The defending Golden Coast Conference champions have just begun their season but are already on a roll, knocking down top-ranked opponents. In case you missed the action, here’s how it happened.
Polo-Palooza Tournament (Jan. 20-21)
The Fresno State water polo team opened up its season at home at the Aquatics Center with the Polo-Palooza tournament.
The tournament was a top-team showdown that included top-ranked teams from the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). The Bulldogs started the season as No. 9 in the nation and took on the task head first, beating four ranked teams and winning the tournament.
First in the Bulldog bracket was No. 13 Michigan, whom the Bulldogs nearly beat, 11-10. Later that day, Fresno State faced No. 11 UC Davis, and absolutely dominated on the net, for a final score of 18-5.
The biggest test of their early season took place during the second day of the tournament, when the ‘Dogs went toe-to-toe against the No. 1 nationally ranked team, Stanford. The match was a back-and-forth offensive battle as the Bulldogs and Cardinals exchanged possessions.
Stanford got on the board first during the first quarter, but Fresno State quickly followed with a goal from attacker Elisa Grim, 1-1. The back-and-forth scoring continued throughout the game until the fourth quarter when both teams were tied 9-9.
Bulldog attacker Hailey Andress scored two goals within four minutes to take an 11–9 lead. Cardinal driver Sophia Sanders scored one final goal, but her effort wasn’t enough as the ‘Dogs defeated Stanford for the first time in program history.
In the tournament’s final game, the Bulldogs faced No. 18 San Jose State and continued with strong momentum, beating the Spartans 11-6.
Hawaii Invitational (Jan. 26-27)
After the Polo-Palooza tournament, the ‘Dogs made their way to the Aloha State for the Hawaii Invitational in Honolulu.
On the first day of the tournament, Fresno State kicked off the action against Azusa Pacific, which they swiftly beat with a final score of 14-8.
The second day consisted of two games against ranked opponents; No. 9 Princeton and No. 4 Hawaii.
The ‘Dogs took on the Tigers first and continued its seven-game win streak. The final score was 8-7 with goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jansy being a standout player, playing all 32 minutes of the match and getting eight saves.
The final game of the tournament was against No. 4 Hawaii, who had also beaten Stanford during the Polo-Palooza tournament a week prior.
Fresno State got off to an early 2-0 lead, but Hawaii put up some points, evening out the scoreboard. The Warriors were able to extend their lead in the third quarter with a 4-0 run. Hawaii would keep this momentum for the rest of the game, taking the 9-5 win and giving Fresno State its first loss of the season.
What’s next?
Fresno State currently holds a 6-1 record and is ranked as the No. 5 team in the nation. The ‘Dogs will travel down to La Jolla, California, for the Triton Invite at UC San Diego.
The first team Fresno State will play is Loyola Marymount University on Feb. 2 at 10:40 a.m. Then, it’ll play two more teams in the tournament, depending on its performance.
