Nov. 18, 2009

DAVIS, Calif. - When No. 15 UC Davis men's water polo looks across the tank at the start of its 3:15 matchup on Friday, the foe will be very familiar. The Aggies have drawn No. 13 Santa Clara for their first-round tilt at the 2009 Western Water Polo Association, held at Chapman University's new Zee Allred Aquatics Center from Friday through Sunday.

The matchup represents the fourth meeting between UC Davis and SCU during the 2009 season, not counting an unofficial contest during the preseason NorCal Scrimmages. Furthermore, the Aggies and Broncos have met at least three times in each of the three previous seasons. UC Davis had prevailed in nine of the 10 series meetings from 2006 through 2008, but have won just one of the three contests this year.

However, despite the recent history, Aggie head coach Steve Doten feels comfortable with the first-round draw. "We're very familiar with Santa Clara. We know who they have and what they do," he said. "With such a young team, it helps that our guys don't have to wonder. They know what to expect. They can just go in there and play their game."

The Broncos held the edge in the first matchup between the two teams, taking a 9-4 victory at the NorCal Invitational. One week later, UC Davis came back from a two-goal deficit to claim an 8-7 win over Santa Clara at the Bronco Invitational. Most recently, SCU picked up a 10-4 triumph over the Aggies at Schaal Aquatics Center last Saturday.

"Saturday's game was an interesting one," said Doten. "We had played a hard-fought battle at Pacific the night before, then had to turn around and play a game early on Saturday. And we knew we were likely to play Santa Clara against [at conference], so the question was how much we wanted to show them."

"We played all the seniors to let them get their minutes, and we played the whole bench in preparation for this game. We need a lot of guys to be ready. Our rotations are tighter, and roles are more defined from a personnel standpoint. But if something goes wrong, if he have injuries or guys getting into foul trouble, Saturday's game will help everyone keep their focus and be ready to play."

The team's depth, showcased on Saturday in preparation for the upcoming conference tournament, has been the major development for the 2009 season. Coach Doten knew he would field a young team long before the opener vs. California, and the key to success would come from a handful of program veterans bringing along a large group of freshmen.

Sure enough, senior defender Jim Breen enjoyed a strong final season after emerging during the 2008 season. He has logged more than 20 minutes per game, sharing the team lead with 24 goals and connecting on 15 of 24 attempts in extra-man situations. Senior Brendan Sigourney, who had played sparingly prior to 2009, has broken through as a key presence down low. He has 20 steals and 33 drawn exclusions entering the WWPA tournament. Similarly, junior Carlos Martinez had played just 133 minutes in his first two years, but has tallied 18 goals, 17 steals and 11 blocks this year.

Two more juniors, Cory Lyle and Matt Richardson, also have flourished as full-time contributors. Lyle has matched Breen's team-high scoring total of 24 goals, while Richardson enters the weekend with 22 goals, a team-best 25 assists and 28 steals. Sophomore Kevin Peat completes his second year as the Aggies' starting goalkeeper. He has tallied 208 saves against 186 goals while directing a defense that has allowed less than eight goals per game.

Complementing the talented veteran nucleus is a talented but young crop of freshman and sophomores. True freshman Colin Hicks ranks third on the Aggies with 23 goals, while compiling 16 steals and 15 drawn kickouts. With Aaron Salit redshirting the 2009 season, redshirt freshman Jared Clapham has served as the lone true center on the team. He has scored 16 goals while drawing a team-best 39 exclusions. True freshmen Kevin Driscoll and Matt Wylder, redshirt freshmen Matt Vowell and Hank Dickey, and sophomores Luke Collins and Russell Hampton also have logged key minutes in preparation for the conference tournament.

"I think we're ready for conference," said Doten. "The guys understand the plan and know what to do. The upperclassmen have done a great job carrying the weight of the team. The freshmen have improved. Now we need them not to be freshmen anymore. I think they understand what we do and what we'll run."

The winner of the Santa Clara-UC Davis game will take on the Loyola Marymount-Chapman winner in Saturday's semifinal. The defending-champion Lions, ranked eighth nationally, earned the top seed in the tournament with a perfect 11-0 record against WWPA opposition. No. 14 Air Force grabbed the second seed over No. 10 UC San Diego, thanks to a 10-4 conference record and a 14-12 win over the Tritons on September 6.

The WWPA champion earns the conference's automatic qualifier to the National Collegiate (NCAA) Championship, held at Princeton on December 5-6. UC Davis won the WWPA title in 1996 and 1997, earning trips to the four-team national tournament. In each case, the Aggies were the third seed in the tournament.

2009 WESTERN WATER POLO ASSOCIATION MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Champman University • Nov. 20-22, 2009

Friday, November 20 - Dark Caps vs. White Caps
Game 1 - 10:00 a.m. - #2 Air Force vs. #7 Whittier
Game 2 - 11:45 a.m. - #3 UC San Diego vs. #6 Redlands
Game 3 - 1:30 p.m. - #1 LMU vs. #8 Chapman
Game 4 - 3:15 p.m. - #4 Santa Clara vs. #5 UC Davis

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Game 5 - 10:00 a.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 6 - 11:45 a.m. - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 7 - 1:30 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (Semifinals)
Game 8 - 3:15 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (Semifinals)

Sunday, November 22, 2009
Game 9 - 9:00 a.m. - Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (7th Place)
Game 10 - 10:45 a.m. - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (5th Place)
Game 11 - 12:30 p.m. - Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 (3rd Place)
Game 12 - 2:30 p.m. - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (WWPA Championship)

Tournament Home Page

UC Davis Aggies Men's Water Polo

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