#GCCWATERPOLO – Conference play heats up in the Golden Coast Conference as we turn the calendar to March in the collegiate women’s water polo season. There are eight games scheduled this weekend with five featuring conference matchups.
Highlighting the week is a top 10 showdown as No. 10 Fresno State travels to No. 7 LMU on Saturday at noon. The Lions have won the last two regular season meetings to earn back-to-back regular season championships, running their conference winning streak to 17 games in the process. The teams have also met in three of the last four tournament title games with the Bulldogs winning four straight before LMU snapped the skid in their home pool last April.
Also on tap in GCC play is Santa Clara traveling to No. 19 San Diego State on Friday and No. 22 California Baptist on Saturday. No. 25 Pacific is also in Southern California, taking on Azusa Pacific on Friday then heading to San Diego State on Sunday.
Here is a look at this week’s schedule:
Friday, February 27
Santa Clara at No. 19 San Diego State – 1:00 P.M. • GCC Game: Stats
No. 25 Pacific at Azusa Pacific – 5:00 P.M. • GCC Game: Stats | Video
Saturday, February 28
No. 10 Fresno State at No. 7 Loyola Marymount – 12:00 P.M. • GCC Game: Stats | Video
Santa Clara at No. 22 California Baptist – 3:00 P.M. • GCC Game: Stats | Video
Azusa Pacific at Chapman – 3:00 P.M.
Sunday, March 1
Pomona-Pitzer vs. Santa Clara – 12:30 P.M. (Redlands, CA)
No. 25 Pacific at No. 19 San Diego State – 1:00 P.M. • GCC Game: Stats
Santa Clara at Redlands – 3:00 P.M.
For full coverage, check out the full schedule here >>
A LOOK BACK AT WEEK SIX
There were only five games on the schedule last week, with three coming in league action. No. 22 California Baptist went on the road to pick up their first GCC win over the season, a high-scoring 18-14 victory at Azusa Pacific. No. 7 LMU overcame a 6-3 deficit to earn a 13-8 win over No. 19 San Diego State. No. 10 Fresno State picked up a pair of wins last weekend, including a 21-7 road win over Santa Clara in conference play.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Noa Sasover was perfect at the center position in No. 7 LMU’s come-from-behind win over No. 19 San Diego State to earn GCC Player of the Week honors for Feb. 26. Both of the junior's goals occurred during the 6-1 third quarter that changed the trajectory of the game, erasing a 6-3 deficit. Sasover added to her offensive impact by drawing four total exclusions including one for a penalty goal.
2026 Player of the Week Honorees:
Feb. 26 – Noa Sasover, LMU
Feb. 19 – Claudia Valdes, San Diego State
Feb. 12 – Emmie Ramirez, California Baptist
Feb. 5 – Anna Tarantino, LMU
Jan. 29 – Katelyn Mobley, Fresno State
Jan. 22 – Mimi Stoupas, San Diego State
WEEK SIX HIGHLIGHTS
Niya Bumbaca led the No. 22 California Baptist to a big GCC road win last weekend. She led the Lancers with five goals and tied for the team lead with seven points in a high-scoring 18-14 conference win over Azusa Pacific. Bumbaca would also dish out two assists in the win as the Lancers picked up their first conference win of the season.
Fresno State was 2-0 on the week with wins over Fresno Pacific and Santa Clara. The Bulldogs scored 27 goals against FPU, tying the program's record for most goals in a game. Georgia Daly tallied eight goals in the two games, including a career-high six goals on Friday against Fresno Pacific. Her six goals that night are second-most in a game in program history. She also had a career-high four drawn exclusions against the Sunbirds.
LMU scored seven consecutive goals to flip a 6-3 deficit into a 10-6 lead they would us for the 13-8 win over No. 19 San Diego State. Head Coach Ikaika Aki is 21-1 in conference games since taking over the program ahead of the 2023 season, having won 17 straight dating back to Apr. 1, 2023.
Other notable performances last week: Evelyne Prado and Audrey Drexter had four points each for Azusa Pacific against California Baptist... Sydney Gish led the scoring for San Diego State against LMU with three goals, while Megan Holcomb added two more. Mimi Stoupas, Ioanna Petiki, and Avery Sullivan each contributed to the Aztecs' total… Santa Clara’s Megan Chambliss had six points, scoring four goals with two assists, in an 18-7 win over UC Merced last Sunday.
2026 GCC Stat Leaders
Visit the
GCC Stats Page for full stats on all teams.
Goals
| ## |
Name |
Team |
G |
| 1. |
Hailey Andress |
FS |
48 |
| 2. |
Mimi Stoupas |
SDSU |
41 |
| 3. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
40 |
| 4. |
Jessie Nelson |
APU |
37 |
| 5. |
Audrey Dexter |
APU |
34 |
|
Bailey Hollick |
APU |
34 |
Assists
| ## |
Name |
Team |
A |
| 1. |
Niya Bumbaca |
CBU |
39 |
| 2. |
Claudia Valdes |
SDSU |
35 |
| 3. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
34 |
| 4. |
Sophia DeMattia |
LMU |
30 |
| 5. |
Ioanna Petiki |
SDSU |
25 |
Points
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Pts |
| 1. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
74 |
| 2. |
Niya Bumbaca |
CBU |
68 |
| 3. |
Claudia Valdes |
SDSU |
64 |
|
Hailey Andress |
FS |
64 |
| 5. |
Sydney Gish |
SDSU |
54 |
Field Blocks
| ## |
Name |
Team |
FB |
| 1. |
Anna Tarantino |
LMU |
17 |
| 2. |
Emison Styris |
LMU |
11 |
| 3. |
Five tied with 7 |
- |
7 |
Steals
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Stls |
| 1. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
29 |
| 2. |
Laurel Cooper |
PAC |
24 |
| 3. |
Lucy Bullock |
SDSU |
23 |
| 4. |
Mimi Stoupas |
SDSU |
22 |
| 5. |
Claudia Valdes |
SDSU |
21 |
Saves
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Svs |
| 1. |
Katelyn Mobley |
FS |
141 |
| 2. |
Haley Tassell |
SCU |
107 |
| 3. |
Madison Searle |
LMU |
95 |
| 4. |
Daniela Herrero Miralles |
APU |
94 |
| 5. |
Tyanna Schneider |
CBU |
72 |
Goals Against Average
| ## |
Name |
Team |
GP |
GAA |
| 1. |
Madison Searle |
LMU |
12 |
9.29 |
| 2. |
Tiaare Ahovelo |
SDSU |
12 |
9.87 |
| 3. |
Katelyn Mobley |
FS |
16 |
10.85 |
NATIONAL POLLS
The Collegiate Water Polo Association Varsity Top 25 after week six has LMU ranked seventh with 74 points, moving up a spot from last week. Fresno State moved up three spots this week, sitting in a tie for 10th with Long Beach State with 60 points. San Diego State and California Baptist remained at their same spots from a week ago, sitting at No. 19 and No. 22, respectively. Pacific moved back into the top 25, sitting at No. 25.
Full poll >>
PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL
Fresno State has been picked to win the Golden Coast Conference in the 2026 season, according to the annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Friday. The seven GCC head coaches gave the Bulldogs 35 points, four better than second place LMU. Fresno State has won GCC tournament titles (2021-24) and three regular season titles (2021-23). LMU won last year’s tournament and the last two regular season championships. The two teams have faced off in the GCC title game three of the last four years, including epic battles in the last two title games. Fresno State earned five first place votes to LMU’s two to claim the top spot in this year’s preseason poll. Rounding out the poll is Pacific (26 points) at third place, San Diego State (21) in fourth, California Baptist (17) in fifth, Azusa Pacific (9) in sixth, and Santa Clara (8) in seventh.
ROAD TO THE GCC CHAMPIONSHIP
The
2026 GCC Championship will run from April10-12 at Fresno State. The action begins Friday, Apr. 10 with three quarterfinal matches with the top seed earning a bye to the semifinals. It will continue with a pair of semifinals and a pair of consolation games on Saturday, Apr. 11. The tournament will close with the third-place game followed by the championship match-up on Sunday, Apr. 12. Every game of the 2026 GCC Championship will be streamed live thanks to a streaming rights partner Overnght Media.
Learn more >>
ABOUT THE GCC
The 2026 campaign will be the 13th season for the Golden Coast Conference and will feature seven institutions competing within the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Following the 2016 season, the women's division earned an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championships, with the winner of the annual league tournament representing the GCC. In 2025, LMU knocked off four-time GCC champion Fresno State, who won the tournament in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. It was the Lions' third tournament title.
The league's seven members in 2026 are Azusa Pacific, California Baptist, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, San Diego State, and Santa Clara. This is the last season for the Lancers in the GCC, who will join the Big West in 2026-27. In that 2026-27 season, the GCC will consist of nine teams with Saint Mary's College, San Jose State and UC Davis joining the league.