UCLA
Pacific
No. 4 UCLA Set for NCAA Championships
May 09, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
ON DECK THIS WEEK
The UCLA women's water polo team makes its 23rd national tournament appearance (17th NCAA) this week when it heads across town for the 2018 National Collegiate Water Polo Championships. The Bruins (22-7, 2-3) are set for a Friday start versus Pacific (18-7, 7-0) in the day's second quarterfinal. First sprint is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center. A potential semifinal game would occur Saturday at 3 p.m. versus the winner of No. 1 USC and Wagner. The championship game will be played Sunday at 3 p.m. Greg Mescall will be on the call as NCAA.com provides live streaming coverage of the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds. For information regarding tickets, parking and more, visit the NCAA Tournament Central page.
Total Appearances: 23rd
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 17th
Overall Won-Lost Record: 59-12
Shutouts in Tournament Games: 2
Record in Championship Games: 11-4
Total National Championships: 11
NCAA Championships: 7
2nd Place Finishes: 4
3rd Place Finishes: 5
Most Consecutive Titles Won: 5
UCLA's All-Time Titles: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA has already met Pacific twice this season, recording a pair of wins to improve their all-time record versus the Tigers to 22-0. The teams squared off on the final day of play at the Michigan Invitational i(Jan. 28), when the Bruins handed their Northern California counterparts a 10-4 loss. Maddie Musselman netted a hat trick, while Alexis Angermund and Lizette Rozeboom each posted a two-goal game. The Bruins also paid a visit to the Chris Kjeldsen Aquatics Complex in Stockton, Calif., where they held off the Tigers to the tune of a 12-8 score (March 11). Rozeboom led the way with a hat trick. Carlee Kapana starred in both contests, tallying 11 and a career-best 18 saves, respectively.
MPSF TOURNAMENT IN REVIEW
The Bruins went 1-2 in three games at the MPSF Championships in Berkeley, Calif. It was a rousing start to the weekend for the No. 4 seed, which handed fifth-seeded Arizona State its largest loss of the season, 14-4. The Sun Devils previously had not lost a game by more than six goals. UCLA pushed USC to its limits in the following day's semifinal game, which the Bruins ultimately dropped to the top seed by a 13-10 score.The Bruins concluded their time in the tournament with an 8-3 loss to host and No. 2 seed California. Musselman was selected to the 2018 MPSF/KAP7 All-Tournament Team after totaling seven goals, three assists and seven earned exclusions in the three contests. Bronte Halligan scored a team-high eight goals, including a career-best four versus USC.
HITTING TRIPLE DIGITS
Devin Grab, Maddie Musselman and Lizette Rozeboom have all joined the program's 100-goal club this season. Grab and Rozeboom became the newest members with their multi-goal efforts in the Bruins' doubleheader sweep March 24. Grab hit the century mark with her hat trick against Long Beach State, while Rozeboom joined her with a three-goal performance versus Hartwick. Musselman reached the milestone on Feb. 25, becoming the fastest Bruin to triple digits, doing it in her 44th game. The sophomore previously set the UCLA freshman record for goals scored with 69.
NEXT WOMAN UP
Just under one third (89) of UCLA's 277 goals have come from either newcomers or players who participated in five or fewer games in 2017. Freshman Lexi Liebowitz leads those players with 20. Sophomore Emily Skelly, meanwhile, has 16. Brooke Maxson (11), Kelsey Blacker (10), Louise Hazell (eight), Sarah Sheldon (seven), Myna Simmons (seven), Roxy Wheaton (six), Haley Evans (two) and Allison Wieseler (two) round out that group. The seven returners (Skelly, Maxson, Blacker, Hazell, Sheldon, Evans and Wieseler) on that list combined for just five goals in 2017. UCLA lost seven seniors--including four starters--from its NCAA runner-up 2017 squad.
I'D LIKE TO THANK...
Freshman Lexi Liebowitz earned the first weekly award of her career when she was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week for April 10. Without scoring a goal, Liebowitz played a big role in the Bruins' rally and near upset of Stanford April 7. The freshman assisted on two goals during a 4-0 scoring run over 8:09 of gameplay and won the second-half-opening sprint to keep UCLA's momentum rolling. Liebowitz added one earned exclusion and one field block during the third stanza that saw the Bruins temporarily pull even. The award marked the second weekly award of the season for a Bruin. For her efforts in the UCLA's win over UCI, Musselman was named MPSF Player of the Week for Week 6. The sohomore, who earned a conference-record seven Newcomer of the Week awards during her debut campaign, scored three times in the Bruins' 8-7 double-overtime win. Her final scoring strike represented the game winner. She also tallied five earned exclusions, three sprints won and two steals.
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 game winner with 10 seconds remaining in the Bruins' 7-6 win over Arizona State in the semifinal round of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 11).
THE WRIGHT WAY
Adam Wright, who has coached the UCLA men's water polo team to three NCAA Championships (2014, 2015, 2017), took over head coach of both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams on July 20, 2017. Wright has an overall record of 227-37 (.860) and an MPSF mark of 51-12 (.810) on the men's side. 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.
