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On Deck This Week
No. 1 UCLA (2-0) hosts the 2015 UCLA Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Spieker Aquatics Center. The Bruins open with an exhibition match at 8:00 a.m. against No. 7 Long Beach State. In the only countable match for UCLA on the day, the Bruins host No. 9 UC San Diego (2-2) at 11:45 a.m. in a rematch of last year's NCAA semifinal, won by UCLA 15-6. The Bruins end the day with an exhibition against No. 6 UC Santa Barbara at 2:15 p.m. The Bruins then head to Redlands, Calif., to take part in the Inland Empire Classic on Sunday, Sept. 13. The Bruins will face the hosts, Redlands (1-3), at 10:20 a.m. and will conclude with No. 18 Whittier (3-0) at Noon.
UCLA Invitational
The UCLA Bruins host the UCLA Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 12 with eight matches slated for the day. Only three of them will be countable as the other five will be exhibition matches. All of the matches will be contested at Spieker Aquatics Center. There is no charge for admission, but parking on campus is always $12 per day.
| Time | Match | Exhibition |
| 08:00 a.m. | UCLA vs. Long Beach State | YES |
| 09:15 a.m. | UC San Diego vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | NO |
| 10:30 a.m. | Long Beach State vs. UC Santa Barbara | YES |
| 11:45 a.m. | UCLA vs. UC San Diego | NO |
| 01:00 p.m. | Pepperdine vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | NO |
| 02:15 p.m. | UCLA vs. UC Santa Barbara | YES |
| 03:30 p.m. | Pepperdine vs. Long Beach State | YES |
| 04:45 p.m. | Pepperdine vs. UC Santa Barbara | YES |
Balanced Scoring Attack
The UCLA Bruins demonstrated a balanced scoring attack in the first two matches of the season as 15 of the 18 offensive players that have played have already scored on the year. Juniors Patrick Fellner (five goals) and Joey Fuentes (four goals) lead the Bruin offense. Seniors Anthony Daboub and Daniel McClintick, junior Gordon Marshall and sophomore Max Irving all have three goals in the early going.
True Freshmen Earn Caps
A few true freshmen have earned a cap and have already started to make an immediate impact in 2015. Those newcomers include goalkeeper Alex Wolf (Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach HS), attacker Spencer Farrar (Malibu, Calif./Agoura HS) and utility Max Staresinic (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS). Wolf has played four quarters in goal for the Bruins and has registered 13 saves while allowing five goals (5.0 gaa). Farrar has notched two goals in his first two appearances and is third on the team in steals (three). Staresinic has played in both matches, starting one, with just one shot attempt to his credit.
No Rust for Fuentes
Junior attacker Joey Fuentes, who played for UCLA in 17 matches in 2012, scoring 15 goals, has returned to the Bruins' squad after a two-year hiatus. He redshirted for UCLA in 2013 and was not on the team in 2014. He has been a full-time student at UCLA for the last three years. Even with the two-year lay-off, Fuentes is currently second on the team in scoring (four goals) and is also second in assists (six) in the first two matches of 2015.
Danner Solid in the Cage
Junior goalkeeper Garrett Danner is off to a solid start in 2015, racking up 10 saves while allowing three goals in two starts so far. Danner, who has led the MPSF in goals against average in each of the last two seasons, currently sports a 3.0 gaa this year. He currently leads the team in both assists (seven) and steals (six).
Defending Champions
UCLA won its ninth title in men's water polo in 2014 with the 9-8 win over USC on Dec. 7. It was the school's 112th NCAA Championship, which leads the nation.
National Rankings
UCLA retained its spot atop the CWPA Top 20 Poll this week. Below is the top 10:
| Rank | Team | Last Week | Points |
| 1 | UCLA | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | USC | 2 | 94 |
| 3 | California | 3 | 91 |
| 4 | Stanford | 4 | 85 |
| 5 | Pacific | 5 | 81 |
| 6 | UC Santa Barbara | 7 | 75 |
| 7 | Long Beach State | 6 | 67 |
| 8 | UC Irvine | 9 | 61 |
| 9 | UC San Diego | 10 | 57 |
| 10 | Pepperdine | 8 | 54 |
Returning All-Americans
UCLA returns six All-Americans, led by first-teamers Gordon Marshall and goalkeeper Garrett Danner. Marshall scored the game-winner in the 2014 National Championship to finish the year with 39 goals, while Danner has led the MPSF in goals-against average for the past two seasons (5.91 in 2014; 6.32 in 2013).
UCLA also returns All-American Daniel McClintick, a senior utility who was named 2014 NCAA Tournament MVP after scoring four goals in the championship game. He was fourth on the team in scoring last year with 41 goals (1.41 goals per game ranked 22nd in the MPSF).
The Bruins also return a pair of third team All-Americans in senior defender Anthony Daboub and junior attacker Ryder Roberts. Roberts missed seven games due to injury, but still managed to finish fifth on the team in scoring with 30 goals. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the country, Daboub picked up his scoring late in the season, racking up goals in 11 of his last 15 matches, to finish with a total of 20 goals in 2014.
Junior defender Chancellor Ramirez, an honorable mention All-American last season, scored 17 goals on the year, with almost half of his total (eight goals) coming against the top five teams in the country.
UCLA Picked to Win MPSF
In the most decisive preseason men's water polo coaches' poll in MPSF history, the UCLA men's water polo team has been selected to finish first among 10 teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) preseason coaches' poll, as announced by the conference office.
UCLA collected 78 points and eight first-place votes to headline the 2015 edition. The 12-point differential over second-place USC (66) surpassed the Trojans' previous record 10-point selection at the top of the 2008 poll.
The Bruins, who topped the annual preseason poll for the first time since 2005, are the defending NCAA Champions and finished unbeaten in the 2014 MPSF regular season.
| Rank | Team | Points (First-Place) | 2014 Record | 2014 MPSF Record (Finish) |
| 1 | UCLA | 78 (8) | 29-3 | 8-0 (1st) |
| 2 | USC | 66 | 24-7 | 6-2 (3rd) |
| 3T | California | 65 (1) | 22-7 | 4-4 (5th) |
| 3T | Stanford | 65 (1) | 26-4 | 7-1 (2nd) |
| 5 | Pacific | 44 | 14-12 | 2-6 (6th-Tie) |
| 6 | Long Beach State | 42 | 20-7 | 5-3 (4th) |
| 7 | UC Santa Barbara | 31 | 11-15 | 0-8 (9th) |
| 8 | UC Irvine | 28 | 15-14 | 2-6 (6th-Tie) |
| 9 | Pepperdine | 22 | 11-15 | 2-6 (6th-Tie) |
| 10 | San Jose State | 9 | 0-0 | First Year |