FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 6 Fresno State water polo team turns its attention back to Golden Coast Conference play this weekend, traveling to Santa Clara for a conference matchup on Saturday.
No. 6 Fresno State (7-6, 1-0 GCC) at Santa Clara (4-8, 0-0 GCC)
March 8, 2025 - 1 P.M. PT - Santa Clara, Calif. - Sullivan Aquatics Center
Series History: Fresno State leads, 7-1
Last Meeting: FS def SC 22-6 at the 2024 GCC Championship tournament
MEDIA COVERAGE
Stream: SantaClaraBroncos.com
Live Stats: TheFosh
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateWP
Bulldog Bones
Fresno State returns to conference play this weekend after a nonconference loss at No. 4 UCLA last weekend.
Fresno State looks to make a run for its fifth consecutive Golden Coast Conference title in 2025.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 6 in this week's national polls. Fresno State has remained the highest ranked GCC team this season.
Fresno State was picked to win the GCC this season, leading the preseason poll that is voted upon by the league's head coaches.
Of Fresno State's 13 games this season, just two were against non-ranked opponents.
Fresno State has played three overtime games this season, and are 2-1 in those contests. The three overtime games are the most in a single season for Fresno State. The Bulldogs are 7-4 all-time in overtime matchups.
The Bulldogs have scored 10 or more goals in all but one game this season.
Fresno State has had two GCC Players of the Week this season in Abbey Simshauser and Brooke Ochoa.
Ochoa and Hailey Andress are ranked in the Top 5 in scoring in the GCC.
Fresno State returns to the Sullivan Aquatics Center for the first time since the GCC Championship in 2024, where the Bulldogs won their fourth consecutive tournament title.
Fresno State is coached by head coach Natalie Benson, who has a 107-77 all-time record leading the Bulldogs.
GCC Flashback
Fresno State returns as the reigning Golden Coast Champions, for the fourth year in a row. The Bulldogs have been the tournament champion for four-straight years, and the regular season champion in three of the last four years.
In regular season play, Fresno State has only lost two regular season GCC games in the last four years.
Fresno State has an all-time record of 35-9 in Golden Coast Conference play, and is 27-2 in the last four seasons.
A performance for the record books
In the game at UCLA last weekend, senior Brooke Ochoa led the team with six goals. The six goals tied her personal career-best, but also tied the program's single game scoring record. She scored her six goals on 11 shot attempts, which were also a career-best for the senior.
Ole Reliable
Ochoa currently leads the team with 55 points through 13 games. She has 41 goals and 14 assists. Her 41 goals tie for the team-lead. She also adds 17 drawn exclusions and 13 steals on the year. She has scored at least two goals in all but one goal this season. She has appeared in 96 career games, the third-most by a player in program history.
The good 1-2-3 punch
Ochoa has support in the offensive efforts by junior Hailey Andress and senior Abbey Simshauser. Andress has 41 goals on the year while Simshauser has 28. Andress also adds 13 assist while Simshauser has 11. The trio of Bulldogs has led the way for the Bulldogs as dominant offensive players in both scoring and the ability to move the ball. All three have earned All-Conference and All-American honors in their career. The 2025 season has been no different as they look to lead Fresno State to its fifth straight GCC title.
The three are also all in the record book, in various statistical categories. Fresno State has had six player all-time score 100 career goals, and Andress, Ochoa and Simshauser are three of those six.
Newest member of the club
While Simshauser was held to no goals against UCLA, she put up five goals the week before with her fifth being her 100th scored as a Bulldog. She became the fastest player in program history to score 100 career goals. The transfer Bulldog hit the 100 goal mark in her 41st career game.
Queen of the drawn exclusion
For the second year in a row, Ashley Williams has paced the team in drawn exclusions. When the program graduated the second all-time leader Jillian Schultz in 2023, Williams wasted no time filling in her shoes.
In 13 games, Williams has a team-high 34 drawn exclusions. She is up to 96 in her career, already the third-most by a player in program history behind the all-time leader Emily Nicholson (376) and Schultz (102).
Welcome to the chat, freshman
Marit van der Kolk has not wasted any time joining the program and contributing as a true freshman. Playing in all 13 games of the season, she has totaled nine goals, five assists, three drawn exclusions, six steals and two field blocks.
Van der Kolk has gone for a 20-4 sprint record so far this season. She is currently second in the GCC in sprint wins, but leads the conference with a .833 win percentage.