No. 8 Bulldogs open GCC play

Saturday, February 26

FRESNO, CA

1 PM PT

Fresno State

Santa Clara University

No. 8 Bulldogs open GCC play

2/25/2022 8:24:00 PM | Water Polo

Fresno State Game Notes: Week 6 Fresno State Statistics (PDF)

By: Taylor Martinez / Strategic Communications

Week 6: Fresno State (9-7, (0-0 GCC) vs. Santa Clara (2-8, 0-0 GCC)
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 • 1 p.m. PT • Fresno, Calif. • Fresno State Aquatics Center

LIVE STATS: TheFosh.com
LIVE STREAM: MW Network

BULLDOG BITES

Fresno State is ranked No. 8, the highest-ranking in program history.
Fresno State has been ranked No. 8 for five straight weeks.
Fresno State is 9-7 (0-0 GCC) this season.
Fresno State has won six straight games.
The Bulldogs will open Golden Coast Conference play against Santa Clara on Saturday.
Santa Clara is 2-8 this season.
Fresno State is averaging 11.1 goals and 30.4 shots per game.
Fresno State has been outscored 177-153 this season.
Fresno State has eight players that have scored 10+ goals this season.
Daphne Guevremont was named the GCC Player of the Week.
Freshman Fanni Muzsnay ranks No. 1 in the NCAA with 41 goals.
Muzsnay has earned two GCC Player of the Week accolades this season.
Goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny has played the entirety of every game this season in the cage for the Bulldogs.
Nieto Jasny owns a .463 save percentage and has logged 124 saves.

GUEVREMONT NAMED GCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fresno State senior Daphne Guevremont was named the Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week, announced by the league on Thursday.

Guevremont led the No. 8 Bulldogs to a 5-0 weekend, including four ranked wins. The Laval, Canada native posted 17 goals, six assists, 23 points, six steals and five field blocks over the weekend.

The attacker had four multi-goal games including three with hat tricks. She netted five goals in the close 12-10 win over No. 13 Long Beach State. Guevremont recorded a career-high six goals to lead the Bulldogs to a 12-9 win over No. 11 San Jose State.

This is Guevremont's first weekly accolade this season, and the third in her career as a Bulldog.

Fresno State has tabbed three of the first six weekly awards.

FRESHMAN ON FIRE
Freshman Fanni Muzsnay has made an immediate impact on the Bulldogs' offense this season.

The attacker has earned two Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. She is the only player in the conference that has won multiple weekly awards this season.

Muzsnay leads the Bulldogs on the attack with 95 shots, 41 goals and 49 points. She ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in total goals. She leads the GCC in goals and points.

2022 OUTLOOK
Fresno State enters its fifth season of competition under head coach Natalie Benson. Fresno State returns 13 players from its 2021 roster. The Bulldogs add 11 newcomers including 10 freshman and one transfer.

Fresno State brings back its top two scorers from 2021 in Emily Nicholson and Daphne Guevremont.

Nicholson is a four-time All-Golden Coast Conference selection and two-time All-American. She is the program leader in goals (161) and drawn exclusions (280). Last season, she recorded 37 goals, 40 points and 68 drawn exclusions.

Guevremont is a two-time All-GCC selection and earned All-American Honorable Mention recognition in 2020. Last season, she logged 35 goals, 24 assists, 59 points and eight field blocks.

In goal, the Bulldogs return Mackenzie Matheny who appeared in 11 games last season. She tabbed 20 saves and three steals.

Fresno State also returns Paula Nieto Jasny who sat out the 2021 season. In 2020, she recorded a 5-3 record as the starting goalie. The Malaga, Spain native had 89 saves, a .492 save percentage and swiped a team-high 22 steals. She recorded three games with 10-plus saves.

The Bulldogs' lone transfer is Valley native Savannah Fitzgerald. She joins Fresno State after helping lead Pacific two regular season Golden Coast Conference titles, two GCC Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. She accounted for 155 shots, 72 goals and 89 points during her career with the Tigers.
Fresno State will open its 2022 season at the Arizona State Tournament Jan. 21-23. The Bulldogs will face three Top 10 teams in No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Cal, No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 8 Michigan.

'DOGS PICKED TO REPEAT AS GCC CHAMPS
The Fresno State water polo team was chosen to repeat as the Golden Coast Conference champions according to the 2022 GCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, voted on by the league's eight head coaches. The Bulldogs earned six first place votes and 48 total points in the poll.

This marks the first time in program history that Fresno State has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the league.

The Bulldogs check-in at No. 10 in the NCAA preseason rankings, the highest ranking GCC team. Pacific and San Diego State also made the Top 15 at No. 13 and No. 15, respectively.

Fresno State will begin GCC play on Feb. 26 hosting Santa Clara in the Aquatics Center at 1 p.m. PT.

2021 REVIEW
In just its fourth year of competition, Fresno State recorded a historic season. The Bulldogs finished the season with an overall record of 13-6 (6-1 GCC).

The Bulldogs took a piece of the Golden Coast Conference regular season championship after recording a program-best six wins in conference play, finishing in a three-way tie for first place with San Diego State and Pacific. This marked the first GCC regular season title in program history. Head Coach Natalie Benson was named the GCC Coach of the Year.

Concluding regular season play, The Bulldogs tabbed two first team, one second team and two freshman team All-GCC selections. Five is the most honorees that Fresno State has earned in program history.

Daphne Guevremont and Emily Nicholson were named All-GCC First Team honorees. Callie Woodruff earned an All-GCC Second Team nod. Kaitlin Howarth and Cynthia Rosa rounded out the Bulldogs' postseason awards. Howarth was named a GCC All-Freshman First Team selection while Rosa tallied All-Freshman Second Team honors.

Fresno State's stellar play during conference earned the team a spot in the GCC Women's Water Polo Championship, a four-team field with the top four teams earning a bid to the tournament. The Bulldogs secured the top seed in the tournament.

The 'Dogs won their first GCC Tournament Championship in program history with a 14-10 victory over the second-seeded and 13th-ranked San Diego State. Claire Schade led the Bulldogs with five points in the game, scoring a hat trick with two assists. The senior finished the tournament leading the field with eight assists and 12 points to earn Tournament MVP honors. Nicholson led all-scorers in the contest with four goals. Woodruff had a goal, an assist and a steal in the title game. Nicholson and Woodruff joined Schade on the GCC All-Tournament Team.

The Bulldogs made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance, and earned the first NCAA Tournament win by defeating Cal Lutheran 15-7. Nicholson was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.

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