UCLA
San Jose State
No. 4 UCLA Home for No. 21 San Jose State
March 16, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
ON DECK THIS WEEK
The No. 4 UCLA women's water polo team hosts No. 21 San Jose State Sunday in the Bruins' first home game since their Jan. 13 season-opening win over Loyola Marymount. It will represent the team's MPSF home opener and the first game of the year at Spieker Aquatics Center, as the opener took place at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center. Play from Spieker will begin at 12:30 p.m., with Pac-12 Networks providing live coverage.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bruins hold a 35-0 all-time record versus the Spartans, including a pair of wins in 2017. The average margin of victory in those games was 20.5 goals. UCLA dispatched SJSU in the Bruins' 2017 season opener, 20-1, as Maddie Musselman scored five goals in her collegiate debut (Jan. 14). The Bruins also defeated the Spartans by a 24-2 score in the teams' conference opener at West Valley College on March 4. Musselman and the graduated Alexa Tielmann led the way with four goals each.
WEEK IN REVIEW
UCLA split two games in Northern California, dropping its MPSF opener at No. 1 California, 5-3 (March 10), before handling No. 8 Pacific, 12-8, a day later. The Bruins' jumped out to a 3-1 first-half lead versus the Golden Bears, but were shut out over the course of the second half while Cal scored three third-quarter goals. The Bruins' bounced back, though, as Lizette Rozeboom (three goals) led five Bruins with multiple-goal games. Goalkeeper Carlee Kapana totaled 32 saves over the two games, including a career-best 18 versus the Tigers Sunday.
MUSSELMAN FASTEST TO 100
With her second conversion versus Cal (Feb. 25), Musselman became the fastest Bruin to 100 career goals. She previously set the UCLA freshman record for goals scored with 69. The Corona del Mar, Calif. native has not missed a beat in her second season, leading the team in goals (35) and assists (21) while trailing just Bronte Halligan in the steals department (30). She has tallied 13 multi-goal games, including five hat tricks. For her efforts in the Bruins' win over UCI, Musselman was named MPSF Player of the Week for Week 6. She earned a conference record seven Newcomer of the Week awards during her freshman campaign, during which she was also named a First-Team ACWPC All-American and the MPSF Newcomer of the Year. Teammates Devin Grab (95 goals) and Lizette Rozeboom (95) are both nearing the 100-goal mark.
CLUTCH PERFORMERS
UCLA is 5-2 in its seven games decided by two or fewer goals and leading scorers Musselman and Rozeboom have come up big in the clutch. Musselman has scored the difference-making goal in four of those wins, while Rozeboom netted the difference maker with 10 seconds remaining in the Bruins' 7-6 win over Arizona State in the semifinal round of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 11). Musselman leads the team with nine goals scored in the fourth quarter or later of games. Skelly has six, while Rozeboom and Sarah Sheldon each have five.
NEW CONTRIBUTORS
Thirty-six percent (71) of UCLA's 195 goals have come from either newcomers or players who participated in five or fewer games in 2017. Freshman Lexi Liebowitz leads those players with 16. Sophomore Skelly, meanwhile, has 13. Brooke Maxson (11), Louise Hazell (eight), Sheldon (seven), Kelsey Blacker (five), Roxy Wheaton (five), Myna Simmons (three), Haley Evans (two) and Allison Wieseler (one) round out that group. The seven sophomores on that list combined for just five goals in 2017.
THE WRIGHT WAY
Adam Wright, who has coached the UCLA men's water polo team to three NCAA Championships (2014, 2015, 2017), will now guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams, Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero announced July 20, 2017. Wright has an overall record of 227-37 (.860) and an MPSF mark of 51-12 (.810). From 2014-16, Wright's Bruins set an NCAA record with 57 consecutive victories and a conference record with 26 consecutive MPSF wins. Prior to becoming head coach of the men's program in 2009, he served as an assistant coach with the men's and women's teams during the 2008-09 school year, helping the women win an unprecedented fifth consecutive NCAA Championship in May 2009.
FAMILIAR FACES
Wright completed his staff on Aug. 31, 2017 with the hiring of Kodi Hill, who joined Dusty Litvak as an assistant coach. A 2017 graduate of UCLA, Hill was an instrumental member of a Bruin class that amassed a record of 105-17 over its four years in the pool. Litvak previously served under Wright in the same role for the men's team during 2013 and 2014 and worked in a volunteer capacity with the women's team each of the past two seasons.
