SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 28, 2023) — Seven different Gauchos found the back of the net, and Madison Walker made 15 saves, but the No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara women's water polo team fell in the quarterfinals of The 2023 Big West Championship, 10-7, to No. 3 seed Long Beach State. The Gauchos end the 2023 season with a record of 18-11, seven more wins than their 2022 campaign.

No. 6 Seed UCSB 7, No. 3 Seed Long Beach State 10
Goalscorers: Caitlyn Snyder, Nina Munson, Drew Halvorson, Sarah Owens, Imani Clemons, Cami Mras, Annie Kuester

Hosting The Big West Championship for the first time since 2016, UC Santa Barbara came out strong, with Madison Walker shutting out Long Beach State's offense through the first quarter. The Gauchos scored the first three goals of the match, with Sarah Owens and Cami Mras giving UCSB a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period. Drew Halvorson made it 3-0 to start the second quarter, but the Beach got two back before the halftime buzzer. Long Beach scored the first two goals of the second half, but Imani Clemons and Nina Munson got those goals back before the end of the third quarter. It was only in the fourth quarter that the Beach was able to hold the momentum, scoring four in a row, holding a three-goal lead before UCSB found the back of the net. Caitlyn Snyder scored with four minutes left to provide a late spark, and Annie Kuester really gave the Gauchos some hope by scoring with just under two to go, but it was not to be.