Feb. 7, 2016
Stanford, Calif.----- The San Jose State University women's water polo team finished sixth at the Stanford Invitational after losses to #7-Michigan, 8-7, and #8-UC Davis, 14-6, on the tournament's final day.
The Spartans (6-6), also ranked #8-nationally won only one of four matches in the two-day invitational with eight of the top-15 teams in the country. San Jose State opened with an 11-6 win over #15-ranked Loyola Marymount. The Spartans also lost to #1-ranked Stanford, 17-8.
"We had some tough losses. The team is fighting hard. We battled all four quarters really well against Michigan. We came back," said San Jose State head coach Johnny Bega, who used three different starting lineups during the weekend.
"(Against UC Davis) We got a little tired, a little winded. We're inexperienced, but I feel we're gaining experience by doing all this. We have a lot of young players."
The Spartans were down three goals for the third time in the match, 7-4 with 5:41 left in the third quarter, but battled back to a 7-7 tie on Donia Momen's power-play score with 3:36 remaining. Momen had a season-high three scores in the Michigan match. Carla Toha Vilanova and Kelli Leabo also scored in the San Jose State second-half comeback.
The Wolverines' fourth power-play goal was Kim Johnson's game-winner with 0:05 left in the fourth quarter. Michigan was 4-of-8 on the power-play compared to the Spartans' 2-of-7. The Wolverines also defeated San Jose State, 18-9 on January 24.
In the fifth-place match, UC Davis never trailed and broke open a 3-3 second-quarter tie with the third of Allyson Hansen's career-best six goals on a power play before halftime and seven goals in the third quarter for a 14-6 win.
Leabo was the only Spartan to score more than once in the UC Davis match. The Spartans also ran into a hot goalkeeper for the second day in a row. Aggies' goalkeeper Olivia Husted stopped 10 of her season-high 11 shots in the first three quarters.
"About the weekend, one, we're gaining experience; two, we're learning a lot more about ourselves; and, three, I learned about our team we fight hard and play with the best of them. If we make too many mistakes, we're going to lose against good teams," the Spartans' coach summarized.
San Jose State's next match is a February 19 non-conference contest hosting Santa Clara in a 3:00 p.m. match at The Aquatics Center.
Stanford Invitational women's water polo tournament
Belardi Pool, Stanford, Calif.
February 7, 2016
| Match 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #7-Michigan (9-3) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| #8-San Jose State (6-5) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Goal Scoring
Michigan - Kelly Martin, 3; Heidi Moreland, Caroline Anderson, Alison Skaggs, Kim Johnson, Ali Thomason, 1, each.
San Jose State -- Donia Momen, 3; Kelli Leabo, 2; Rae Lekness, Carla Toha Vilanova, 1.
Goalkeeper Saves
Michigan -- Julia Campbell, 8.
San Jose State -- Alicia Magliocco, 4.
Ejections
Michigan -- 7.
San Jose State -- 8.
| Match 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #8-UC Davis (5-3) | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| #8-San Jose State (6-6) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Goal Scoring
UC Davis -- Allyson Hansen, 6; Greta Kohlmoos, Bryn Lutz, 2, each; Ariel Arcidiacono, Jill Bushman, Carla Tocchini, McKenna Hauss, 1, each.
San Jose State -- Kelli Leabo, 2; McKenna Yates, Rae Lekness, Carla Toha Vilanova, Sierra Painter, 1, each.
Goalkeeper Saves
UC Davis -- Olivia Husted, 11; Avery Dotterer, 0.
San Jose State -- Alicia Magliocco, 4.
Ejections
UC Davis -- 7.
San Jose State -- 9.