VILLANOVA, Pa - Water Polo will travel west to California, the home of 13 of the team's athletes, to play five games across three days this upcoming weekend.

They will play four games in their seventh time playing in the Convergence Tournament. Villanova has participated in every iteration of the tournament since 2018, aside from 2021, when they stayed on the east coast for non-conference play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Gordon's squad will play against Concordia University, Irvine; California State University, Fullerton; McKendree University and California Lutheran University in the Convergence Tournamnent, hosted by Chapman University and Occidental College. They will finish with a standalone away game at California State University, Northridge.

Villanova finished 3-1 in last year's tournament, defeating Santa Clara University, Whittier College, and Occidental College, falling to then No. 5 University of Southern California.

The Wildcats received their third consecutive national ranking ahead of this trip as they rank No. 23 and 25 in the CWPA and ACWPC polls, respectively.

VU is 7-5 on the season, with five of their losses coming against ranked teams or teams receiving votes in the national polls.

DAY ONE, ORANGE, CALIF.
The Wildcats will start the Convergence Tournament by facing off against Concordia University Irvine (CUI) on Friday, February 28, at Chapman University at 1:15 P.M. CUI (1-9) has faced only one common opponent as the Wildcats, with both teams taking on the University of the Pacific Tigers.

The Golden Eagles fell 20-14 to Pacific as the Wildcats were outlasted after double overtime 17-16 at their Bruno Classic opener. VU has a 0-2 record all-time against Concordia, suffering a one-goal loss in both 2014 and 2017.

Villanova's second game on Friday will be against California State University Fullerton (CSUF). The two teams have never faced off despite the Wildcats many battles against schools within the California State University system.

The 9-8 Titans have played a few opponents that VU is familiar with this season and have fared very similarly in those games.

Both teams in the late game have very close records against common opponents in the 2025 season, being 1-0 against Iona and Salem, while neither team has beaten UC Santa Barbara, going 0-3 combined.

This game will take place at 6:15 P.M. at Chapman's Allred Aquatics Center. The Wildcats are 8-1 all-time in this pool, including a four-game win streak.

DAY TWO, EAGLE ROCK, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
On Saturday, March 1, the Wildcats will head over to Los Angeles to play their second day of games in the De Mandel Aquatic Center at Occidental College.

They start bright and early at 12:00 P.M. EST (9:00 A.M. PST), taking on McKendree University. Villanova is 4-1 all time, including three wins in a row against the Bearcats.

Junior center Ella Mattocks' sister, Maisie, is a freshman utility player for McKendree who has played in all 15 games in her first season. The two will be sharing the pool in competition for the first time since they played together at The Williston Northampton School in 2022.

McKendree is 12-3, including two wins over future MAAC opponent Virginia Military Institute. The only common opponent the two teams share is the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, who took down the Bearcats with ease, 19-2.

In 2024, the Wildcats had a stellar showing against McKendree, coming out on top 17-7. Mattocks and Lauren Short tallied four goals, while Amelia Baca added three of her own. Tiffany Maguire dished out four assists in the victory as well.

To finish out the tournament, the Wildcats will take on Division III's No. 4 California Lutheran University. Cal Lu is 3-8 in 2025, including a loss on Wednesday to Mount St. Mary's University by a score of 13-10.

Villanova is 5-5 against the Regals, but all those wins have come in their last five matchups. It will have been 12 years to the day since their last loss to California Lutheran when these two teams face off.

The last time these teams faced off was in the 2023 Convergence Tournament, when the Wildcats won by a score of 14-12. Five current Wildcats recorded goals in that contest as they cruised to victory, with Anna Painter sealing the game-icing goal in the fourth quarter.

DAY THREE, NORTHRIDGE, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
To finish out their time in the Golden State, VU will take on RV California State University, Northridge. The two teams last time facing off was in 2023, again in a standalone game after the Convergence tournament where the Matadors were ranked 24th in the country. Emily McKenzie recorded her second career hat trick in as many years agaist CSUN, against the team she had recorded her first three-goal game just a year prior but the Wildcats fell short 12-9.

In 2025, the Matadors find themselves with a 10-4 record, with their most recent game having taken place against Marist University, where they were outlasted 10-9.

They are led by two seniors from Budapest, Hungary, who have tallied at least 70 points each through the first 14 games of the season. Dorottya Telek has 64 goals on a .644% shooting percentage, while Anna Pal has tallied 32 goals, 38 assists, and 29 steals. Both track to have a massive impact on Sunday's contest for the team from Northridge.

WILDCAT REWIND
Villanova has not played a game since February 15, as teams in the MAAC all did not play this past weekend.

Their last time out in a win against Siena, Emily McKenzie tied second in program history with nine points in a single game. After recording three points across the Crimson Classic, the active Wildcat points leader rebounded in fashion, tallying six goals in the win.

Layla Canales added four goals, while Riley Hull and Maguire also had a multi-goal performance. Despite an early 3-0 deficit in their own pool, the Wildcats fought back to secure the victory.

Kerry saved seven goals in the win, including a 5M save, as the Wildcats were able to fend off the Saints in a preview of MAAC conference play.

The junior broke the record for the most MAAC Defensive Player of the Week award wins in program history with her third career nod this week. If she records 12 saves this upcoming weekend, she will set her career high for saves in a season when she tallies her 131^st of the year.

UP NEXT
The 'Cats first games of the Convergence Tournament will be played tomorrow, February 28, on the campus of Chapman University. They will face off against Concordia University Irvine at 1:15 P.M. (10:15 A.M. PST) and California State University Fullerton at 6:15 P.M. (3:15 PST). All times are subject to change due to the tournament format and facility availability.

WATCH
The first two games against CUI and CSUF will be streamed through Flo Sports. Links can be found within the 2025 Women's Water Polo schedule.

SOCIAL
For all the latest updates surrounding the program, follow Villanova Water Polo on Instagram @novawaterpolo and X (formerly Twitter) @nova_waterpolo.