After a rough week at the Irvine Invitational, the #12 UCSB women’s water polo team is ready to leave last week behind and secure a victory against UC Davis (10-4 overall).

Despite their best effort, the Gauchos (6-6, 0-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) lost three of four games in the tournament, falling to #4 Hawaii (9-7, 5-2 MPSF) 9-7, #8 San Diego State (7-3, 0-1 MPSF) 8-5 and #11 Arizona State (3-6) 13-11 in overtime. The Gauchos rebounded and secured a victory against #14 UC San Diego, defeating it 8-5.

“The team is ready to work hard,” Head Coach Danielle Altman said. “This is the time to do it because it is our conference game. We are focusing on our defensive end and we are working to shut off other team’s offenses, which we’ve done pretty well. I think we’re going to do pretty well. We need to focus on playing the best water polo we can and putting it into four quarters.”

The Aggies placed eighth at the Irvine Invitational, upsetting #7 Loyola Marymount and #4 Hawaii. With the momentum carried by the wins, the Aggies are ready to capture a victory against the Gauchos. However, Santa Barbara is eager to start fresh and show its power and depth in the pool.

“We can beat anybody and we are well prepared, and it is our mental focus and ability to let the losses go that will put us on top,” Altman said. “We will focus on what we need to do and really put out 100 percent.”