No. 4 UCLA Hosts No. 6 Fresno State in Home Opener

SOCIAL MEDIA: WWP on Twitter/X | WWP on Facebook | WWP on Instagram

LOS ANGELES – No. 4 UCLA (10-3, 1-0 MPSF) hosts No. 6 Fresno State (7-5, 1-0 GCC) in its home opener on Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. The Bruins will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform and the game will be streamed live on Overnght.com. The Bruins will host their annual alumnae game immediately following the contest with the Bulldogs. Fresno State head coach Natalie (Golda) Benson and her Bruin teammates will be honored at halftime to celebrate their 20th anniversary of the 2005 NCAA Championship.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, March 1 (Non-conference Game – Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center – Los Angeles)
1:00 PM PT – No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 6 Fresno State | LIVE STATS | WATCH
2:30 PM PT – UCLA Alumnae Game

SERIES HISTORY
This is the ninth meeting between UCLA and Fresno State with the Bruins leading the series 8-0. The Bruins won the last meeting, 18-14, earlier this year in Berkeley, Calif., at the Cal Cup on Jan. 26, 2025.

From game recap (2/8/20): No. 3 UCLA (11-1, 1-0 MPSF) scored a season-high 21 goals as the Bruins thrashed Pomona-Pitzer (0-3) on Saturday morning, 21-2, at the UCSD Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Bruins improved to 6-0 all-time against the Sagehens. The Bruins were led by freshman Hannah Palmer, who scored a season-high three goals, as UCLA had 13 players score in the game. Junior Jahmea Bent got the start in goal and played the first half, tallying five saves while allowing one goal. Freshman Quinn Winter played the second half of the game and registered five saves while surrendering one score.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK
UCLA went 2-2 this past week, finishing fourth at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at UC Irvine (Feb. 21-23).

From game recap (2/21): No. 3 UCLA (9-1, 1-0 MPSF) advanced to the quarterfinals of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational with a 14-3 win over Pomona-Pitzer (2-3) at Anteater Aquatics Complex on Friday afternoon. The Bruins improved to 7-0 in the series history. A total of nine different Bruins scored against the Sagehens, paced by a hat trick from junior transfer Bia Mantellato. Redshirt junior Emma Lineback finished with a game-high five total points (two goals and three assists). Junior Taylor Smith and redshirt sophomore Sienna Green (season-high) each scored two goals against Pomona-Pitzer. Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and played the first three quarters, tallying 10 saves, three steals, and an assist while pitching a shutout. Sophomore Joey Niz came on in relief and played the fourth period, registering two saves and one steals while surrendering three goals.
From game recap (2/22): No. 3 UCLA (10-1, 1-0 MPSF) led wire-to-wire in a 16-8 thrashing at No. 6 UC Irvine (4-6, 0-0 Big West) in the quarterfinals of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at Anteater Aquatics Complex on Saturday afternoon. With their 39th consecutive win over the Anteaters, the Bruins improved to 39-0 in the series history. A total of nine different Bruins scored against the Anteaters, paced by a season-high four goals from junior Taylor Smith. She finished with a game-high five total points, adding one assist against UC Irvine. Junior Anna Pearson contributed a hat trick and junior transfer Bia Mantellato and junior Lily Gess tied her season high with two goals against the Anteaters. Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering a season-high-tying 14 saves (also against UC Irvine on Feb. 1) to go with two steals and an assist while allowing eight goals.
From game recap (2/22): No. 3 UCLA (10-2, 1-0 MPSF) couldn't get its offense going and suffered its worst lost in the series history to No. 1 Stanford (10-0), 14-4, in the semifinals of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at Anteater Aquatics Complex on Saturday evening. The Bruins fell to 40-61 all-time in the series history. Only three Bruins scored against the Cardinal, paced by a season-high-tying two goals from senior Molly Renner. Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and played the first three quarters, registering four saves and one steal while surrendering 14 goals. Sophomore Joey Niz came on in relief in the fourth quarter and pitched a shutout while picking up two saves and two steals.
From game recap (2/23): No. 3 UCLA (10-3, 1-0 MPSF) couldn't get its offense going for the second straight game and saw its 21-game winning streak over No. 5 Hawai'i (10-3) get snapped, 8-5, in the third-place game of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational on Sunday afternoon at Anteater Aquatics Complex. With the loss, the Bruins fell to 58-4 all-time in the series. Only five Bruins scored against the Rainbow Wahine and each of them scored one goal. Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering 12 saves, scoring one goal, and tallying one steal while surrendering eight goals.

UCLA ADDS TEAM USA TO 2025 SCHEDULE
The UCLA Bruins have announced they will host Team USA in an exhibition match with the Senior Women's National Team on Saturday, March 22. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. (PT) at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center.

PEARSON NAMED MPSF/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK, AGAIN
Junior utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Feb. 18). Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) was at her best when it was needed, leading UCLA to a 16-15 come-from-behind win at No. 6 UC Irvine with a team-high-tying and season-high-tying four goals (on five shots). She added an assist to score five total points and also registered a career-high nine drawn exclusions to go with one steal and one field block. She had a hand in three of the Bruins' four goals in the fourth quarter. Pearson drew a penalty (her second of the game) that UCLA converted to tie the match at 13-13 at the 7:44 mark of the fourth period. Then she drew an exclusion and scored on the ensuing power play (2:58) to tie the game at 14-14. On the next possession, she recorded a field block and turned it into her fourth goal of the contest on a counter attack to give UCLA its first lead of the game at 15-14 with 2:35 to go. She recorded a steal on the next possession (2:08) to provide a defensive stop. UCLA called timeout and she drew her third exclusion of the fourth (1:42), but the Anteaters got a stop on the power play. UCLA would add an insurance goal to go up 16-14 with 0:38 seconds remaining. UC Irvine scored with seven seconds left to provide the 16-15 final. This is Pearson's fifth career MPSF award and the third time she has been named Player of the Week (Jan. 30, 2024, Jan. 18, 2025), and the second time this season.

PEARSON NAMED MPSF/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Jan. 28). UCLA went 3-0 this past week at the California Cup with a 17-8 win over No. 15 UC Davis and a 12-7 win over No. 8 Long Beach State on Saturday (Jan. 25) and an 18-14 win over No. 9 Fresno State on Sunday (Jan.26). The three wins to open the season extended the Bruins' winning streak to 29 games. Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) led the team in scoring on the weekend with 11 goals. She scored a hat trick and drew five exclusions and added one steal in the win over the Aggies and then tallied two goals, two earned exclusions, and one steal against the Beach. She closed out the tournament with a career-high six goals (on six shots) to go with three earned exclusions and one assist. For the weekend, she shot 11-for-12 (.917), drew 10 exclusions, had two steals, and tallied one assist. This is Pearson's fourth career MPSF award and the second time she has been named Player of the Week (Jan. 30, 2024).

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
A total of seven All-Americans will be suiting up for UCLA in 2025. The Bruins return three of their five All-Americans from the 2024 season, including two first-teamers, and picked up another one from the transfer portal for the 2025 campaign. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) and junior utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) both earned First-Team All-America honors last year and are joined by First-Team All-America transfer from Hawai'i, Bia Mantellato (São Paulo, Brazil/Newport Harbor HS). Steele, who was named the MVP of both the NCAA and MPSF Championship Tournaments, was also the 2024 ACWPC Player of the Year. The 2024 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, Steele started every game last year in the cage, going 26-0 with 268 saves (ranks fourth on UCLA's single-season charts). Pearson led the team in goals (39) and drawn exclusions (82) in 2024. Mantellato, a two-time Big West Player of the Year (2023 and 2024), led the Rainbow Wahine in goals (64) and drawn exclusions (60). Like Steele, Mantellato was also a Cutino Award finalist (two of the three from 2024 are now Bruins). Junior attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) earned Third-Team All-America accolades a year ago after finishing third on the team in goals (35) and in total points (53) with 18 assists to her credit and returns to the lineup. UCLA is also fortunate to have two Honorable Mention All-Americans from 2023 returning in redshirt sophomore utility Sienna Green (Mosman, Australia/SCEGGS Darlinghurst) and redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS). Green won a silver medal with Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and was third on the team in goals (39) in 2023. Lineback paced the Bruins' offense in 2023 with a team-high in goals (52), assists (27), total points (79), and in steals (24). Senior attacker Molly Renner earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2022 and was sixth on the team last year in goals (22) and returns for her final season. The Bruins lost the services of First-Team All-American Hannah Palmer (26 goals) and Third-Team All-American Malia Allen (33 goals). UCLA also lost the services of utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola), who was the lone Bruin to receive Delfina All-MPSF Honorable Mention accolades a year ago after tying Pearson for the team lead in goals (39).

EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE POSTS
All four of UCLA's goalkeepers on the 2025 roster saw playing time last season. The Bruins have a wealth of experience in the cage and National Player of the Year, Lauren Steele, headlines a group that includes junior Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), senior MJ Bailey (Sarasota, Fla./Pine View School), and sophomore Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS). Sydney Chiang (Temple City, Calif./Temple City HS) was the lone loss (graduation) at this position.

ANOTHER INFLUX OF YOUTH
The Bruins had 11 true freshmen join the ranks in 2024 and welcome in another eight this season. That class is bolstered by two redshirts from last year, putting the total of freshmen and sophomores to 18 on the 2025 roster. That is a total of 18 of the Bruins' 29 student-athletes (62.1 percent) on the roster with only one year or less of collegiate experience. The eight true freshmen include Kenya Cassidy (Atherton, Calif./Menlo School), Ryan Chalupnik (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Aubrey Graham (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View HS), Jenna Human (El Cajon, Calif./Santana HS), Ana Pieper (Orinda, Calif./Campolindo HS), Tali Stryker (Lafayette, Calif./Miramonte HS), Maile Turner (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista HS), and Jojo Walters (Dallas, Texas/Southlake Carroll HS). The class is joined by redshirts Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS) and Camille Greenlee (Carlsbad, Calif./The Bishop's School).

MORE BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
UCLA also returns nine players from its 2024 roster that all made significant contributions to the Bruins' undefeated NCAA title run last season. That group includes sophomores Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Becca Melanson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS), Olivia Ouellette (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), and Elektra Urbatsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day School), juniors Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Carly McMurray (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), and Genoa Rossi (Laguna Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS), and senior Nicole Struss (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS),

WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his eighth season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2025 with an overall record of 162-39 (.806) and an MPSF mark of 32-12 (.727). 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). Top-seeded UCLA won its first league title since 2017 with a 10-4 win over fifth-ranked USC in the semifinals and a 13-10 win over third-ranked California in the finals of the 2024 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship, which marked the first MPSF Championship for the Bruin women in the Wright era. Wright guided the Bruins to their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history in 2024 with a perfect 26-0 record. It marked his first NCAA Championship with the women's program and he now has eight total titles, winning two as a player in 1999 and 2000, five as the Head Coach of the UCLA Men's Water Polo team (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024) and last year's title with the Bruin women. Wright was named the MPSF and ACWPC National Coach of the year in 2024 and is the first Bruin Head Coach to earn the honor since Adam Krikorian won it in 2009. It is the eighth time a Bruin mentor has been named the national Coach of the Year. Wright guided UCLA to just its third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads have ever had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). 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.

RECAPPING 2024
Overall Record: 26-0 (1.000) | MPSF Record: 6-0 (1.000) | Final Ranking: 1st | NCAA Finish: 1st | MPSF Tournament Finish: 1st

The UCLA Bruins (26-0) captured their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history with a 7-4 win at No. 3 California on May 12. UCLA completed just the third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads have ever had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). The Bruins registered the 123rd NCAA title in UCLA athletic department history. UCLA women's water polo has won 12 national championships in all, with four predating the first NCAA title. Head coach Adam Wright, who has guided the UCLA men's water polo program to five NCAA titles (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024), did so for the first time at the helm of the women's team.

UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins slid one spot to No. 3 in the 2025 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (86 points), released on Feb. 26.

2025 Women's Varsity Top 25 (Week 6/February 26)
Rank	Team	Week 5 Poll	Points
1	Stanford	1 (T)	100
2	USC	1 (T)	96
3	Hawai'i	5	92
4	UCLA	3	86
5	California	4	85
6	Fresno State	7	79
7	Long Beach State	8 (T)	74
8 (T)	Harvard	12	69
8 (T)	UC San Diego	10 (T)	69
10	UC Irvine	6	65
11	Arizona State	10 (T)	62
12	LMU	14	56
13 (T)	Princeton	13	49
13 (T)	UC Davis	8 (T)	49
15	Indiana	17	44
16	Wagner	15	40
17	Michigan	16	33
18	San Jose State	18 (T)	32
19	UC Santa Barbara	18 (T)	28
20	San Diego State	20	23
21	Marist	21	22
22	California Baptist University	23	16
23	Villanova	25	7
24 (T)	Pacific	RV	6
24 (T)	Brown	24	6
RV	Pomona-Pitzer	RV	4
RV	CSUN	22	3
RV	LIU	RV	3

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

No. 4 UCLA Hosts No. 6 Fresno State in Home Opener

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Malia Allen

MJ Bailey

Jahmea Bent

Kenya Cassidy

Ryan Chalupnik

Sydney Chiang

Lily Gess

Alexsa Gimenez

Aubrey Graham

Sienna Green

Camille Greenlee

Jenna Human

Dania Innis

Natasha Kieckhafer

Emma Lineback

Bia Mantellato

Carly McMurray

Becca Melanson

Joey Niz

Olivia Ouellette

Hannah Palmer

Hannah Palmer

Anna Pearson

Ana Pieper

Molly Renner

Izzy Rosensitto

Genoa Rossi

Taylor Smith

Lauren Steele

Nicole Struss

Tali Stryker

Panni Szegedi

Maile Turner

Elektra Urbatsch

Jojo Walters

Quinn Winter

Related Videos