Saturday, March 11
Stanford, CA
1:00 PM
UCLA
at
Stanford
The Bruins return to MPSF play this week at league foes Stanford and San Jose State.
Photo by: Minette Rubin
No. 4 UCLA Visits No. 1 Stanford, No. 20 San Jose State
March 09, 2023 | Women's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES – No. 4 UCLA (12-3, 1-0 MPSF) continues a 71-day road trip this week when it travels to Stanford, Calif., to resume play in the MPSF. The Bruins begin the weekend at No. 1 Stanford (13-0, 1-0 MPSF) on Saturday, Mar. 11 at 1:00 p.m. PT. Then UCLA will travel to face No. 20 San Jose State (12-11, 0-0 MPSF) on Sunday, Mar. 12 at 1:00 p.m. PT. The Cardinal will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform and a live stream (links below).
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Mar. 11 (MPSF Game – Avery Aquatic Center)
1:00 PM PT – No. 4 UCLA at No. 1 Stanford | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Sunday, Mar. 12 (MPSF Game – SRAC Pool)
1:00 PM PT – No. 4 UCLA at No. 20 San Jose State
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 95th meeting between UCLA and Stanford with the Cardinal leading the series 57-37. This is the first meeting between the two teams in 2023. Last year, Stanford was 4-0 against the Bruins.
This is the 43rd meeting between UCLA and San Jose State with the Bruins leading the series 42-0. Last year the Bruins won the only meeting, 19-6, at home on Feb. 4, 2022.
LAST WEEK IN BRUIN WATER POLO
The Bruins had last week off. UCLA finished fourth at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at UC Irvine on Feb. 24-26, the Bruins' last dates of competition. UCLA opened the tournament with a 19-5 win over No. 22 San Diego State and a 14-4 victory over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara before falling to No. 2 USC, 13-10, in the semifinals. The Bruins lost the third-place game to No. 4 California, 9-7.
PEARSON NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Feb. 7 that freshman utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Pearson tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 goals in four games of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 3-5). She opened with two goals and one steal in the win over No. 24 CSUN. Pearson added five goals on five shots and drew two exclusions with one steal in a win at No. 18 UC San Diego. She followed with a game-high-tying four goals, three exclusions and two steals in the win over No. 5 Hawai'i. She scored one goal, drew two exclusions and had two steals in the final vs. No. 2 USC. This is the first career MPSF honor for Pearson.
GESS NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Jan. 31 that freshman Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Gess tallied a season-high five points with the first hat trick of her collegiate career in the Bruins' only countable game at the California Cup, a 21-7 win over No. 11 UC Davis (Jan. 28). She scored her three goals on just three shots and also contributed two assists and two steals in the win over the Aggies. This is the first career MPSF honor for Gess.
SMITH NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Jan. 24 that freshman Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Smith accumulated seven goals, four assists, a team-high 11 steals, and drew two exclusions (one penalty) in her collegiate debut week as the Bruins defeated five ranked opponents (Jan. 20-22). Smith's debut week included tying for the scoring lead with four goals against No. 21 San Diego State, along with four steals, one assist, and one drawn exclusion in the win against the Aztecs. She also shared the team lead in scoring in the win over No. 15 Wagner with two goals. This is the first career MPSF weekly award for Smith.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
First Team All-American and UCLA's all-time leading scorer, attacker Maddie Musselman, is gone. But the Bruins return six All-Americans from the 2022 squad that reached the NCAA Semifinals and went 24-6 (.800) overall. Graduate center Ava Johnson 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, 14 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-MPSF SELECTIONS
Ava Johnson 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. Goalkeeper Georgia Phillips was named Second-Team All-MPSF for the second time in her career (2020). Utility Abbi Hill garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF accolades after being named First-Team in 2020. Two Bruin freshmen were on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team, which included Emma Lineback and Molly Renner.
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 be 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).
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) 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 117-31 (.791) and an MPSF mark of 21-10 (.677). Last season he won his 100th game at the helm of the women's program with a 9-8 victory at No. 4 California (Mar. 5, 2022). On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright would guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
WRIGHT SIGNS NEW SIX-YEAR CONTRACT
UCLA signed men's and women's water polo head coach Adam Wright 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).
RECAPPING 2022
Overall Record: 24-6 (.800) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) | Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 24-6 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2022 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 Musselman 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 THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins held steady at No. 4 in Week Eight of the 2023 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (88 points), released on Mar. 8.
LOS ANGELES – No. 4 UCLA (12-3, 1-0 MPSF) continues a 71-day road trip this week when it travels to Stanford, Calif., to resume play in the MPSF. The Bruins begin the weekend at No. 1 Stanford (13-0, 1-0 MPSF) on Saturday, Mar. 11 at 1:00 p.m. PT. Then UCLA will travel to face No. 20 San Jose State (12-11, 0-0 MPSF) on Sunday, Mar. 12 at 1:00 p.m. PT. The Cardinal will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform and a live stream (links below).
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Mar. 11 (MPSF Game – Avery Aquatic Center)
1:00 PM PT – No. 4 UCLA at No. 1 Stanford | WATCH | LIVE STATS
Sunday, Mar. 12 (MPSF Game – SRAC Pool)
1:00 PM PT – No. 4 UCLA at No. 20 San Jose State
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 95th meeting between UCLA and Stanford with the Cardinal leading the series 57-37. This is the first meeting between the two teams in 2023. Last year, Stanford was 4-0 against the Bruins.
This is the 43rd meeting between UCLA and San Jose State with the Bruins leading the series 42-0. Last year the Bruins won the only meeting, 19-6, at home on Feb. 4, 2022.
LAST WEEK IN BRUIN WATER POLO
The Bruins had last week off. UCLA finished fourth at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at UC Irvine on Feb. 24-26, the Bruins' last dates of competition. UCLA opened the tournament with a 19-5 win over No. 22 San Diego State and a 14-4 victory over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara before falling to No. 2 USC, 13-10, in the semifinals. The Bruins lost the third-place game to No. 4 California, 9-7.
PEARSON NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Feb. 7 that freshman utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Pearson tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 goals in four games of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 3-5). She opened with two goals and one steal in the win over No. 24 CSUN. Pearson added five goals on five shots and drew two exclusions with one steal in a win at No. 18 UC San Diego. She followed with a game-high-tying four goals, three exclusions and two steals in the win over No. 5 Hawai'i. She scored one goal, drew two exclusions and had two steals in the final vs. No. 2 USC. This is the first career MPSF honor for Pearson.
GESS NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Jan. 31 that freshman Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Gess tallied a season-high five points with the first hat trick of her collegiate career in the Bruins' only countable game at the California Cup, a 21-7 win over No. 11 UC Davis (Jan. 28). She scored her three goals on just three shots and also contributed two assists and two steals in the win over the Aggies. This is the first career MPSF honor for Gess.
SMITH NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Jan. 24 that freshman Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Smith accumulated seven goals, four assists, a team-high 11 steals, and drew two exclusions (one penalty) in her collegiate debut week as the Bruins defeated five ranked opponents (Jan. 20-22). Smith's debut week included tying for the scoring lead with four goals against No. 21 San Diego State, along with four steals, one assist, and one drawn exclusion in the win against the Aztecs. She also shared the team lead in scoring in the win over No. 15 Wagner with two goals. This is the first career MPSF weekly award for Smith.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
First Team All-American and UCLA's all-time leading scorer, attacker Maddie Musselman, is gone. But the Bruins return six All-Americans from the 2022 squad that reached the NCAA Semifinals and went 24-6 (.800) overall. Graduate center Ava Johnson 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, 14 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-MPSF SELECTIONS
Ava Johnson 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. Goalkeeper Georgia Phillips was named Second-Team All-MPSF for the second time in her career (2020). Utility Abbi Hill garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF accolades after being named First-Team in 2020. Two Bruin freshmen were on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team, which included Emma Lineback and Molly Renner.
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 be 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).
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) 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 117-31 (.791) and an MPSF mark of 21-10 (.677). Last season he won his 100th game at the helm of the women's program with a 9-8 victory at No. 4 California (Mar. 5, 2022). On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright would guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
WRIGHT SIGNS NEW SIX-YEAR CONTRACT
UCLA signed men's and women's water polo head coach Adam Wright 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).
RECAPPING 2022
Overall Record: 24-6 (.800) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) | Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 24-6 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2022 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 Musselman 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 THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins held steady at No. 4 in Week Eight of the 2023 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (88 points), released on Mar. 8.
| 2023 Women's Varsity Top 25 (Week 8/March 8) | |||
| Rank | Team | Week 7 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Stanford | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | USC | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | California | 3 | 92 |
| 4 | UCLA | 4 | 88 |
| 5 | Hawai'i | 5 | 84 |
| 6 | UC Irvine | 6 | 80 |
| 7 | Long Beach State | 7 | 76 |
| 8 | Fresno State | 8 | 71 |
| 9 | Arizona State | 9 | 67 |
| 10 | UC Santa Barbara | 10 | 63 |
| 11 | UC Davis | 11 | 58 |
| 12 | Michigan | 12 | 54 |
| 13 | Princeton | 13 | 52 |
| 14 | Pacific | 15 | 48 |
| 15 | UC San Diego | 16 | 40 |
| 16 (T) | Harvard | 19 | 38 |
| 16 (T) | Wagner | 14 | 38 |
| 18 | Loyola Marymount | 17 | 34 |
| 19 | Indiana | 18 | 32 |
| 20 | San Jose State | 20 (T) | 26 |
| 21 | Brown | 20 (T) | 17 |
| 22 | San Diego State | 23 | 13 |
| 23 (T) | Pomona-Pitzer | 24 (T) | 12 |
| 23 (T) | CSUN | 24 (T) | 12 |
| 25 | Long Island | 22 | 5 |
| RV | Marist | RV | 4 |
| RV | Cal State East Bay | NR | 1 |
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
UTL
/ 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 Polo
ATK
/ 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