No. 3-Seed UCLA Women's Water Polo Prepared for NCAA Tournament

May 13, 2010

NCAA Tournament Central | UCLA Preview Video

SAN DIEGO - UCLA has secured the tournament's No. 3 seed and will open NCAA Tournament play Friday against No. 6-seed Loyola Marymount (24-7) at San Diego State. UCLA has earned the tournament's No. 3 seed for the second consecutive season. The Bruins (20-7) claimed an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the MPSF Tournament Championship at UCLA two weeks ago. UCLA is making its ninth appearance in the 10-year history of the NCAA Championships. The Bruins have won the last five NCAA titles.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, May 14
12:30 p.m. - Game 1 - No. 2-seed USC vs. No. 7-seed Marist
2:15 p.m. - Game 2 - No. 3-seed UCLA vs. No. 6-seed Loyola Marymount
4 p.m. - Game 3 - No. 1-seed Stanford vs. No. 8-seed Pomona-Pitzer
5:45 p.m. - Game 4 - No. 4-seed California vs. No. 5-seed Michigan

Saturday, May 15
12:30 p.m. - Game 5 - Losers Games 1 & 2
2:15 p.m. - Game 6 - Losers Games 3 & 4
4 p.m. - Game 7 - Winners Games 3 & 4 (Semifinal)
5:45 p.m. - Game 8 - Winners Games 1 & 2 (Semifinal)

Sunday, May 16
12 p.m. - Game 9 - Losers Games 5 & 6 (7th Place)
1:35 p.m. - Game 10 - Winners Games 5 & 6 (5th Place)
3:15 p.m. - Game 11 - Losers Games 7 & 8 (3rd Place)
5 p.m. - Game 12 - Winners Games 7 & 8 (1st Place)

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

  • In the 16-year history of UCLA's program, the Bruins have won 11 national titles (seven NCAA).
  • UCLA has advanced to the national tournament in 15 of its 16 seasons (did not advance in 2003).
  • Since women's water polo became an NCAA sport (2001), UCLA has won seven of the nine NCAA titles.
  • In eight NCAA Tournament appearances, UCLA has won seven NCAA titles (20-1 cumulative record).
  • In their previous 14 trips to the national tournament, the Bruins have gone 43-4 overall.

    MPSF TOURNAMENT RECAP

  • UCLA won its first MPSF Tournament title since 2008, defeating Hawai'i, Stanford and USC two weeks ago.
  • The Bruins went 0-4 against USC (0-2) and Stanford (0-4) prior to the MPSF Tournament.
  • Grace Reynolds led UCLA with seven goals, while Kelly Easterday and Emily Greenwood each had three.
  • Goalkeeper Caitlin Dement registered 31 saves, including 11 each versus USC and Stanford.
  • UCLA hosted the MPSF Tournament for the first time in history of the women's water polo program.

    ALL-MPSF SELECTIONS

  • Junior Priscilla Orozco (33 goals) earned first-team All-MPSF Team honors for the first time in her career.
  • Sophomores Grace Reynolds and Caitlin Dement secured second-team All-MPSF selections.
  • Junior Kelly Easterday and sophomore KK Clark were named honorable mention All-MPSF selections.
  • Freshman defender Emily Greenwood was named to the All-MPSF Freshman Team.

    SEASON REVIEW

  • UCLA opened the 2010 season with a new head coach (Brandon Brooks) and a new, state-of-the art facility (Spieker Aquatics Center). Brooks had served as an assistant coach with the women's program the previous three seasons before taking over for former head coach Adam Krikorian.
  • The Bruins went 3-1 at the Michigan Invitational on the first weekend of the season, dropping a 7-6 decision to San Diego State in overtime in just their second match of the year. UCLA went 2-2 at the Stanford Invitational, securing a fourth-place finish after losing to USC in the third-place match by a 13-3 margin.
  • UCLA concluded the four-game UC Irvine Invitational with a 3-1 record, earning a 7-6 victory in eight overtimes against California. That match set the NCAA women's record for longest game in the sport's history. UCLA dropped a 9-8 decision in six overtimes at Hawai'i in its next match (MPSF contest in Honolulu).
  • The Bruins completed their MPSF schedule going 4-3 with victories over California (7-6), Arizona State (13-6), San Jose State (12-5) and San Diego State (7-5) before entering the MPSF Tournament as the No. 5 seed. UCLA became the lowest seeded team to ever win the MPSF Tournament.

    TOP PERFORMERS

  • UCLA has received at least 14 goals from each of nine players this season.
  • On a team with no seniors, juniors Grace Reynolds (37 goals) and Priscilla Orozco (35) have stepped up as UCLA's primary scoring threats. Junior Kelly Easterday and sophomore KK Clark have each logged 23 goals, while sophomore Sarah Orozco has tallied 20 goals.
  • Sophomore Caitlin Dement has posted a 6.34 goals against average, totaling 240 saves, in her first season as UCLA's starting goalkeeper. Dement's 240-save total currently ranks No. 1 on UCLA's single-season saves list. She posted a career-high 22 stops in an 8-3 victory over UC Davis at Sonoma State (Feb. 21). Sophomore Kristen Simonds has seen action in two matches and serves as Dement's primary backup.

    DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

  • Over the last six seasons (2005-2010), UCLA has gone 168-19 (.898 winning percentage).
  • Along the way, the Bruins have posted two perfect 33-0 records (2005, 2008).
  • UCLA's only loss in the NCAA Tournament, in eight appearances (since 2001), came in an 8-4 loss to Stanford in the NCAA Championship match on May 12, 2002.
  • When UCLA's streak of five NCAA Championships began, the Bruins' current freshman class was in the eighth grade (current junior class was at the sophomore level in high school).