Fresno State’s water polo team came into the season with high expectations, having won three consecutive Golden Coast Conference (GCC) championships from 2021-23.

The ‘Dogs finished non-conference play with a 12-5 record. While that record might not seem great for a team with national championship aspirations, the team had a very difficult schedule, as 13 of their 17 opponents were nationally ranked at the time of playing the ‘Dogs.

Head Coach Natalie Benson sees the hard schedule as an advantage.

“We’ve been scheduling difficult games every year since we’ve started and I think it’s starting to pay dividends throughout the season,” Benson said following a 27-3 win on Feb. 17.

In those 13 games against ranked foes, Fresno State had an 8-5 record. Two of those wins came against teams that are ranked No. 1.

The ‘Dogs beat Stanford 11-10 in a nail-biting win on Jan. 21. Then, on Feb. 3, the ‘Dogs defeated the University of Southern California (USC) in another one-goal victory by a score of 8-7.

Two players on the team have received GCC Player of the Week awards. Attacker Abbey Simshauser won the award for the week of Jan. 25.

During this time, Simshauser scored eight goals and picked up two assists. She scored three goals and had an assist against Stanford on Jan. 21.

As of Feb. 22, Simshauser has scored 40 points with 30 goals and 10 assists. Simshauser is the second leading goal scorer on the team, trailing attacker Hailey Andress, who has scored 35.

Benson had high praise for Simshauser, who transferred to Fresno State from Wagner University.

“She’s a fierce competitor. It’s not just in games, it’s in practice too. She’s been a great addition to our team. She gets on people for not doing their job, but it’s constructive and team first,” Benson said. “She’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met and she brings that energy every single day.”

The second player to win GCC Player of the Week was goalie Paula Nieto Jasny for the week of Feb. 8.

Even though the ‘Dogs went 2-2 over the week, Nieto Jasny had a save percentage of over .500 in three of the four games.

Nieto Jasny is among the GCC leaders in several categories. She ranks first in saves (99), third in save percentage (.569) and second in goals-against average.

With their early season success, the ‘Dogs jumped as high as third in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) rankings. This was their highest ranking in program history.

The accolades don’t stop there. The team also tied a single-game high by scoring 23 goals in a 23-3 win against Fresno Pacific on Feb.16.

That record didn’t last long.

In their next game, the ‘Dogs scored 27 times, which set the record for most goals scored in a game as well as the largest margin of victory in a 27-3 win against Whittier College.

Given Fresno State’s recent track record and success in the GCC, it has a strong chance of winning the conference once again, as it was predicted to win the GCC by the coaches.

However, Fresno State isn’t the only team in the GCC that has a strong non-conference record. Of the eight teams in the GCC, five of them had a winning record, including Loyola Marymount, which has a 17-2 record and beat Fresno State 10-7 on Feb. 2.

Four of the teams in the conference are ranked in the CWPA Top 25 as of the Feb. 21 rankings.

Fresno State leads the pack in third, followed by Loyola Marymount in 11th, the University of Pacific in 17th and San Diego State in 24th.

Fresno State is set to begin GCC play on March 9 at the Aquatics Center to take on California Baptist University.