O'FALLON, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings women's water polo team will kick off its third season on Saturday, February 10 when they hit the road to take on the McKendree Bearcats and Carthage Firebirds.

Augustana concluded its second season with a third-place finish at the USA Water Polo DIII National Tournament last May, ending the year with a 17-6 overall record and 7-1 mark in conference play. The team boasted four ACWPC All-Americans last spring, which included Casey Barragan on First Team and Charlotte Newport on Second Team, as well as Annie Opal Dickson and Lizzie Pelzman as Honorable Mention. All four of the All-American recipients return this season. The Vikings also bring back 100 percent of their scoring from a season ago.

On Saturday, Augie will square off with the host McKendree, who currently sit at 0-4 on the young season. The Bearcats were recently defeated a pair of NCAA Division I foes last time out, falling to Villanova by a score of 17-7 and VMI in overtime by a final of 10-9 in overtime. McKendree sported a 17-9 record last season and was 4-1 in its home pool. Saturday will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Vikings and Bearcats, with McKendree winning the previous four. Their most recent matchup came last March in Rock Island, resulting in a 15-7 final score.

Start time is scheduled for noon.

Augie will then close out its day with a clash against the Carthage Firebirds, which will serve as a non-conference contest. Saturday will also be the first action of the new season for the Firebirds, who are coming off a 5-17 season in 2023. Carthage finished the year 2-7 in conference play and were 3-9 in neutral-site games. This weekend will be the seventh meeting between the two conference rivals, with Augustana winning the prior six encounters. In their most recent matchup, the Vikings won by a final of 18-6 last April.

Start time is scheduled for 3 p.m.