VILLANOVA, Pa. – No. 8 women's water polo picked up another two wins on Sunday after defeating California Baptist 15-9 and the host Wildcats 18-8 to sweep the invite.

The 9-0 start is the second-best start in program history and is just one win away from tying the 10-game streak that the 2019 team set to start the season.

It took a full team effort in the morning game for the Crimson, as Harvard only led by two after both the first and second quarters. Up 3-1 after the first and 7-5 after the second, the Crimson doubled the gap coming out of the half to make it 12-8 before sealing the deal with a three-goal quarter in the fourth. Maya O'Dea and Niki Piovan led the way offensively with a combined seven goals.

A second-quarter explosion helped the Crimson pull away from the Wildcats after Harvard found the back of the net eight times. Leading 2-1 after the first quarter, the Crimson netted eight goals thanks to nine different Crimson.

In the late game, Harvard continued its strong play to secure its second win of the day and complete the sweep of the invite.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS

HARVARD 15, CBU 9

• Heidi Heffelfinger scored once and added two helpers.
• Sofia Wang, Ella Schneider, Sofia Del Villar, Emma Glibert, and Lucy Levenberg-Penklis all added a goal each.
• Del Villar, O'Dea, and Gilbert also added three assists each.
• O'Dea finished the game with seven points.
• Petra Klemm scored twice.
• Orli Cooper made nine saves.

HARVARD 18, VILLANOVA 8

• Lucy Berkman, Heidi Heffelfinger, Sofia Wang, Lily Britt, and Lucy Levenberg-Penklis all scored once. 
• Heffelfinger would also add three helpers. 
• Petra Klemm and Emma Gilbert added hat-tricks. 
• Niki Piovan added four goals in the win. 
• Orli Cooper made 16 saves, including seven in the third quarter. 
• Sutchie Ofori-Nyako played the fourth and added one goal.