Friday, January 20
Los Angeles, CA
12:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Indiana
These four Bruins (from left), Ava Johnson, Val Ayala, Katrina Drake, and Georgia Phillips are back for a fifth season at UCLA in 2023.
Photo by: Don Liebig, UCLA Photography
No. 3 UCLA Hosts No. 14 Indiana to Open 2023 Season
January 19, 2023 | Women's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 3 UCLA (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) opens the 2023 campaign and the MPSFย season when No. 14 Indiana (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) visits Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center on Friday, Jan. 20 at Noon (12:00 p.m.). The Bruins will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform but no live stream is available. After the Bruins and the Hoosiers square off, UCLA will head to UC Santa Barbara for the UCSB Winter Invite. There the Bruins will face No. 21 San Diego State on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and finish day one with No. 15 Wagner at 3:45 p.m. The Bruins will open Sunday with No. 11 UC San Diego at 10:30 a.m. and conclude the tournament with No. 19 UC Santa Barbara at 4:00 p.m. The Gauchos will provide live stats on The FOSH for only games they are playing. No live stream will be available for any games this weekend. You can find parking information, ticket links, a digital program, rosters and schedules for all teams as well as box scores at their Tournament Central page by clickingย here.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Jan. 20 (Season/Home/MPSF Openerย โย Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
12:00 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 14 Indianaย |ย LIVE STATS
Saturday, Jan. 21 (UCSB Winter Inviteย โย UCSB Campus Pool)
9:30ย AM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 21 San Diego State
3:45 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 15 Wagner
Sunday, Jan. 22 (UCSB Winter Inviteย โย UCSB Campus Pool)
10:30ย AM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 11 UC San Diego
4:00 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย at No. 19 UC Santa Barbaraย |ย LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 19th meeting between UCLA and Indianaย with the Bruins leading the series 18-0. The Bruins defeated the Hoosiers twice last year, winning 12-6 on Jan. 29 at the Michigan Invitational which also counted as the MPSF opener for both teams. UCLA also defeated Indiana 16-6 in the first round of the 2022 MPSF Championship on Apr. 22 at USC.
This is the 46th meeting between UCLA and San Diego State with the Bruins leading the series 41-4. UCLA won the last meeting 22-5 on Mar. 30, 2017 at the Hawai'i Invitational.
This is the sixth meeting between UCLA and Wagner with the Bruins leading the series 5-0. The Bruins defeated the Seahawks 15-8 in last year's season-opener at the UCSB Winter Invite on Jan. 21, 2022.
This is the 38th meeting between UCLA and UC San Diego with the Bruins leading the series 34-3. UCLA defeated UCSD three times last year, including an 11-6 win at the UCSB Winter Invite (Jan. 23), a 13-6 win at the Triton Invitational (Feb. 12), and a 15-7 win at the Barbara Kalbusย Invitational at UC Irvine on Feb. 25.
This is the 46th meeting between UCLA and UC Santa Barbara with the Bruinsย leading the series 43-2. UCLA defeated UCSB 21-8 last year at the UCSB Winter Invite on Jan. 23.
UCLA IN SEASON OPENERS
UCLA has won 23 consecutive season-opening games. The Bruins' last loss to open a season was a 4-3 setback at Stanford on Feb. 6, 1999. That contest was also the last time and only other time (other than tomorrow against IU) that UCLA opened the year with a league game. Overall, the Bruins are 26-2 all-time in season openers. UCLA's only other loss to open a season was the very first game in program history when Golden West College defeated UCLA, 14-1, on Feb. 3, 1995 at the Women's Winter Nationals.
UCLA IN MPSF OPENERS
UCLA is 23-4 in MPSF openers dating back to the 1996 season and has won the last four league-opening games. The Bruins' last loss to open league play was a 5-3 setback at California on Mar. 10, 2018.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
First Team All-Americanย and UCLA's all-time leading scorer, attacker Maddie Musselman,ย is gone. But the Bruins return six All-Americans from the 2022 squad that reached the NCAA Semifinals and went 24-6 (.800) overall. Graduateย center Ava Johnsonย was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The remaining five Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades, which included graduate attacker Val Ayala, graduate utility Katrina Drake, senior utility Abbi Hill, redshirt senior goalkeeper Georgia Phillips, and sophomore attacker Molly Renner.
Johnson was seventh on the team in scoring with 38 points (30 goals, eight assists). The 30 goals ranked sixth on the team. She led the squad in exclusions drawn with a career-best 96 on the year. She tied for sixth on the team in field blocks (15). Johnson is a three-time All-American after earning First-Team honors in 2021 and being named Honorable Mention in 2020.
Ayala was third on the team in scoring with 57 points (34 goals, 23 assists). Her 34 goals ranked fourth on the squad while the 23 assists ranked tied for fourth. She ranked fifth on the team in steals with 15. She became the eighth player in UCLA history to become a four-time All-American after earning Third-Team honors in 2021, Second-Team acclaim in 2020 and Honorable Mention honors as a freshman.
Drake finished fourth on the team in scoring with 47 points (35 goals, 12 assists). The 35 goals ranked third on the squad while the 12 assists ranked seventh. She also was third on the team in exclusions drawn with 28 on the year. This was the second time she had earned All-America honors in her career (Honorable Mention in 2020).
Hill tied for ninth on the team in scoring with 32 points (22 goals, 10 assists). The 22 goals ranked tied for eighth on the team. She also finished fourth on the squad in exclusions drawn (24). This was her third straight All-America honor after being named Honorable Mention in 2021 and to the First Team as a freshman.
Phillips led the MPSF in save percentage (.604) and total saves (285). She also ranked third in the MPSF in goals against average at 7.35. This was the second All-America honor of her career after also being named Honorable Mention in 2020.
Renner tied for fifth on the team with 45 points (31 goals, 14ย assists). The 31 goals ranked fifth on the squad while the 14 assists ranked sixth. Her 17 steals also tied for third-highest on the team last season when she was a true freshman.
RETURNING ALL-MPSFย SELECTIONS
Ava Johnsonย earned All-MPSF honors for the second time in her career. She was named a Second-Team All-MPSF performer after earning First-Team honors in 2021. Goalkeeperย Georgia Phillipsย was named Second-Team All-MPSFย for the second time in her career (2020).ย Utilityย Abbi Hillย garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF accolades after being named First-Team in 2020.ย Two Bruin freshmen wereย on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team, which includedย Emma Linebackย andย Molly Renner.
WRIGHT SIGNS NEW SIX-YEAR CONTRACT
UCLA signed men's and women's water polo head coachย Adam Wrightย to a new six-year contract that started in July of 2022 (announced on March 22, 2022). Wright was named the head coach of the UCLA Men's Water Polo team in 2009 and became the Bruins' Women's Water Polo head coach in 2017.
Wright just concluded his 14th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2022 with an overall record of 318-63 (.835) and an MPSF mark of 61-24 (.718). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014, 2015 and 2016, all while winning NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He won his fourth NCAA Championship with the men's team in 2021 (for the 2020 season).
TENDING GOAL
The Bruins have four goalkeepers on the 2023 roster that will be vying for playing time but only two of them saw action last season. Leading the charge will beย redshirt senior Georgia Phillips who played in 29 games (starting 28) while going 23-5 on the year. Junior Sydney Chiang played in 10 games (starting twice) while going 1-1 on the year. Looking to make an impact this season will be true freshman Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) and sophomore transfer MJ Bailey (Long Beach, Calif./Pine View School (Sarasota, Fla.)/Iona College).
ย
ALMOST ALL-CALIFORNIA RAISED
The streak of having only California players on the roster ends at three years as the Bruins welcomed in Aussie Sienna Green for the 2023 season. The native of Mosman, Australia, played club ball for Sydney University and made her debut with the Australian National Team (the Stingers)ย against Canada in March of 2022. Iona transfer MJ Bailey also played her entire prep career at Venice High School in Sarasota, Fla., before relocating to Long Beach, Calif., with her family in 2022.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his sixth season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2023 with an overall record of 105-28 (.789) and an MPSF mark of 21-10 (.677). He recently won his 100th game at the helm of the women's program with a 9-8 victory at No. 4 California (Mar. 5, 2022).ย On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย would guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
ย
RECAPPING 2022
Overall Record: 24-6 (.800) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) |ย Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 24-6 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2022ย in head coach Adam Wright's fifth season at the helm of the program. Maddie Musselman, the 2022 MPSF Player of the Year, led the Bruins in nearly every statistical category this past season with team-highs in goals (69, 3rd in MPSF), assists (39, 8th in MPSF), total points (108, 3rd in MPSF), steals (46, led MPSF), field blocks (17, 3rd in MPSF), and sprints won (.984, 60-1), which led the MPSF and the nation. Musselman became the school's all-time leading scorer in 2022, finishing her collegiate career with 251 goals. She also became just the second Bruin in UCLA Women's Water Polo history to earn First-Team All-America honors four times (2017-19, 2022), joining Rachel Fattal (2013-15, 2017) in that exclusive club. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games MVP also scored a personal-best six goals in a win at No. 6 Michigan during her senior season (Jan. 30, 2022). After the season Musselmanย was awarded a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship and headed to Temple University to continue her education in the College of Science and Technology (CST) Pre-Health Post Baccalaureate Program [Advanced Core in Health Science Program (ACHS)].
UCLA IN THEย CWPA POLL
The Bruins opened the preseason at No. 3 and are still at No. 3 in Week One of theย 2023ย CWPAย National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (92 points), released on Jan. 18.
ย
ย
LOS ANGELES โ No. 3 UCLA (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) opens the 2023 campaign and the MPSFย season when No. 14 Indiana (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) visits Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center on Friday, Jan. 20 at Noon (12:00 p.m.). The Bruins will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform but no live stream is available. After the Bruins and the Hoosiers square off, UCLA will head to UC Santa Barbara for the UCSB Winter Invite. There the Bruins will face No. 21 San Diego State on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and finish day one with No. 15 Wagner at 3:45 p.m. The Bruins will open Sunday with No. 11 UC San Diego at 10:30 a.m. and conclude the tournament with No. 19 UC Santa Barbara at 4:00 p.m. The Gauchos will provide live stats on The FOSH for only games they are playing. No live stream will be available for any games this weekend. You can find parking information, ticket links, a digital program, rosters and schedules for all teams as well as box scores at their Tournament Central page by clickingย here.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Jan. 20 (Season/Home/MPSF Openerย โย Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
12:00 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 14 Indianaย |ย LIVE STATS
Saturday, Jan. 21 (UCSB Winter Inviteย โย UCSB Campus Pool)
9:30ย AM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 21 San Diego State
3:45 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 15 Wagner
Sunday, Jan. 22 (UCSB Winter Inviteย โย UCSB Campus Pool)
10:30ย AM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย vs. No. 11 UC San Diego
4:00 PM PT โ No. 3 UCLAย at No. 19 UC Santa Barbaraย |ย LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 19th meeting between UCLA and Indianaย with the Bruins leading the series 18-0. The Bruins defeated the Hoosiers twice last year, winning 12-6 on Jan. 29 at the Michigan Invitational which also counted as the MPSF opener for both teams. UCLA also defeated Indiana 16-6 in the first round of the 2022 MPSF Championship on Apr. 22 at USC.
This is the 46th meeting between UCLA and San Diego State with the Bruins leading the series 41-4. UCLA won the last meeting 22-5 on Mar. 30, 2017 at the Hawai'i Invitational.
This is the sixth meeting between UCLA and Wagner with the Bruins leading the series 5-0. The Bruins defeated the Seahawks 15-8 in last year's season-opener at the UCSB Winter Invite on Jan. 21, 2022.
This is the 38th meeting between UCLA and UC San Diego with the Bruins leading the series 34-3. UCLA defeated UCSD three times last year, including an 11-6 win at the UCSB Winter Invite (Jan. 23), a 13-6 win at the Triton Invitational (Feb. 12), and a 15-7 win at the Barbara Kalbusย Invitational at UC Irvine on Feb. 25.
This is the 46th meeting between UCLA and UC Santa Barbara with the Bruinsย leading the series 43-2. UCLA defeated UCSB 21-8 last year at the UCSB Winter Invite on Jan. 23.
UCLA IN SEASON OPENERS
UCLA has won 23 consecutive season-opening games. The Bruins' last loss to open a season was a 4-3 setback at Stanford on Feb. 6, 1999. That contest was also the last time and only other time (other than tomorrow against IU) that UCLA opened the year with a league game. Overall, the Bruins are 26-2 all-time in season openers. UCLA's only other loss to open a season was the very first game in program history when Golden West College defeated UCLA, 14-1, on Feb. 3, 1995 at the Women's Winter Nationals.
UCLA IN MPSF OPENERS
UCLA is 23-4 in MPSF openers dating back to the 1996 season and has won the last four league-opening games. The Bruins' last loss to open league play was a 5-3 setback at California on Mar. 10, 2018.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
First Team All-Americanย and UCLA's all-time leading scorer, attacker Maddie Musselman,ย is gone. But the Bruins return six All-Americans from the 2022 squad that reached the NCAA Semifinals and went 24-6 (.800) overall. Graduateย center Ava Johnsonย was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The remaining five Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades, which included graduate attacker Val Ayala, graduate utility Katrina Drake, senior utility Abbi Hill, redshirt senior goalkeeper Georgia Phillips, and sophomore attacker Molly Renner.
Johnson was seventh on the team in scoring with 38 points (30 goals, eight assists). The 30 goals ranked sixth on the team. She led the squad in exclusions drawn with a career-best 96 on the year. She tied for sixth on the team in field blocks (15). Johnson is a three-time All-American after earning First-Team honors in 2021 and being named Honorable Mention in 2020.
Ayala was third on the team in scoring with 57 points (34 goals, 23 assists). Her 34 goals ranked fourth on the squad while the 23 assists ranked tied for fourth. She ranked fifth on the team in steals with 15. She became the eighth player in UCLA history to become a four-time All-American after earning Third-Team honors in 2021, Second-Team acclaim in 2020 and Honorable Mention honors as a freshman.
Drake finished fourth on the team in scoring with 47 points (35 goals, 12 assists). The 35 goals ranked third on the squad while the 12 assists ranked seventh. She also was third on the team in exclusions drawn with 28 on the year. This was the second time she had earned All-America honors in her career (Honorable Mention in 2020).
Hill tied for ninth on the team in scoring with 32 points (22 goals, 10 assists). The 22 goals ranked tied for eighth on the team. She also finished fourth on the squad in exclusions drawn (24). This was her third straight All-America honor after being named Honorable Mention in 2021 and to the First Team as a freshman.
Phillips led the MPSF in save percentage (.604) and total saves (285). She also ranked third in the MPSF in goals against average at 7.35. This was the second All-America honor of her career after also being named Honorable Mention in 2020.
Renner tied for fifth on the team with 45 points (31 goals, 14ย assists). The 31 goals ranked fifth on the squad while the 14 assists ranked sixth. Her 17 steals also tied for third-highest on the team last season when she was a true freshman.
RETURNING ALL-MPSFย SELECTIONS
Ava Johnsonย earned All-MPSF honors for the second time in her career. She was named a Second-Team All-MPSF performer after earning First-Team honors in 2021. Goalkeeperย Georgia Phillipsย was named Second-Team All-MPSFย for the second time in her career (2020).ย Utilityย Abbi Hillย garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF accolades after being named First-Team in 2020.ย Two Bruin freshmen wereย on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team, which includedย Emma Linebackย andย Molly Renner.
WRIGHT SIGNS NEW SIX-YEAR CONTRACT
UCLA signed men's and women's water polo head coachย Adam Wrightย to a new six-year contract that started in July of 2022 (announced on March 22, 2022). Wright was named the head coach of the UCLA Men's Water Polo team in 2009 and became the Bruins' Women's Water Polo head coach in 2017.
Wright just concluded his 14th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2022 with an overall record of 318-63 (.835) and an MPSF mark of 61-24 (.718). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014, 2015 and 2016, all while winning NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He won his fourth NCAA Championship with the men's team in 2021 (for the 2020 season).
TENDING GOAL
The Bruins have four goalkeepers on the 2023 roster that will be vying for playing time but only two of them saw action last season. Leading the charge will beย redshirt senior Georgia Phillips who played in 29 games (starting 28) while going 23-5 on the year. Junior Sydney Chiang played in 10 games (starting twice) while going 1-1 on the year. Looking to make an impact this season will be true freshman Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) and sophomore transfer MJ Bailey (Long Beach, Calif./Pine View School (Sarasota, Fla.)/Iona College).
ย
ALMOST ALL-CALIFORNIA RAISED
The streak of having only California players on the roster ends at three years as the Bruins welcomed in Aussie Sienna Green for the 2023 season. The native of Mosman, Australia, played club ball for Sydney University and made her debut with the Australian National Team (the Stingers)ย against Canada in March of 2022. Iona transfer MJ Bailey also played her entire prep career at Venice High School in Sarasota, Fla., before relocating to Long Beach, Calif., with her family in 2022.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his sixth season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2023 with an overall record of 105-28 (.789) and an MPSF mark of 21-10 (.677). He recently won his 100th game at the helm of the women's program with a 9-8 victory at No. 4 California (Mar. 5, 2022).ย On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย would guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
ย
RECAPPING 2022
Overall Record: 24-6 (.800) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) |ย Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 24-6 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2022ย in head coach Adam Wright's fifth season at the helm of the program. Maddie Musselman, the 2022 MPSF Player of the Year, led the Bruins in nearly every statistical category this past season with team-highs in goals (69, 3rd in MPSF), assists (39, 8th in MPSF), total points (108, 3rd in MPSF), steals (46, led MPSF), field blocks (17, 3rd in MPSF), and sprints won (.984, 60-1), which led the MPSF and the nation. Musselman became the school's all-time leading scorer in 2022, finishing her collegiate career with 251 goals. She also became just the second Bruin in UCLA Women's Water Polo history to earn First-Team All-America honors four times (2017-19, 2022), joining Rachel Fattal (2013-15, 2017) in that exclusive club. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games MVP also scored a personal-best six goals in a win at No. 6 Michigan during her senior season (Jan. 30, 2022). After the season Musselmanย was awarded a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship and headed to Temple University to continue her education in the College of Science and Technology (CST) Pre-Health Post Baccalaureate Program [Advanced Core in Health Science Program (ACHS)].
UCLA IN THEย CWPA POLL
The Bruins opened the preseason at No. 3 and are still at No. 3 in Week One of theย 2023ย CWPAย National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (92 points), released on Jan. 18.
ย
| 2023 Women's Varsity Top 25 (Week 1/January 18) | |||
| Rank | Team | 2023 Preseason Poll | Points |
| ย 1. | ย Stanford | ย 1 | ย 98 |
| ย 2. | ย USC | ย 2 | ย 97 |
| ย 3. | ย UCLA | ย 3 (T) | ย 92 |
| ย 4. | ย California | ย 3 (T) | ย 88 |
| ย 5. | ย UC Irvine | ย 5 | ย 84 |
| ย 6. | ย Hawai'i | ย 6 | ย 80 |
| ย 7. | ย Michigan | ย 7 | ย 76 |
| ย 8. | ย Fresno State | ย 8 | ย 70 |
| ย 9. | ย Long Beach State | ย 9 | ย 66 |
| ย 10. | ย Arizona State | ย 10 | ย 64 |
| ย 11. | ย UC San Diego | ย 11 | ย 60 |
| ย 12. | ย UC Davis | ย 12 | ย 55 |
| ย 13. | ย San Jose State | ย 13 (T) | ย 49 |
| ย 14. | ย Indiana | ย 13 (T) | ย 46 |
| ย 15 (T). | ย Princeton | ย 17 (T) | ย 40 |
| ย 15 (T). | ย Wagner | ย 15 | ย 40 |
| ย 15 (T). | ย Harvard | ย 16 | ย 40 |
| ย 18. | ย Pacific | ย 17 (T) | ย 34 |
| ย 19. | ย UC Santa Barbara | ย 19 | ย 30 |
| ย 20. | ย Long Island | ย 21 | ย 21 |
| ย 21. | ย San Diego State | ย 22 | ย 17 |
| ย 22. | ย CSUN | ย 23 | ย 14 |
| ย 23. | ย Marist | ย 25 | ย 13 |
| ย 24. | ย Loyola Marymount | ย 20 | ย 11 |
| ย 25. | ย Brown | ย 24 | ย 7 |
| ย RV | ย Iona | ย RV | ย 3 |
| ย RV | ย California Baptist University | ย RV | ย 2 |
| ย RV | ย Azusa Pacific | ย RV | ย 1 |
ย
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's Water Polo
UTL
/ Women's Water Polo
UTL
/ Women's Water Polo
CTR
/ Women's Water PoloCTR
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water PoloGK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
ATK
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water PoloNo. 4 UCLA vs. No. 3 Hawai'i Highlights
Monday, April 14
Highlights - UCLA W. Water Polo vs. Princeton (March 13, 2025)
Friday, March 14
UCLA vs. Princeton
Thursday, March 13
No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 15 Indiana
Sunday, March 09