The West will be won
Following a thrilling weekend in West Virginia, attention switches back to the West Region as the Western Water Polo Association enters the final week of the regular season.
Salem (4-0 WWPA) left no doubt in determining which team was best in the East by running its winning streak to eight straight heading into the postseason. Gannon (1-3 WWPA), which entered the weekend in the East Region cellar, notched a critical win against McKendree (1-3 WWPA) to eventually earn the No. 2 East seed via a tiebreaker over the defending WWPA champions.
Now that the East is settled, four matches remain in the West, including April 2's headliner between Biola (6-0 WWPA) and Concordia (5-1 WWPA). Thursday's afternoon affair between the Golden Eagles and Eagles in La Mirada will be a rematch of a Feb. 20 contest in Irvine, a 13-6 Biola road win.
The scenario is clear.
A Biola victory over Concordia guarantees the Eagles their fourth straight West Region title and a first-round bye.
However, two wins this week by CUI - over Biola and CSUMB - would hand the No. 1 West seed and a first-round bye to the Golden Eagles; CUI holds the tiebreaker advantage over BU thanks to its better record against common non-conference opponents (CUI beat UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton).
Cal State Monterey Bay (4-2 WWPA) still has something to say about who wins the West. The Otters visit first-place Biola on Wednesday, April 1, to kick off the week and then will officially end the WWPA season on Friday, April 3, at Concordia. Although Biola already took down the Otters in conference play, keep in mind that CSUMB also beat Biola by a goal in overtime way back on opening day.
UC Merced will be in search of its first WWPA win in program history when the Bobcats and Sunbirds wrap up the regular season on Wednesday at 6 pm in Fresno.
2026 WWPA Women's Championship
Tournament Central
April 10-12, 2026
William Woolett Jr. Aquatics Center | Irvine, Calif.
Hosted by Concordia University Irvine
WWPA Network
WWPA matches hosted by conference schools are streamed live on thewwpa.com.
Around the WWPA
Biola (9-15, 6-0 WWPA)
Last week: 3-0; W at Azusa Pacific, 13-11; W vs. Fresno Pacific, 13-3; W vs. UC Merced, 16-5.
Biola extended its winning streak to seven matches and maintained its hold on first place in the West. Stephanie Rodriguez's four points (2g, 2a) and Destiny Moreno's hat trick lifted the Eagles to a two-goal win over APU in the Cornerstone Cup. Gwendolyn Pidd scored four goals and added three assists against FPU, while Rodriguez had an all-around performance with three goals and an assist. Pidd's six goals and Fernanda Luna's 17 saves anchored the Eagles in their Senior Day victory over UC Merced.
Next up: The Eagles host Cal State Monterey Bay on Apr. 1 and end the regular season on Apr. 2 against Concordia.
Cal State Monterey Bay (11-14, 4-2 WWPA)
Last week: 1-0; W at Fresno Pacific, 18-3.
CSUMB locked up at least the No. 3 seed in the West Region with a 15-goal midweek victory over Fresno Pacific. The Otters established a 10-2 lead by the half and at one point scored nine unanswered goals. Stella Martin's three goals and two assists paced the offense, while Olivia Gutierrez added two goals and distributed four assists. Kaya Eaton added a hat trick. Martin leads the WWPA with 44 assists. The Otters have won two in a row and four out of their last six.
Next up: The Otters travel to Biola on Apr. 1 and Concordia on Apr. 3.
Concordia (16-9, 5-1 WWPA)
Last week: 2-0; W vs. UC Merced, 12-7; W vs. Fresno Pacific, 14-4.
CUI has now won five matches in a row and eight of its last 10 following an undefeated conference week. Kimorah Wong and Hannah Edwards logged hat tricks while Mia Hueston recorded two goals and two assists in the win over the Bobcats. Edwards shined as a playmaker the following day against FPU, distributing five assists, while Sierrah Ferguson added three goals. Hueston ranks fourth in the WWPA with 74 points.
Next up: The Golden Eagles host Biola on Apr. 2 and Cal State Monterey Bay on Apr. 3.
Fresno Pacific (6-18, 1-7 WWPA)
Last week: 0-3; L vs. Cal State Monterey Bay, 18-3; L at Biola, 13-3; L at Concordia, 14-4.
FPU dropped three WWPA matches throughout the week. Regan Azevedo, Sofia DeRollo and Maggie Cook scored against the Otters. Later in the week, FPU clashed with the top two teams in the West Region, falling to Biola 13-3 and Concordia 14-4. Against the Golden Eagles, the Sunbirds converted two power-play opportunities and collected seven steals. Evalena Filippi continued to provide stability in the cage, recording nine saves in the weekend finale to cap off the tough week. Cook led the Sunbirds with four points (3g, 1a) on the week. FPU will be the No. 4 West seed for the WWPA Championship.
Next up: The Sunbirds host UC Merced on Apr. 1.
Gannon (9-10, 1-3 WWPA)
Last week: 3-2; W at Grove City, 17-9; L at Salem, 17-9; W vs. McKendree, 16-12; W vs. Mercyhurst, 19-7; L vs. Saint Francis, 22-8.
GU opened the week with a non-conference win over Grove City powered by Molly Fehr's six goals and hat tricks by Brigid Carmody and Maria Martinez. Martinez continued her stellar freshman campaign with 16 total points on day two of the Salem Invitational, registering six goals and four assists in the win over McKendree and three goals and three assists against rival Mercyhurst. Martinez finished the week with 28 total points (16g, 12a), Fehr had 18 (13g, 5a), and Carmody scored 13 goals. Martinez's 60 goals are the most in the WWPA.
Next up: The Golden Knights will be the No. 2 East seed for the 2026 WWPA Championship.
McKendree (9-17, 1-3 WWPA)
Last week: 1-3; L vs. Gannon, 16-12; L vs. Saint Francis, 22-8; L at Salem, 18-2; W vs. Mercyhurst, 15-9.
The Bearcats ended the season on a high note following a challenging weekend at the Salem Invitational. McKendree started the game against Mercyhurst with four straight goals as 11 different players scored throughout the contest. Dylan Murphy, Maisie Mattocks, Joey Rebelo and Kaitlyn Goins each registered three points. Bella Morquecho totaled eight goals, 11 drawn exclusions and three steals over the weekend. Murphy had four goals and four assists.
Next up: The Bearcats will be the No. 3 East seed for the 2026 WWPA Championship.
Salem (13-6, 4-0 WWPA)
Last week: 3-0; W vs. Gannon, 17-9; W vs. Mercyhurst, 18-4; W vs. McKendree, 18-2.
The Tigers swept their home weekend by outscoring their opponents 53-15 across three matches. Kara Wicht's four goals lifted SU over Gannon before Matipa Karimazondo paced the offense with five goals against McKendree. Lucy Bramwell had seven points against McKendree (2g, 5a). Iris Oudshoorn's six points (5g, 1a) lifted the Tigers against Mercyhurst. Courtney Repinz leads the conference in total points (98), and Kristen Hemmila leads in save percentage (.577).
Next up: The Tigers are the East's No. 1 seed and will open the 2026 WWPA Championship in the quarterfinals against No. 4 West seed Fresno Pacific on Friday, Apr. 10 at 1pm PT.
UC Merced (2-18, 0-7 WWPA)
Last week: 0-2; L at Concordia, 12-7; L at Biola, 16-5.
Kiryn Wicker led the offense with three goals against CUI to secure her first WWPA hat trick of the season. Five different players scored the following day against front-runner Biola.five different players. Goalkeeper Makenzie Royal anchored the defense throughout the weekend, recording 15 combined saves and four steals across the two contests.
Next up: The Bobcats end the regular season at Fresno Pacific on Apr. 1.
WWPA Offensive Player of the Week
Gannon freshman Maria Martinez earned her second WWPA Offensive Player of the Week honor after helping the Golden Knights to the No. 2 seed in the East. The Barcelona product delivered 28 points over five matches with 16 goals to go along with 12 assists. She was particularly lethal in the two Saturday matches that earned GU the tiebreaker, registering 16 total points in wins over McKendree and Mercyhurst. She had six goals and four assists against the Bearcats before scoring three and dishing out three assists against Mercyhurst. She recorded three hat tricks, shot .500 or better three times, and added nine steals. She leads the WWPA in total goals (60) and goals per game (3.2).
Nominees: Maria Martinez Gannon; Matipa Karimazondo, Salem; Gwendolyn Pidd, Biola; Bella Morquecho, McKendree; Kiryn Wicker, UC Merced
Jan. 12-18, 2026: Stella Martin, Cal State Monterey Bay
Jan. 19-25, 2026: Bella Morquecho, McKendree
Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2026: Gwendolyn Pidd, Biola & Mia Hueston, Concordia
Feb. 2-8, 2026: Courtney Repinz, Salem
Feb. 9-15, 2026: Amber Lewis, Concordia
Feb. 16-22, 2026: Maria Martinez, Gannon
Feb. 23-Mar. 1, 2026: Shanelle Márquez, McKendree
Mar. 2-8, 2026: Olivia Gutierrez, Cal State Monterey Bay
Mar. 9-15, 2026: Courtney Repinz, Salem
Mar. 16-22, 2026: Gwendolyn Pidd, Biola
Mar. 23-29, 2026: Maria Martinez, Gannon
WWPA Defensive Player of the Week
Kristen Hemmila earned her first WWPA Defensive Player of the Week honor following a three-game sweep at the Salem Invitational. The goalkeeper from Ohio allowed just five goals in eight quarters of play while stopping 17 shots. She added three steals, an assist and even scored in the win against Gannon. Hemmila posted a 2.5 goals-against average. Her .577 save percentage is the highest in the conference.
Nominees: Izabella Trunzo, Gannon; Kristen Hemmila, Salem; Fernanda Luna, Biola; Delaney Judkins, McKendree; Mackenzie Royal, UC Merced
Jan. 12-18, 2026: Marissa White, Cal State Monterey Bay
Jan. 19-25, 2026: Marissa White, Cal State Monterey Bay
Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2026: No nominees
Feb. 2-8, 2026: Dakota Lambert, Fresno Pacific
Feb. 9-15, 2026: Tiffani Hunter, Concordia
Feb. 16-22, 2026: Fernanda Luna, Biola
Feb. 23-Mar. 1, 2026: Jaden Soto, Concordia
Mar. 2-8, 2026: Jaden Soto, Concordia
Mar. 9-15, 2026: Delaney Judkins, McKendree
Mar. 16-22, 2026: Fernanda Luna, Biola
Mar. 23-29, 2026: Kristen Hemmila, Salem
2026 WWPA Preseason Poll
1. McKendree 39 (4)
2. Concordia 36 (3)
3. Biola 33
4. Cal State Monterey Bay 19
5. Fresno Pacific 16
6. Salem 14
7. Gannon 11
*UC Merced
*UC Merced will play a WWPA conference regular season schedule, but is ineligible for WWPA/NCAA postseason official competition due to NCAA Division II transition.