San Diego State water polo wrapped up a two-day invitational at Titan Aquatic Center on Saturday.

Cal State Fullerton and No. 6 Long Beach State were the two other NCAA Division I opponents at the invitational. Biola and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps are Division II and Division III programs, respectively, that round out the Aztecs’ Orange County slate.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 9, No. 21 San Diego State 15

Friday morning, the Aztecs had a slow start against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS).

“That first quarter is exactly what we thought. The team, though, did a really good job of locking in and understanding what we needed to do to pull away,” SDSU head coach Dana Ochsner said postgame.

Senior attacker Sydney Gish led the team in points with eight against CMS, netting three and dishing out five assists.

Junior center Mimi Stoupas, 2025 goals leader (73), began the new year netting four goals in her first game of 2026.

In her debut, freshman attacker Ionna Petiki netted two goals in the second half.

“I am feeling very good. I think it was a good game, a good start for the season. I think we played as a team and we improved over the game,” said Petiki.

In a matter of hours, Petiki and the Aztecs would face a drastic change in opponent level. A top-ten program in the country, Long Beach State, awaited SDSU.

“We support each other, we treat every opponent the same. Division I, Division III, it doesn’t matter, we give it our best,” said Petiki.

No. 6 Long Beach State 23, No. 21 San Diego State 16

While this year’s match against Long Beach also did not end in the Aztecs’ favor, it was significantly more competitive than last year’s 20-11 defeat.

“I think the fact that we held strong for those two and a half quarters and showed that we can go toe-to-toe with [Long Beach] makes me excited for the rest of the season,” coach Ochsner said postgame.

Senior attacker Shannon Murphy, along with Stoupas and 2025 points leader (110) and attacker Claudia Valdes, led the way offensively. They combined for 17 points.

Valdes led the contest with nine points, six as an assist. The Spaniard ended day one of the invitational as the Aztecs’ leading scorer with 14 points.

“In my four years [at SDSU] I’ve learned that it’s not all about goals. Finding your teammates and getting them to score is just as important, if not more than, scoring yourself,” Valdes said on her assist tally.

Kayla Pranajaya, a freshman goalie, made her debut in the second half, taking the place of senior Mandy Langerlof.

A dime of a pass by Pranajaya found Gish, who drew a penalty that Valdes put away, tying the game at 13.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that you can set up a teammate for them to do something. Just as great a feeling as blocking, knowing that you can set them up is awesome,” Pranajaya said.

After catching up, it was all Long Beach from then on out.

Five unanswered goals carried Long Beach 18-13 into the final quarter.

“It is one of those ones when you look at the end score, it’s a little bit of a frustration, you don’t want to give any team that many goals against you, no matter how many you scored on the other side,” Ochsner said of the defeat.

Biola 8, No. 21 San Diego State 17

The Aztecs opened against Biola on Saturday afternoon.

Paranjaya, making her first start, took advantage of an Eagles shot that hit the bar. A one-pass counter by Paranjaya found Petiki burying it to open the scoring.

As the Aztecs began the game by scoring four unanswered points, last year’s points leaders led the way, each putting up five points. Stoupas had five goals, with Valdes providing four and an assist.

Four goals is how SDSU responded to Biola’s three in the third. One of those was a backhand goal by sophomore attacker Julianne Stark.

Another was scored by freshman attacker and transfer, Poppy Phillips. It was her first career goal as she spent 2025 redshirting with Long Beach.

Her goal came after failing to convert a penalty she drew.

“I feel like you just have to be ‘like a goldfish’ mentality. Just forget it and have to move on. After you shot the [blocked] penalty, you got to forget that and move on to the next thing,” Phillips said.

SDSU’s powerplay attack was noticeably more lethal as they went 6-9 (.600). On day one, the Aztecs went a combined 5-14 (.357).

“It’s [powerplay]. Something we [coaches] emphasized yesterday a lot,” Ochsner said. “Finding your teammates quickly and seeing what we can do instead of overpassing.”

The Aztecs would go on to cruise to a nine-point win for their second win of the season.

Cal State Fullerton 8, No. 21 San Diego State 19

The final match took place under lights against the hosts of the invitational, the CSU Fullerton Titans.

Starting goalie Lagerlof racked up the save count in her half of action, saving six of the 12 shots she faced.

Stoupas could not be stopped, scoring four before halftime and sweeping the invitational with a hat trick in each game. The six-foot Aussie scored six against CSUF.

“We put a lot of work in the fall, it was one of the best falls I think we’ve had as a team collectively,” Stoupas said.

Gish backed up Stoupas in the finale with two goals and three assists.

“I wouldn’t be getting the goals if it wasn’t for the passes coming to me. Mimi and Claudia being leading goal scorers and myself being behind both of them, it just shows that all of us are working well together,” said Gish.

Ochsner unloaded the bench late in the fourth as the Aztecs cruised to their third win of the season, securing a 19-8 victory.

Three wins and a loss is how things rounded out in Fullerton, beginning the new year for SDSU.

“I am not here to play around this year. I want to come away with something that we haven’t done in a few years,” Stoupas said. “A championship.”

No. 2 Southern California (USC) is next on the calendar for the 2026 home opener at the Aztec Aquaplex on Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.