CSUN Opens Big West Championship Facing UC Davis on Friday

Friday, April 10

Long Beach, Calif.

4:30 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

(3) UC Davis

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Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Opens Big West Championship Facing UC Davis on Friday

4/9/2026 12:31:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---The 23rd-ranked CSUN Water Polo team kicks off competition at the Big West Water Polo Championship on Friday with the third-seeded Matadors taking on sixth-seeded UC Davis in first round action. The match begins at 4:30 p.m. inside Long Beach State's Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. Live stats will be available for the match.

The winner of the Matadors and Aggies will advance to a Big West semifinal matchup against the winner of second-seeded Long Beach State and seventh-seeded Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN finished the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and 2-4 mark in the Big West. Making its 16th all-time appearance in the Big West Championship, CSUN seeks to advance past the first round for the first time since 2015 when that Matador team played in the semifinal round while the team is looking for its first win in the tournament (excluding consolation games) since 2014.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN played UC Davis last Saturday, falling by a 10-6 decision in Davis. In a tale of two halves, the Matadors led 3-1 after one period and 5-4 at halftime, but the Aggies turned the tables by outscoring CSUN 6-1 in the second half. The Matadors pulled to within 8-6 with 5:18 left to play before the Aggies scored twice to put the game out of reach. Freshman Ashley Strickland recorded a hat trick while Sophia Cooper added three assists with one goal.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Boasting one of the youngest teams in the Big West, the Matadors have been led by a host of underclassmen throughout the 2026 regular season. In fact, the top six goal scorers on the team have been underclassmen including five being true freshmen. A freshman from Budapest, Hungary, Mira Dravucz emerged as the team's top goal scorer throughout the season, scoring 62 goals to rank third-best in the Big West, while she totaled 89 points in the regular year. Sophomore Sofia Martinez has scored 45 goals to rank second on the team followed by the freshman quartet of Ella Furuholmen (37 goals), Sophia Cooper (30 goals), Ashley Strickland (27 goals) and Marjorie Krueger (26 goals). CSUN's team leader in assists has been sophomore Lucie Lapuz with 31 helpers while Martinez leads the squad with 34 steals.

MOVING UP THE RANKS
This week, CSUN moved up to No. 23 in the national Collegiate Water Polo Association top-25 poll, up two spots from No. 25 last week. The No. 23 ranking is the highest for the program since week seven of the national poll and it matches the highest the Matadors have been ranked this season. Overall, CSUN has been ranked in the national poll in 10 of 12 weeks this season.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The 15th-ranked Aggies wrapped up the regular season with a 14-12 overall record and 5-2 mark in the Big West. The team has won five straight games including picking up three conference wins over that stretch. The Aggies' top two scorers are ranked in the top-10 in the Big West in goals scored as Chelsea Johnson is eighth with 46 goals and Gianna Nocetti is ninth with 45 goals. Ashley Wallin though tops the team in points, registering 97 to go with 61 assists and 36 goals. Goalkeeper Eva Stein has racked up 211 saves while posting a 10.27 goals-against-average.

Series History: UC Davis holds a 26-8 over CSUN in the all-time series with wins in two straight matches. CSUN's last win over the Aggies took place in 2024 by a 7-6 score. Excluding consolation matches, UC Davis has gone 2-0 against CSUN in Big West tournament matches, most recently picking up a 15-8 decision in 2019.

#GoMatadors