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What 2 Watch 4
The penultimate weekend of the regular season will feature four games, all on Saturday.
It will mark the final day of the regular season for No. 2 Hawai'i (18-13, 6-0 BW) and No. 24 CSUN (17-14, 1-5 BW). The Rainbow Wahine host No. 16 UC Santa Barbara (14-12, 1-4 BW) and the Matadors visit No. 14 UC Davis (8-16, 0-4 BW). Hawai‘i has clinched at least a share of the Big West regular season crown and can claim the title outright with a win.
There are two other matches on the slate for Saturday. Cal State Fullerton (10-15, 1-3 BW) will make the short trip to No. 9 UC Irvine (15-10, 3-2 BW) in a battle of Orange County bragging rights. No. 11 UC San Diego (16-9, 4-1 BW) hosts No. 7 Long Beach State (19-7, 4-1 BW) in a matchup of one-loss teams currently tied for second place.
Big West Women's Water Polo Schedule
Poll Position
Seven Big West teams are featured in the latest CWPA national rankings. Hawai‘i occupies the No. 2 spot. Long Beach State is No. 7, with UC Irvine in No. 9. UC San Diego, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara are 11th, 14th, and 16th, respectively. CSUN is slotted at No. 24. For the first time in program history, Cal State Fullerton is receiving votes and on the verge of cracking the top 25.
CWPA Rankings
Cutino Award Watchlist
Five Big West water polo players were named to the Cuton Award mid-season watchlist. The Peter J. Cutino Award, named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, recognizes the best player in men’s and women’s college water polo.
| Name |
School |
Year |
Position |
| Alba Bonamusa Boix |
Hawai'i |
Sr. |
Attacker |
| Lucia Gomez de la Puente |
Hawai'i |
Sr. |
Attacker |
| Lara Luka |
Long Beach State |
Sr. |
Utility |
| Bia Mantellato Dias |
Hawai'i |
So. |
Center |
| Madison Walker |
UC Santa Barbara |
So. |
Goalkeeper |
Big West Stats Leaders
| Stat |
Name |
School |
Number |
| Goals |
Dorottya Telek |
CSUN |
87 goals |
| Assists |
Anna Pal |
CSUN |
58 assists |
| Points |
Lara Luka |
Long Beach State |
122 points |
| Field Blocks |
Grace Pelkey |
UC Davis |
27 field blocks |
| Steals |
Juju Amaral
Bernadette Doyle |
UC Santa Barbara
Hawai'i |
37 steals |
| Saves |
Annabelle Sherman |
Cal State Fullerton |
190 saves |
Big West Stats >>>>
Conference Play
Hawai‘i has dominated the competition in Big West play, having gone a perfect 6-0 in conference play. The Rainbow Wahine have scored at least 12 goals and have not allowed more than eight goals against league opponents.
Long Beach State’s Lara Luka is the top points (25) and assists (13) accumulator in league action. The top goal scorer with 18 is Bia Mantellato Dias of Hawai‘i. UC San Diego’s Lexi Stahl and UC Santa Barbara’s Madison Walker have accumulated the most saves (49). Daisy Logtens of Hawai‘i has the best save percentage (.632) and goals-against average (6.25) in league play.
Barbara Kalbus Invitational Recap
Six Big West teams participated in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, hosted by UC Irvine on Feb. 23-25. Cal State Fullerton went 0-4, while UC San Diego and Long Beach State went 1-3. UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine each had a 2-2 record. Hawai’i finished the tournament in second place with a 3-1 record, falling in the final match to top-ranked UCLA.
Titans Earn First Ranked Win
Cal State Fullerton defeated No. 24 Biola at home on Feb. 14 for its first-ever win against a ranked opponent. The Titan women’s water polo program is in its second season after the CSUF athletics department announced the addition of the sport in the summer of 2022. Down 5-4 at halftime, the Titans exploded in the second half, scoring eight of their 12 goals. Shyanne Rainey was the top scorer of the game, putting the ball into the cage six times.
Triton Invite Highlights
Six Big West teams competed at the Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego on Feb. 2-4. UC Davis and UC San Diego went 1-3, while UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and UC Irvine went 2-2. The best performance of the weekend came from Hawai’i who upended No. 1 USC in the finale, 10-6, to finish with a 3-1 record in the tournament.
Hawai'i Downs Two No. 1 Opponents
Hawai’i has taken down the nationally top-ranked team on two different occasions this season. The Rainbow Wahine defeated then-No. 1 Stanford, 9-7 in overtime, on Jan. 20 in Fresno. On Feb. 4, Hawai’i triumphed over then-No. 1 USC, 10-6, at the Triton Invitational.
Preseason Prognostications
UC Irvine was selected as the top team in The Big West, as voted on by the league’s eight head coaches in a preseason poll.
The Anteaters (20-7, 7-0 BW) earned 47 points with five-first place votes after sweeping the conference in the 2023 regular season and championship.
The coaches also voted on a seven-person preseason team featuring UC Irvine senior goalkeeper Faith Tedesco and junior center Nioka Thomas. Tedesco was an All-Big West First Team and ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention selection in 2022, before taking a backup role in 2023. Thomas scored 53 goals last season, culminating in an All-Big West First Team and ACWPC All-America Second Team honors.
Hawai'i (21-6, 6-1 BW) was selected to finish second with 42 points and was given one first-place vote. Rainbow Wahine All-American sophomore center Bia Mantellato Dias, the reigning Big West Freshman and Player of the Year with 82 goals, takes a spot on the preseason squad.
Long Beach State is predicted to take third, receiving 40 points and two first-place votes. The Beach is represented by senior center Rachael Kowalchick and sophomore attacker Elisa Portillo on the preseason team. Last year, Portillo led Long Beach State with 55 goals, to go along with 19 assists, culminating in All-Big West First Team, All-Freshman Team and ACWPC All-America Third Team honors. Kowalchick was an All-Big West Second Team and ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention selection last season with a team second-best 52 goals.
UC San Diego (31 points), UC Davis (23), UC Santa Barbara (20), CSUN (13) and Cal State Fullerton (8) round out the rest of the poll. The Cal State Fullerton women’s water polo program is in its second season after the Titan athletics department announced the addition of the sport in the summer of 2022.
UC San Diego junior center Kendall Thomas and CSUN junior center Dorottya Telek fill out the final slots of the preseason squad. Last year, Thomas was an All-Big West Second Team honoree with 56 goals. Telek, a two-time All-Big West and All-America honoree, set a new conference record for goals in a season with 101 in 2023.
The 2024 women's water polo season will start on Friday, Jan. 19 as Cal State Fullerton will host a pair of games against La Verne and San Diego State. The rest of the conference will begin play on Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Beach Invitational, Fresno State Festival or at the UCSB Winter Invite.
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