Women's Water Polo | 4/11/2026 8:22:00 PM

IRVINE, CA– The Gannon women's water polo team continued the 2026 women's water polo tournament in round robin and exhibition play on Saturday. The Golden Knights took down UC Merced, 15-13, in the first exhibition game of the day, before falling to Fresno Pacific University to close the evening. 

GOLDEN KNIGHTS EARN WIN OVER UC MERCED IN EXHIBITION
Gannon pulled out a 15-13 win over UC Merced in a tightly contested matchup in the first exhibition game of the day, using a strong second quarter and efficient shooting (.536) to gain the edge. The Golden Knights were led by a balanced offensive effort and went a perfect 3-for-3 on penalty shots to help secure the victory.

Maria Martinez (Barcelona, Spain/Jesuïtes Gràcia Col·legi Kostka) led the way with a game-high six goals and seven total points, delivering multiple key scores to fuel the offense. Claudia Orte Blanch (Madrid, Spain/IES Profesor Maximo Trueba) and Emma O'Gorman (Johannesburg, South Africa/St Stithians College) each added three goals, while Molly Fehr (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) contributed four points (1G, 3A) in a well-rounded attack.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS FALL TO FPU IN FIRST ROUND ROBIN CONTEST

Gannon jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first quarter but couldn't maintain momentum, falling to Fresno Pacific 10-5. The Sunbirds used a strong second and third quarter stretch to take control, while limiting Gannon to just two goals over the final three periods.

Maria Martinez (Barcelona, Spain/Jesuïtes Gràcia Col·legi Kostka) led the Golden Knights with two goals, while Emma O'Gorman (Johannesburg, South Africa/St Stithians College) and Claudia Orte Blanch (Madrid, Spain/IES Profesor Maximo Trueba) each added a goal for the Golden Knights.

TOMORROW
Gannon will conclude the season with one final round robin contest against McKendree at 1:15 pm.