The Fresno State water polo team split its second tournament of the season at the University of California, Berkeley, going 2-2 against four ranked opponents.
After Polopalooza, the ‘Dogs dropped from No. 7 to No. 9 in the national rankings.
After defeating the No. 12 San Jose State Spartans 15-14 in overtime to end Polopalooza, the Bulldogs defeated the No. 12 Spartans 10-8 to open up their tournament play on Saturday.
Senior attacker Hailey Andress potted four goals, and freshman goalie Katelyn Mobley made 11 saves on 19 Spartan shots.
A third period that saw the ‘Dogs pot five goals was enough to sink the Spartans despite their efforts to mount a comeback in the fourth.
The ‘Dogs returned to the pool later in the afternoon to play the host, the No. 4 University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears, a team the ‘Dogs have never defeated.
Despite a late push, a shutout in the third period from the Golden Bears was enough of a buffer to prevent the ‘Dogs from securing their first win against them.
Freshman attacker Riaan Bryant tallied a hat trick, and three other ‘Dogs had multi-goal games, but Mobley was only able to make five saves in the losing effort.
On Sunday, the ‘Dogs opened up with an 8 a.m. start time against the No. 3 UCLA Bruins, another team the Bulldogs have never defeated in their short history.
The ‘Dogs were overpowered by the Bruins, losing 14-6. Despite the loss, Mobley was able to make 12 saves on 31 Bruin shots. Sophomore center Georgia Daly was the only Bulldog to tally multiple goals. The ‘Dogs as a team did not score multiple goals in a period until the final frame.
The Bulldogs wrapped up the tournament with a date against the No. 16 University of California, Davis Aggies.
Andress and Mobley stole the show to send the ‘Dogs home with a 2-2 record with the 13-9 victory. Andress tallied a hat trick, marking her sixth multi-goal game this season. Mobley made a career-high 16 saves.
The ‘Dogs move to 5-3 on the season. They will be back on the road from Feb. 6-8 at the ASU Invitational.