No. 21 Pacific Water Polo Opens GCC Tournament vs. Azusa Pacific

No. 21 Pacific women’s water polo begins its postseason today against Azusa Pacific in the Golden Coast Conference Tournament. The match kicks off at 10 a.m. at LMU’s Burns Aquatics Center. Pacific enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed with a record of 12-9, while APU is seeded 6th at 16-14. The Tigers are favored, having won three of their last four matches, including a narrow victory over APU earlier in the season. Junior Dora Alaksza leads the team, recently earning First-Team All-Conference honors.

By the Numbers

• Pacific’s current record: 12 wins, 9 losses (5-2 in GCC)
• APU’s current record: 16 wins, 14 losses (2-5 in GCC)
• Dora Alaksza has 232 career goals, ranking 3rd all-time in program history

Yes, But

Despite a strong performance in the regular season, Pacific will need to maintain focus against APU, who features standout Jessie Nelson, the GCC Newcomer of the Year, who previously dominated but failed to score in their first matchup.

State of Play

• The Tigers are historically strong against APU, holding a 16-1 all-time record.
• Pacific has the opportunity to eliminate APU from the tournament for the third consecutive year.

What’s Next

The winning team will progress to the semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m. The championship match will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m., with the victor earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Bottom Line

Pacific’s success hinges on their ability to replicate their regular-season performance against APU, leveraging strong individual performances and maintaining defensive focus to advance in the postseason.