April 6, 2016
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State water polo senior Tayla Walsh has been named the Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week, the league announced Wednesday afternoon. The award is her first of the season and the second of the year for the Aztecs.
A native of Sydney, Australia, Walsh helped SDSU to a 3-1 week that saw it play two games in Long Beach and two at Aztec Aquaplex. Her effort helped San Diego State upset Long Beach State and beat Brown before returning home to split with USC (loss) and Fresno Pacific (win). The victory over FPU lifted the Aztecs' GCC record to 3-0.
In the 8-7 road win over the 16th-ranked 49ers, the utility scored a game-high-tying three goals on four attempts and added a team-high-tying four steals. Then later in the afternoon in the 15-5 victory vs. the Bears, Walsh scored one goal on her only shot attempt and had one steal.
Two days later atop Montezuma Mesa, Walsh tallied one goal, one steal and drew two ejections in the home loss vs. No. 1 USC. Walsh and the Aztecs rebounded from the defeat as she recorded one goal and a team-high four steals in the conference home win over the Sunbirds.
Walsh joins Caroline Israels as the two Aztecs to be named GCC Player of the Week this season. Israels earned the award on March 10.
Walsh and her San Diego State teammates return to action starting on Friday when they face Santa Clara on the road. The game will be the first of three straight games on the road. Following the 4 p.m. PT GCC game at SCU, the No. 18 Aztecs will take on conference foe and 12th-ranked Pacific at 1 p.m. PT Saturday in Stockton and finish their road trip at No. 3 Stanford on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. PT).