TEMPE – After finishing the ASU Invitational 4-0 and keeping their record at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center a perfect 8-0 this past weekend, No. 7 Sun Devil Water Polo return to California for the first of three consecutive weeks, opening MPSF conference play against No. 1 UCLA at 1 p.m. AZT and traveling to Fullerton to take on Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 5 p.m. AZT.
The conference opener will have live stats available to the public on 6-8 sports. Then, the matchup against the Titans can be streamed on ESPN+ which requires a subscription, along with live stats being available on The Fosh.
It marks the first conference game for the Sun Devils and a rematch from two weeks ago when the then-No.3 Bruin gave the Sun Devils their only loss of the season, a 13-8 result in the quarterfinal of the Triton Invitational. Then, ASU will take on Cal State Fullerton for the first time between both schools, as the Titans are in year two of being a division I women's water polo program.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Sun Devils came out of the ASU invitational with a 4-0 record with victories over two ranked opponents over the weekend, defeating No. 12 UC Santa Barbara 12-6 and No. 19 San Jose State 9-5. The Sun Devils posted back-to-back games scoring 20+ goals for the first time this season with victories over Marist and Ottawa-AZ to cap off the weekend. Luca Petovary scored a program-record nine goals against the Red Foxes, also tying the MPSF record for most goals in a game. Graduate Lara Kiss also broke the all-time assists record with three against San Jose State, who now sits at 122 career assists. The Sun Devils outscored opponents 67-19 in four games, who also are still undefeated at home this year at a perfect 8-0. Sanne Keijzer posted 22 saves in three starts over the weekend.
HELLO TOP-10:
The Sun Devils have gotten to their third-best start in program history, with an 11-1 record with only the 2015 and 2012 teams getting off to better starts which has helped the Sun Devils vault into the top-10 for the first time since March 8, 2023. ASU is currently ranked No. X this week heading into their showdown with No. 1 UCLA. Currently, the MPSF conference has five of the top-10 teams in the country, including ASU.
LEADING LUCA:
The 4-year Sun Devil continues the hot start to her season as she was named MPSF Player of the Week for the second straight week after posting 20 goals in four games, leading the team with 52 goals this season and one shy of tying her career-high just 12 games through the year. Entering this weekend, she currently is third all-time with 182 career goals and is 18 away from being second on the all-time list with 200 goals, and can be the second Sun Devil to score 200 goals in program history. On top of her 182 goals, she has 241 career points which ranks fourth all-time in program history.
DUO FROM DOWN UNDER:
After competing together for New Zealand over the summer, Millie Quin and Sophie Shorter-Robinson each rank two & three on the team and in the MPSF Conference in goals and points. Quin has tallied 30 goals through 12 games, as Shorter-Robinson has obtained 24 goals this year, which is one shy of surpassing her freshmen year total. California transfer Quin started the season with five straight games with 3+ goals, and has three games with three steals. She is currently on a six-goal streak entering the weekend.
No. 7 SUN DEVIL OUTLOOK: (11-1):
OPPONENT OUTLOOK:
No. 1 UCLA: (9-0)
CAL STATE FULLERTON: (3-3)
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils travel to California this weekend with two games on February 17 in Los Angeles and Fullerton, Calif. They'll face No. 1 UCLA at 1:00 p.m. MST and Cal State Fullerton at 5:00 p.m. AZT. The match against the Titans can be followed on The Fosh and can be streamed on ESPN+.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
Continue following Sun Devil Water Polo on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook all-season long during the 2024 season @SunDevilWP for coverage of the team. Live stats can be found on 6-8 sports and The Fosh along with other MPSF Conference teams.
The conference opener will have live stats available to the public on 6-8 sports. Then, the matchup against the Titans can be streamed on ESPN+ which requires a subscription, along with live stats being available on The Fosh.
It marks the first conference game for the Sun Devils and a rematch from two weeks ago when the then-No.3 Bruin gave the Sun Devils their only loss of the season, a 13-8 result in the quarterfinal of the Triton Invitational. Then, ASU will take on Cal State Fullerton for the first time between both schools, as the Titans are in year two of being a division I women's water polo program.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Sun Devils came out of the ASU invitational with a 4-0 record with victories over two ranked opponents over the weekend, defeating No. 12 UC Santa Barbara 12-6 and No. 19 San Jose State 9-5. The Sun Devils posted back-to-back games scoring 20+ goals for the first time this season with victories over Marist and Ottawa-AZ to cap off the weekend. Luca Petovary scored a program-record nine goals against the Red Foxes, also tying the MPSF record for most goals in a game. Graduate Lara Kiss also broke the all-time assists record with three against San Jose State, who now sits at 122 career assists. The Sun Devils outscored opponents 67-19 in four games, who also are still undefeated at home this year at a perfect 8-0. Sanne Keijzer posted 22 saves in three starts over the weekend.
HELLO TOP-10:
The Sun Devils have gotten to their third-best start in program history, with an 11-1 record with only the 2015 and 2012 teams getting off to better starts which has helped the Sun Devils vault into the top-10 for the first time since March 8, 2023. ASU is currently ranked No. X this week heading into their showdown with No. 1 UCLA. Currently, the MPSF conference has five of the top-10 teams in the country, including ASU.
LEADING LUCA:
The 4-year Sun Devil continues the hot start to her season as she was named MPSF Player of the Week for the second straight week after posting 20 goals in four games, leading the team with 52 goals this season and one shy of tying her career-high just 12 games through the year. Entering this weekend, she currently is third all-time with 182 career goals and is 18 away from being second on the all-time list with 200 goals, and can be the second Sun Devil to score 200 goals in program history. On top of her 182 goals, she has 241 career points which ranks fourth all-time in program history.
DUO FROM DOWN UNDER:
After competing together for New Zealand over the summer, Millie Quin and Sophie Shorter-Robinson each rank two & three on the team and in the MPSF Conference in goals and points. Quin has tallied 30 goals through 12 games, as Shorter-Robinson has obtained 24 goals this year, which is one shy of surpassing her freshmen year total. California transfer Quin started the season with five straight games with 3+ goals, and has three games with three steals. She is currently on a six-goal streak entering the weekend.
No. 7 SUN DEVIL OUTLOOK: (11-1):
- The Sun Devils are currently 7-1 against ranked opponents this season, including two top-10 wins this year over then-No. 9 UC San Diego and then-No. 10 Michigan.
- A win over No. 1 UCLA would be the first victory over the No. 1 team in the country in program history.
- Senior Luca Petovary leads the MPSF conference with 52 goals and 67 points, 22 more goals than her teammate Millie Quin and 21 more points than Quin, respectively.
- Graduate Lara Kiss broke the program record for all-time assists, with 122 and counting entering the weekend. She currently ranked in a tie for 8th at 110 career steals.
- In a victory over Ottawa-AZ, the Sun Devils had 12 different goal scorers finding the back of the net.
- The Sun Devils hold a +101 goal differential so far this season and have outscored opponents 94-36 in the second half of games this year.
- Alba Olivé Martí ranks fourth on the team in goals with 19, she also has four multi-goal games this year and has netted a goal in 10 of 12 games this year.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Sanne Keijzer has compiled 94 saves in 11 starts this season for the Sun Devils, which leads the MPSF conference.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK:
No. 1 UCLA: (9-0)
- The top-ranked team in the country is one of two undefeated teams in the MPSF conference with Indiana being the other undefeated team at 8-0.
- In the previous match-up in the quarterfinal at the Triton Invitational, the Bruins started fast with a 7-1 lead, and gave the Sun Devils their only loss of the year in a 13-8 victory.
- UCLA has scored double-digit goals in every game this year, including three straight wins over top-10 opponents entering the conference opener.
- The Bruins are led by Anna Pearson who has netted 18 goals this season.
- UCLA has gotten off to fast starts this season, outsourcing the opposition 68-32 in the first half of games.
- The Sun Devils are 2-29 against UCLA all-time.
CAL STATE FULLERTON: (3-3)
- The Titans are currently in their 2nd year as a Division-I Women's Water Polo program, going 12-19 in their inaugural season while competing in the Big West.
- This year, they are currently 3-3 heading into the matchup, it's the first all-time meeting between the Sun Devils and the Titans.
- The Titans have netted double-digit goals in the last two games, resulting in victories.
- Junior Shyanne Rainey leads the team with 11 goals in six games this season.
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils travel to California this weekend with two games on February 17 in Los Angeles and Fullerton, Calif. They'll face No. 1 UCLA at 1:00 p.m. MST and Cal State Fullerton at 5:00 p.m. AZT. The match against the Titans can be followed on The Fosh and can be streamed on ESPN+.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
Continue following Sun Devil Water Polo on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook all-season long during the 2024 season @SunDevilWP for coverage of the team. Live stats can be found on 6-8 sports and The Fosh along with other MPSF Conference teams.