TEMPE – No. 11 Sun Devil Water Polo is set to open the 2026 season this weekend with the Malmsten Invitational Jan. 24-25 at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Arizona State will be hosting five participants featuring No. 7 Loyola Marymount, No. 13 UC San Diego, No. 17 Michigan, California Baptist, and McKendree. Each match will be broadcast on Overnght and live stats will be available on 6-8 Sports.
The Maroon and Gold enter the spring campaign ranked No. 11 in the College Water Polo Association polls, as voted on by a panel of coaches. Following the 2025 campaign, the Sun Devils finished the year tied for 11th.
The Sun Devils open their five-game slate with three games on Saturday, first against CBU at 11:15 a.m., followed by No. 7 LMU at 2:15 p.m and wrapping up with McKendree at 4:45 p.m.. On Sunday, Arizona State will take on No. 17 Michigan at 9:45 a.m. and cap off the weekend against No. 13 UCSD at 12:45 p.m..
Malmsten Invitational schedule
Saturday, Jan. 24 (All times listed in MST)
No. 17 Michigan vs. No. 7 LMU - 10:00 a.m.
No. 11 ASU vs. CBU - 11:15 a.m.
No. 13 UCSD vs. McKendree - 1:00 p.m.
No. 11 ASU vs. No. 7 LMU - 2:15 p.m.
CBU vs. No. 13 UCSD - 3:30 p.m.
No. 11 ASU vs. McKendree - 4:45 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 25
No. 7 LMU vs. McKendree - 8:30 a.m.
No. 11 ASU vs. No. 17 Michigan - 9:45 a.m.
CBU vs. McKendree - 11:00 a.m.
No. 11 ASU vs. No. 13 UCSD - 12:45 p.m.
Sun Devil outlook (0-0, 0-0 MPSF)
- Arizona State enters the season ranked No. 11 in the country as voted on by the CWPA.
- The Maroon and Gold have compiled a record of 66-21 in season-opening weekends since 2002. In fact, the Sun Devils are 34-7 in season-opening weekends in the last 11 years.
- Last season, the Sun Devils finished with a 19-9 record en route to a fifth-place overall finish in the MPSF conference tournament.
- The team welcomed 10 newcomers, coming from six different countries outside of the United States (Australia, Croatia, France, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands).
- ASU returns 13 from the 2025 squad.
- Senior Millie Quin is one to watch as the returner accounted for the second-most goals scored (89) in a season in program history in 2025. She also recorded 27 assists to total 116 points on the season, ranking fifth all-time for points in a season. The year prior, as a sophomore, she recorded 73 goals and 42 assists to total 115 points.
- Sophomore Itziar Almeda also holds a spot in the record books among freshman ranks as she netted 71 goals and dished out 46 assists, ranking fourth all-time for most points in a season (102).
How to follow
Follow Sun Devil Water Polo on sundevils.com, @sundevilwp on X, @sundevilwaterpolo on Instagram and Facebook all season long for coverage of the team. Matches are broadcast on Overnght, and live stats are available on 6-8sports.