CSUN Wraps Up Home Schedule Taking on UC Irvine and Long Beach State

Thursday, March 26

Northridge, Calif.

3:30 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

#9 UC Irvine

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Wraps Up Home Schedule Taking on UC Irvine and Long Beach State

3/25/2026 11:15:00 AM | Women's Water Polo

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---No. 25 CSUN Water Polo wraps up the home portion of its schedule this week with a pair of Big West matchups against top-10 teams. The Matadors meet No. 9 UC Irvine on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. before hosting No. 8 Long Beach State on Senior Day this Saturday at noon. Live stats will be available for both contests.

FOR STARTERS
The Matadors are 17-5 overall this season and 2-1 in Big West play as only two weeks remain in the regular season. After this week's action, CSUN is set to travel to UC Davis on April 4 before the Big West Water Polo Championship begins on April 10 in Long Beach.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN made the trek to Hawai'i last week where the Matadors played an exhibition game against No. 2 USC on March 17 before they defeated Connecticut College 13-2 on March 18. The Matadors' scheduled Big West matchup with Hawai'i on March 20 would be postponed due to severe weather in the area. CSUN and Hawai'i are working with the Big West on options in rescheduling the match.

The Matadors' 13-2 victory over Connecticut College was the team's seventh consecutive victory. The match saw seven different Matadors hit the back of the net led by freshman Ella Furuholmen scoring four goals. Sophomore Mackenzie Wood added three goals, one assist and two steals while senior Kianna Melvin added two goals. CSUN never trailed in the contest and scored the game's first seven goals. In front of the cage, Kiana Kellner played all 32 minutes, saving shots shots against two goals allowed.

SENIOR SALUTE
CSUN will honor a three-member senior class prior to Saturday's home finale against Long Beach State. Among the three seniors to be honored include Kianna Melvin, Alexis Smith and Leah Huisar. Melvin has played in 64 matches in her three seasons with CSUN, totaling 77 goals and 34 assists including 20 goals this season. In her fifth season with CSUN, Smith has posted a career-high 18 points this season while she has totaled 25 goals and 27 assists in 79 total contests with the Matadors. Huisar is in her fourth season with the program, playing 71 career matches and registering 20 goals with 23 assists.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Matadors continue to be led by an assortment of underclassmen this season. In fact, the team's top six goal scorers and the top eight points leaders are all underclassmen. Freshman Mira Dravucz tops the Matadors with 58 goals and 84 points, which ranks second and third in the Big West, respectively. Sophomore Sofia Martinez has scored 44 goals with 61 points to go with a team-high 33 steals while freshman Ella Furuholmen has netted the third-most goals on the team with 35. Another sophomore, Lucie Lapuz, has dished out a team-leading 27 assists to go with 14 goals.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
UCI is 11-12 overall and 3-2 in Big West play. In last week's action, the Anteaters defeated Harvard by a 12-10 score for their fourth straight victory. The team's two losses in Big West play have been one-goal decisions to Hawai'i (10-9) and UC Davis (16-15). Lauren Hett tops the Big West with 65 goals this season while she has 33 assists and 29 steals. The tandem of Sara Naulty and Madi O'Hara have 30 goals apiece for UCI. In front of the cage, Ella Walker has recorded 107 saves to go with a 11.22 goals-against-average.

Series History: UC Irvine leads CSUN 36-4 in the all-time series. The Anteaters picked up a 19-6 victory over the Matadors last season in Irvine. CSUN is seeking its first win in the series since earning an 11-9 overtime victory in the 2010 season.

SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE
The Beach are 13-9 on the season with a 4-1 mark in conference play. Last week, LBSU defeated Cal State Fullerton 22-3 to win its fifth straight match. Long Beach State's only blemish in conference play was a 9-7 loss to first-place Hawai'i on March 1. The Beach boast a pair of top-five scorers in the Big West, which includes Elsa Portillo with 56 goals to rank third and Lucy Miszewski with 50 goals to rank fourth. At goalkeeper, Polina Synytsia is third in the conference with 152 saves while she sports a 10.32 goals-against-average.

Series History: The Beach lead the all-time series with CSUN 31-9. Long Beach State won both meetings last season including a Big West tournament first round game by a 22-8 score. CSUN's last win in the series was an 8-7 overtime victory in 2018

#GoMatadors