SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University women's water polo team opened its 2026 season Saturday with a split at the Sullivan Aquatic Center, beating Fresno Pacific, 19-7, in the afternoon after falling, 22-3, to No. 17 UC Davis in the morning.
 
vs. FRESNO PACIFIC
Khloe Tarbet scored a career-high three goals and Megan Chambliss had a hat trick of her own as the Broncos got scores from 12 different players in beating the Sunbirds, 19-7, in the last game of the day.
 
The Broncos (1-1) scored five consecutive goals in the first period after Fresno Pacific (0-2) had scored the game's first goal, taking a 5-1 lead and never looking back. Santa Clara led 11-5 at halftime and would outscore the Sunbirds, 7-1, in the third period alone to go up, 18-6.
 
Five of the 12 Broncos who found the back of the net did so multiple times, including the first two goals of Reese Artura's career. Evelyn McLaughlin scored twice, as did Calla Troxel, tying career highs for both of them. Hailey Romano swiped a game-high four steals while five different Broncos dished multiple assists. Mia Barkett, Mikayla Crowe, Sydney Maccabe, Haley Tassell and Avary Torres all doled out multiple helpers against FPU.
 
Fresno Pacific was led by two goals each from Frances Benson, Sierra Coyne and Sofia DeRollo. Evalena Filippi made 10 saves in net for the Sunbirds, while Haley Tassell made nine for the Broncos.
 
vs. No. 17 UC DAVIS
 
Three different Broncos scored goals in the team's 2026 season opener, as No. 17-ranked UC Davis scored four or more goals in each period to down Santa Clara in Saturday's first game.
 
Evelyn McLaughlin scored her first goal of the year in the first period to get the Broncos on the board, snapping an early 5-0 Aggies run. Chloe Rizof scored SCU's second goal of the day two minutes into the fourth period, and Hailey Romano scored the first goal of her career with two minutes remaining.
 
Avary Torres dished the assist to Romano for her first career score. Mia Barkett and Makenna Genco also had assists on the day. Haley Tassell made six saves in net for the Broncos while swiping a steal. Khloe Tarbet drew a game-high three exclusions.
 
UC Davis got goals from 13 different players, with six of them scoring multiple times. Bridget Miller and Margo Tempel led the Aggies with three goals each. Eva Stein recorded 11 saves in three periods of work, only allowing one goal and even dishing an assist. Ashley Wallin led all players with four assists to go with two goals for a six-point day.
 
COMING UP
The Broncos hit the road for the first time in 2026 on Saturday when they travel to Seaside to face Cal State Monterey Bay. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.