SAN DIEGO – No. 14 San Diego State water polo looks for its fourth win in a row, which would be its longest win streak of the season, and to lock up its seeding in the Golden Coast Conference tournament, when it hosts No. 17 California Baptist on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m., at the Aquaplex.
San Diego State is guaranteed at least the third seed in next week's four-team conference tournament, but depending on results from Pacific's and Fresno State's games, could climb to the top seed.
This Week
Saturday, April 17
No. 14 San Diego State vs. No. 17 California Baptist
Aztec Aquaplex – San Diego, Calif.
12 p.m. PT
Links for live stats and live streaming video are available on the water polo schedule page at www.GoAztecs.com.
Opponent Notebook
No. 17 California Baptist (5-9, 3-3 GCC)
• In the Golden Coast Conference standings, the Lancers are in a tie for fourth place with a 3-3 record. There are several scenarios in which CBU will finish in fourth place and participate in the GCC tournament, but that will have to wait until the outcomes of all of Saturday's league games.
• CBU has won its last two contests, 11-8 against Concordia and 13-12 at Santa Clara, and five of its last six.
• California Baptist, at No. 17 this week, has equaled its highest ever CWPA ranking. In 2012, the team was No. 17 for two weeks.
• Kira O'Donell leads the squad with 30 goals and 48 points. Jamie Hutton tops the team in assists (19) and Katie Fugit paces the Lancers with 18 steals and five blocks. Kyra Foley, who has spent the most time in goal for the Lancers, has given up 166 goals (13.59 GAA), and made 55 saves (.322 save percentage) in 273:14. Her record is 3-5.
• CBU is led by seventh-year head coach Jonathan Miller who brings a career record of 131-99 into the game with the Aztecs.
Know This
No. 14 San Diego State (6-13, 5-1 GCC)
• With its 13-4 victory at No. 25 Concordia last week, the Aztecs secured a spot in the GCC tournament, which is scheduled for April 23-24 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. SDSU is in a three-way tie at the top of the conference standings and could finish as high as first place or as low as third depending on the outcome of Saturday's games.
• With its 19th game of the season last Friday, San Diego State has played 15 games against Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) top-10 ranked competition and the remaining four games have come against top-25 foes. SDSU has not and will not play a team ranked lower than No. 25 in the nation in its 20-game regular season slate.
• Of its 19 games to date, seven have been one-goal affairs, three of which were decided in overtime.
• After coming out on the short end of the decision in its first 10 games, San Diego State 6-3 in its last nine contests, including a 5-1 mark in Golden Coast Conference games.
• In its last nine GCC games, dating back to last season, San Diego State is 8-1 and in the last three GCC campaigns, the Aztecs have a 13-3 record in league games.
• San Diego State is 20-2 all-time against California Baptist and is currently riding an 18-game win streak over the Lancers dating back to the 2001 season. SDSU is 7-0 against CBU in San Diego and has an average margin of victory in those seven games of 2.85 goals. In the last five meetings in San Diego the game has been decided by two or fewer goals. The only games on The Mesa in which SDSU's margin of victory was more than two goals came in an 8-4 win on April 15, 2000 and an 11-2 triumph on April 27, 2004.
• In games against the Lancers in the month of April, in the history of the series, the Aztecs are 8-1.
The last meeting between the teams came at CBU in the 2019 season (March 23, 2019) and resulted in a 10-6 San Diego State win.
• In a ceremony prior to the game, eight Aztecs seniors will be honored for their careers and contribution to San Diego State water polo. The eight are Emily Bennett, Lucia Carballo, Karli Canale, Dani D'Andrea, Haley Hagerty, Maddie Higginson, Rory, Nuuhiwa, and Lindsy Peterson.
• Karli Canale, a senior driver, leads the Aztecs offense in shots (125), goals (49), points (64), blocks (8) and sprints won, and is second in steals (23). Canale has scored in all but one game this year, has 14 multi-goals games (16 total in her career) and eight hat tricks, including three games of five goals. She has three games in which she has taken double-digit shots, including a season-high 12 attempts in the opener at No. 6 Arizona State. GCC rankings: No. 1 in goals, points & No. T-1 in blocks, No. 2 in steals, No. 3 in points per game & goals per game, No. T-9 in sprints & steals per game.
• Emily Bennett, a senior utility, leads the team with 20 assists, 34 steals, eight blocks, and 56 ejections drawn. Her 94 shots, 35 goals, and 55 points rank second among the Aztecs this season. Bennett had a team-high four goals, equal to the entire offensive output by Loyola Marymount, in the team's 11-4 victory over LMU and had the game winning goal against Fresno State. GCC rankings: No. 1 in steals & No. T-1 in blocks, No. 2 in points & steals per game, No. 3 in assists, No. T-3 in goals, No. T-6 in goals per game, No. T-7 in points per game & No. 10 in assists per game.
• Junior driver Spencer Samuel is in the midst of her best season as an Aztec. She is third on the team with a career-high 16 assists. Her 15 goals are a single-season best and more than double the output from either of the previous two seasons. In addition, she had the season's most important goal, at the time, the game winner in overtime against Michigan (3/7) and her 16 steals rank third on the team. GCC rankings: No. 9 in assists & steals.
• Laurene Padilla, a freshman utility, is second on the squad with 17 assists and her 28 points are fourth most among the Aztecs. She has 11 goals, ten steals and three blocks. GCC rankings: No. T-6 in assists per game and No. 8 in assists.
• Junior driver Jessica Leckich has 14 goals, tied for third most on the squad, and a career high. Her nine assists are one off her single season best. Her 11 steals are the fourth most on the squad and 11 ejections drawn are a single-season high.
• Junior driver Samantha Loughlin has seven goals and 14 assists (6th on the team), both career-highs, and her 21 points rank sixth on the squad. She also has 10 steals and two blocks.
• Delaney Binette, a junior driver, has 20 points on single-season career-bests of five goals and 15 assists (T-4th on the squad). In addition, she has nine steals. GCC rankings: No. T-6 in assists per game.
• Lucia Carballo, a senior defender, scored a season-high three goals vs. Fresno State and is third on the squad with seven field blocks. She also has a career-high nine goals and has three assists, as well. GCC rankings: No. T-3 in blocks.
• Senior attacker Rory Nuuhiwa has five goals and seven assists, both career-bests.
• Since the start of the Michigan series on March 6, Raquel de Pinho has played every minute in goal, save for 4 minutes at Santa Clara, a total of 352:10. The native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has a 6-5 record and has made 110 saves (.534 save percentage) & a 8.72 goals against average. She has five games with double digit saves, including a season-high 19 save effort against Fresno State. GCC rankings: No. 1 in saves, saves per game (10.0) & save percentage, and No. 4 in goals against average.
• Zoe Morgan, a junior goalie, has played a single-season high eight games. Her 61 saves and 246:38 in the cage are career-highs. GCC rankings: No. 4 in save percentage (.401), No. 5 in saves & No. T-2 saves per game (6.10) & No. 10 in goals against average (11.21).
• Head coach Carin Crawford has amassed 490 career victories in her now 21+ years at the helm of the San Diego State water polo program.
-SDSU-
Regular Season Wraps Up On Saturday Against CBU
