NORTHRIDGE – With the regular season behind them, the No. 22 CSUN Matadors sets their sights on the Big West Conference Water Polo Tournament. Seeded sixth, the Matadors will take on third-seeded UC Davis (17-11, 3-2 BWC) in the quarterfinals on Friday at 3:00 p.m. at Long Beach State’s Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. Live stats will be available for every Matador match this weekend and links can be found on the women’s water polo schedule page.

CSUN finished 14-17 overall in the regular season and in sixth place (0-5) in the Big West standings. UC Irvine won a share of the regular season title with Hawai’i after both teams finished 4-1. By virtue of tiebreakers, UC Irvine received the No. 1 seed and earned a first round bye along with No. 2 Hawai’i. The winner of the Matadors and Aggies will take on Hawai’i on Saturday while UC Irvine awaits the winner of No. 4 seeded UC Santa Barbara and No. 5 seeded LBSU.

Heading into the Big West tournament, the Matadors are led by junior Tori Wilson who finished her first regular season with CSUN leading the team in goals (61), goal percentage (.492), steals (37) and earned ejections (46). The transfer from Kitchener, Ontario is also third in assists (29) while playing in every match this season. Wilson is in sole position for the points lead in the Big West at 90.

Junior Jennalyn Barthels who leads the team in assists at 35, is second in the conference in that category, just three behind her opponent for Friday, Chloe Robinson of UC Davis. Katia Andon-Mateos is right behind Barthels for assists, as she sits third at 30 helpers on the campaign. Goalie Emma Pfister is first in the Big West for saves at 225. The sophomore from Agoura Hills has played in all but one match in just her second season.

The Matadors are 9-13 all time at the Big West Tournament and seek to end a five-match losing streak in non-consolation contests. CSUN’s last victory in the winner’s bracket took place in 2014 when the Matadors defeated Hawai’i in the semifinals. The Matadors have finished in fifth place in the tournament in two of the last three seasons.

The Matadors are 7-19 against UC Davis all-time with their first matchup dating back to March 29, 2003. The last CSUN win against the Aggies came on May 1, 2016 where CSUN won 10-9. The Matadors’ final regular season match came against these same Aggies where CSUN fell 11-8 in a close bout on April 13.

In the history of the Big West Tournament, CSUN is 2-3 against UC Davis with its last win coming in 2016.

A Closer Look at UC Davis
The Aggies are led by Annie Kutt and Chloe Robinson who both have 69 points in 28 games played this season. UC Davis is a solid defensive squad as the Aggies allowed 272 goals while posting 287. Kathleen Schafle leads the team and conference in steals at 44 while her teammate Kutt is second in the Big West at 39 swipes this season.

Finishing the regular season having only lost to the co-champions, UC Irvine and Hawaii, the Aggies were one of two teams to finish with a 3-2 Big West record. UC Davis would earn the outright third seed over UC Santa Barbara, thanks to a come-from-behind, 11-10 at home this season.