Air Force hosts UC Davis in WWPA Opener

This Week: Air Force (9-10 overall, 0-0 WWPA ) hosts 12^th-ranked UC Davis (7-7, 1-0 WWPA), Saturday, Oct. 12, at noon MT at the Cadet Natatorium.

Live Stream: Click here for the live stream. Live stats are available at www.TheFosh.net.

The Series: The Series: Air Force and UC Davis meet for the second time this season and the 82nd time in the history of the series that began in 1974, AF's fourth season of NCAA Division I water polo. The Aggies hold a 43-38 lead in the series. UC Davis has won 14 straight in the series, including a win earlier this season. Five of those games were decided by one goal. The Aggies defeated the Falcons, 16-9, at the SoCal Tournament earlier this season. The last AF win came in 2012, 15-11 at the Academy.

Scouting the Aggies: UC Davis is ranked 12^th in the nation in this week's Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll. The Aggies are 7-7 overall and 1-0 in the WWPA. UCD beat Cal Baptist, 13-6, in its conference opener. Last week, the Aggies fell to No. 3 Pacific, 12-9. Nir Gross is fourth in the league with 35 goals scored. Goalie Jonah Addington leads the league with 27 saves and is third in the conference with 140 saves.

Last Weekend: Air Force split four games at the Gary Troyer Tournament, Oct. 4-5, in Claremont/Pomona, Calif. In the first game, the Falcons dug an early hole, battled back to tie the game late, before falling to Navy, 13-12. Navy netted the game-winner with 59 seconds left. Miller led the Falcons with three goals while Harris, Jones and Hires each had two. In the second game of the day, the Falcons fell behind early and a rally fell short as No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer won, 11-8. Miller and Harris each had two goals. Air Force earned its first win of the tournament with an 18-5 win over Caltech. Air Force led 7-5 at the half and then outscored Caltech 11-0 in the second half. Anthony Tolbert stopped all eight shots he saw in the second half. Harris and Eric Kawecki each scored three goals and Ian Shepherd had two. In the final game of the tournament, Air Force rallied for a 13-8 win over Whittier. Harris led the Falcons with five goals while Miller had four. Reagan Pittman, the national lead in assists, had three helpers against the Poets. Tolbert made 11 saves.

Troyer Recap: Campbell Harris and Michael Miller each scored 12 goals in the tournament. Miller also had an assist and led the team with 13 points and six steals in the tournament. Anthony Tolbert had 11 saves against Whittier, tying his second most of the season. He had 30 saves in the four games.

The Helping Hand: Senior Reagan Pittman leads the nation with 44 assists this season. Pittman also ranks third in the conference, and is tied for the team lead, with 51 points. He has two or more assists in 11 of the 19 games this season, including a career-best six against La Verne, Chapman and UC Davis. In the win over Brown, he had a career-high four goals. Pittman also leads the team with 23 steals and nine field blocks this season.

The Water Cheetah: Senior Mike Miller's speed has gained Air Force the first possession more times than not. Miller leads the nation with 57 sprint victories this season. Miller is 57-9 in sprints this season, and his .863 winning percentage is the best in the conference (among players who have more than seven sprints). Miller is also fourth in the league in goals scored with 42, including a career-high six in the win over Chapman.

Between the Pipes: Both junior James Burke and sophomore Anthony Tolbert have seen action between the pipes this season. Burke leads the team with five wins this season. Tolbert has won four games and leads the team, and ranks fourth in the conference, with 127 saves. He made a season-high 12 saves against No. 8 Long Beach State, Sept. 22. He has had 11 twice this season,in wins over Occidental and Whittier.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

James Burke

Campbell Harris

Eric Kawecki

Mike Miller

Reagan Pittman

Ian Shepherd

Anthony Tolbert

Footer