No. 3 Women's Water Polo Set for Showdown at No. 1 USC

Saturday, April 4

Los Angeles, Calif.

1:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

USC

Bia Mantellato

Photo by: Don Liebig, UCLA Photography

No. 3 Women's Water Polo Set for Showdown at No. 1 USC

April 01, 2026 | Women's Water Polo

The third-ranked UCLA women's water polo team meets top-ranked USC Saturday with an MPSF regular-season championship on the line. Play from USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center begins at 1 p.m. PT. The Bruins (18-2, 4-1 MPSF) would claim the MPSF Tournament's No. 1 seed with a win by two goals or more. Goal differential would not matter if the Bruins are victorious and California defeats Stanford. The Trojans (20-2, 5-0) have won 10 games in a row and can secure the top spot outright with a victory. Overnght airs live video and 6-8 Sports provides live scoring for all MPSF games. Admission is free.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Opponent: No. 1 USC
Venue: Uytengsu Aquatics Center
Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 1 p.m. PT
Watch: https://www.overnght.com/
Live Stats: https://scores.6-8sports.com/scoreboard

SERIES HISTORY
Series vs. USC: UCLA leads 58-42
Most Recent vs. USC: UCLA won 10-9 on Feb. 14 (Recap)

LAST TIME OUT
The third-ranked Bruins swept No. 5 Arizona State (March 28) and No. 7 LMU (March 29) at Spieker Aquatics Center, holding each team to its season-low goal total (LMU matched its previous low). Emma Lineback recorded a hat trick and Lauren Steele turned away 12 shots against the Sun Devils. Versus the Lions, on Senior Day, seniors Bia Mantellato and Taylor Smith logged hat tricks while Steele logged nine saves. UCLA never trailed in either contest.

TOUGH COMPETITION
Across UCLA's first 20 games, it has faced off with 12 teams ranked in the top 10 of that week's CWPA Women's Varsity Top 25: No. 1 Stanford (March 9 – 9-10), No. 1 Stanford (Feb. 15 – 7-8), No. 2 USC (Feb. 1 – 12-9), No. 3 USC (Feb. 14 – 10-9), No. 4 California (Feb. 21 – 19-18 OT), No. 5 Hawai'i (Jan. 31 – 14-5), No. 5 Arizona State (March 28 – 10-7), No. 6 Arizona State (Jan. 31 – 15-8), No. 6 Long Beach State (Jan. 25 – 18-7), No. 7 LMU (March 29 – 9-5), No. 8 Indiana (Feb. 27 – 18-7) and No. 9 Fresno State (Jan. 25 – 14-6). The Bruins are 10-2 in these games with an average goal differential of plus-4.6 (12.9-8.3). They have also beaten No. 11 Harvard (March 21 – 15-4), No. 12 Fresno State (March 15 – 14-8), No. 12 Michigan (Feb. 28 – 17-8), No. 12 UC Irvine (Feb. 7 – 15-10), No. 13 Fresno State (Feb. 13 – 17-10), No. 14 Princeton (March 12 – 12-4), No. 18 San Jose State (March 14 – 19-5) and unranked Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 30 – 22-4).

UCLA TRIO NAMED TO CUTINO AWARD WATCH LIST
Three UCLA women's water polo standouts were named to the 2026 Peter J. Cutino Award Watch List March 26, USA Water Polo and The Olympic Club announced in collaboration with the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. Named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, the Cutino Award recognizes the best player in men's and women's college water polo each year. Seniors Bia Mantellato, Anna Pearson and Taylor Smith were chosen to the group, which is made up of 20 athletes recognized by varsity college coaches for their outstanding play. Smith (57 goals), Mantellato (48) and Pearson (41) make up the Bruins' top three goal scorers. Smith set a new career high for goals scored just 13 games into the season. She has scored in 19 of 20 games, posting a multi-goal effort in 18 of them. Smith was tabbed MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week Feb. 3 after scoring 15 goals across four games during UCLA's Triton Invitational championship run. Mantellato, who was a Cutino Award finalist in 2024 while at Hawai'i, has scored two or more goals in 15 of the past 16 games. She totaled six in a 10-9 win against USC (Feb. 14). Pearson also had a six-goal showing earlier this season (Feb. 28 versus Michigan) and has scored four or more goals in four games.

STEELE SELECTED MPSF/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lauren Steele was selected MPSF/Deflina Player of the Week Tuesday, the conference announced. The award represents the junior's fourth, and first of 2026. Steele provided the last line of defense as the third-ranked Bruins held No. 5 Arizona State (March 28 – 10-7) and No. 7 LMU (March 29 – 9-5) to season-low goal totals (LMU matched its previous low) in wins. The Old Greenwich Conn. native piled up 21 saves, two assists and two steals over the weekend. She made a dozen stops against the Sun Devils, who are averaging 17.88 goals per game against teams other than UCLA.

UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
UCLA remained at No. 3 (93 points) in the latest CWPA Women's Varsity Top 25, released Wednesday. The Bruins held steady at No. 3 in the first three editions before moving up a spot following their championship run at the Triton Invitational. They stayed there for seven straight weeks before being nudged back to No. 3 March 25. Rounding out the top five were No. 1 USC (99), No. 2 Stanford (96), No. 4 California (88) and No. 5 Arizona State (83). To view the full poll, click HERE.

TAYLOR MADE
Just 13 games into her senior campaign, Taylor Smith set a single-season career high for goals. She currently leads the team with 57 in 20 games. Smith's personal best prior to this season was 40, across 26 games, in 2025. She has scored in all but one game, logging 11 hat tricks along the way. Smith's performance at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational was one to remember, as she matched her single-game career high with six goals in a 15-8 win versus No. 6 Arizona State (Jan. 31) and scored five times in a 12-9 victory against No. 2 USC (Feb. 2). She would receive the MPSF Player of the Week award for her role in the Bruins' runner-up finish. Smith logged four goals in UCLA's MPSF opener at No. 4 California, which the Bruins won by a 19-18 score in overtime. She accounted for three of her team's last four goals, including the game winner with 1:46 remaining in overtime. Smith has scored two or more goals in the past 10 games and 14 of the past 15.

MANTELLATO MAGIC
Bia Mantellato was a force for the Bruins as they earned a runner-up finish at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, Calif. The senior's finest moment of the weekend came in a thrilling semifinal-round win versus third-ranked USC. Mantellato piled up a season-high six goals – including UCLA's final two of a 10-9 result – while adding five earned exclusions and a pair of assists against the Trojans. She finished the tournament with 10 goals, five assists, 11 earned exclusions and one steal across three games. Mantellato ranks second on the team with 48 goals. She's logged eight hat tricks and 16 multi-goal games (including 15 in the past 16).

MORE 2026 AWARDS
O'Dea Named MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week – March 3
Smith Selected UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week Presented by La Victoria – Feb. 4
Smith Voted MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week – Feb. 3

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
A total of six All-Americans will be suiting up for UCLA in 2026. The Bruins return all five of their All-Americans from the 2025 season, including First-Team selection, senior utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS). Junior goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) and RS-senior attacker Emma Lineback (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS) both earned Second-Team All-American honors last year and are joined by Honorable Mention picks, senior center Bia Mantellato (São Paulo, Brazil/Newport Harbor HS) and senior utility Genoa Rossi (Laguna Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS). The Bruins also retain the services of 2023 Third-Team All-American, senior attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS).

RETURNING ALL-MPSF PLAYERS
The list of returning all-league players is basically the same as the All-Americans list with one addition. Three Bruins earned Delfina All-MPSF First-Team accolades last year, and that included Anna Pearson, Emma Lineback, and Lauren Steele. Two Bruins landed on the Delfina All-MPSF Honorable Mention team, which included Genoa Rossi and Bia Mantellato. Sophomore attacker Tali Stryker (Lafayette, Calif./Miramonte HS) was the lone Bruin on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team a year ago. Taylor Smith was also named Second-Team All-MPSF in 2024.

EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE POSTS
UCLA returns three goalkeepers who have all seen action in the cage for the Bruins. That list is headlined by two-time All-American, Lauren Steele. Also in that group is senior Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), and junior Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS).

INFLUX OF YOUTH
Six true freshmen have arrived in Westwood and look to make an immediate impact in 2026. The class is bolstered by three redshirts from last year, putting the total number of freshmen to nine on this year's roster. The six true freshmen include Presley Jones (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS), Ally Larsen (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), Katherine O'Dea (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS), Jailynn Robinson (Dallas, Texas/Orange Lutheran HS), Alison Sagara (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), and Sienna Steiner (Sarasota, Fla./Venice HS). The three redshirt freshmen are Ryan Chalupnik (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Aubrey Graham (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View HS), and Ana Pieper (Orinda, Calif./Campolindo HS).

TRANSFER PORTAL
The Bruins' 2026 roster has been bolstered by three transfers from inside the MPSF. Janna Tauscher (Sunset Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS), the redshirt senior center from California has one year remaining, as does the senior defender from Arizona State, Zoë Frangieh (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS). Also with one year remaining is senior attacker Fanni Muzsnay (Budapest, Hungary/Szabo Lorinc Bilingual HS), who transferred in from USC.

MORE BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
UCLA also returns nine players from its 2025 roster that all made significant contributions last season. That group includes sophomores Jenna Human (El Cajon, Calif./Santana HS) and Jojo Walters (Dallas, Texas/Southlake Carroll HS), redshirt sophomores Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS), juniors 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), and seniors Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) and Carly McMurray (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), The Bruins will redshirt junior Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) and sophomore Maile Turner (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista HS), who are both recovering from undisclosed injuries.

COACHING CHANGES
With two-time reigning MPSF Coach of the Year, Adam Wright, stepping away from day-to-day operations as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2026, two current Bruins coaches have been elevated to the post of interim co-head coach. Jason Falitz, who has been the associate head coach on the men's side since 2017 and at that same post with the women's team since the 2022 season, will serve as one of the co-head coaches. Matt Kubeck, who just completed his second season as an assistant coach with the Bruins' men's squad will also serve as a co-head coach with the women in 2026. The duo is currently 7-0 at UCLA. Additionally, UCLA completed its coaching staff with former Stanford standout Ryann Neushul to the post of assistant coach. Neushul is a four-time NCAA Champion, a four-time All-American, a two-time World Champion, and the 2025 Peter J. Cutino Award winner.

RECAPPING 2025
Overall Record: 20-6 (.769) | MPSF Record: 5-1 (.833) | Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 2nd The UCLA Bruins finished the season with the No. 1 seed heading into the MPSF Championship Tournament for the second straight year. But the Bruins were unable to successfully defend their MPSF and NCAA Tournament titles from a 26-0 season in 2024, falling in overtime, 11-9, to No. 1 Stanford at home in the MPSF final. Seeded second for the NCAA Championship, the Bruins fell to No. 3 USC, 15-13, in the semifinals.