams this season, averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4.5 assists and two steals while shooting 82.4 percent from the floor.

Did you know? Winning on the road hasn’t been a challenge so far this season for most Big West Conference teams.

The nine league teams are a combined 26-16 on the road in the conference play, and the only two with a losing road record are UC Santa Barbara (1-4) and UC Riverside (1-3).

If this trend of road success continues in the second half of the Big West season, no team will benefit more than UC Davis. The Aggies, who are 2-1 so far when away from the Pavilion, have a league-high five road games left on their regular-season schedule.

Preview: UC Davis takes to the road looking to get its swagger back.

After winning three straight Big West games for the first time in program history, the team has suffered two consecutive home losses.

A common theme in the pair of defeats was the Aggies‘ fading in the second half. Against Cal Poly on Jan. 24, they led 70-54 with nine minutes remaining, but were outscored 22-4 the rest of the way in a 77-75 loss. Last Saturday versus Pacific, they were up 37-31 with 16:23 left before the Tigers went on a 16-0 run en route to an 80-65 win.

Heading down to Southern California, UC Davis will be aiming to finish what it starts. That effort begins tonight in Long Beach against the current frontrunner in the Big West.

The Aggies outplayed the 49ers for the most of the teams‘ previous meeting on Jan. 10. Despite falling 86-78 at the Pavilion, UC Davis outscored Long Beach 68-44 for nearly three-fourths of the game. The difference of the contest was a 42-10 run that the 49ers went on to close out the final 10 minutes and 43 seconds of the first half.

The difference this time around could be Donovan Morris. The senior guard was the top scorer in the first meeting, putting up 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Morris has had his struggles recently, however. He missed the team’s last game, a 67-63 win at UC Irvine, with a nagging right foot injury and the stomach flu. Morris averaged just 8.5 points on a combined 8-of-28 shooting in the two games prior – both losses.

UC Davis will complete its two-game road set against UC Riverside, which won its first seven home games this season but has since dropped two straight at the Student Rec Center.

The Highlanders have lost five of their last six games since opening the Big West season with two wins. They will have the chance to get back on track tonight when they open a three-game homestand against Pacific.

Working in their favor is their defense. UC Riverside ranks second in the league with 64.4 points allowed per game and third with a 42.3 field goal percentage against.

Kyle Austin has finished as the team’s top scorer in 11 of the past 13 games. The junior Southern California transfer was held to 17 points on 8-of-21 shooting when UC Davis defeated UC Riverside 65-58 on Jan. 4.

–Michael Gehlken