Bruins Prepare for NCAA Tournament
May 10, 2016 | Women's Water Polo
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The third-ranked UCLA women's water polo team will face UC San Diego in a first-round match of the 2016 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship on Friday, May 13. Game time at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center is slated for noon PDT.
The Bruins (24-4) have not played UC San Diego this season, but have compiled a 23-3 all-time record against the Tritons. This is the third straight year that UCLA and UCSD have squared off in the quarterfinals. The winner of Friday's game will advance to the semifinals, where it will face the winner of the Stanford/UC Santa Barbara game.
WATCH ONLINE
The 2016 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship will feature live streaming video courtesy of www.ncaa.com. Fans can also find updated results and tournament statistics by visiting UCLA Athletics' Tournament Central.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
UCLA will be competing in the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time since women's water polo became an NCAA sport in 2001. This will be UCLA's 21st appearance at the year-end national tournament since the sport's inception in 1995. The Bruins have posted a 55-10 all-time record at the national tournament (32-7 in NCAA Tournament), last capturing the title in 2009. UCLA has finished second to Stanford the past two seasons.
RECAPPING THE MPSF TOURNAMENT
UCLA won the third-place MPSF Tournament game, 7-5, over California. The Bruins also won 10-3 in the quarterfinals against CSU Bakersfield. Kelsey O'Brien and Lizette Rozeboom were the team scoring leaders over a 2-1 weekend, each putting away four goals. Rozeboom and Aubrie Monahan each totaled three assists. Alex Musselman combined for 20 saves with a .588 save percentage. Mackenzie Barr was an all-tournament selection.
TOP SCORERS
Sophomore Devin Grab leads the Bruins offensively with 41 goals and 26 assists. Grab netted a season-high five goals against Redlands (Apr. 3) and has posted 12 multiple-goal games this season. Rounding out the Bruins' list of top five scorers are Barr (38), India Forster (37), Rozeboom (36), and Alexa Tielmann (31). Rozeboom scored a season- and team-high seven goals against George Washington at the Wolverine Invite back in March.
YEAR-END AWARDS
Five Bruins earned 2016 All-MPSF accolades. Barr received a First-Team All-MPSF nod, while senior India Forster and junior Alexa Tielmann earned Second-Team honors. Senior Charlotte Pratt made the Honorable Mention Team and Rozeboom was selected to the All-Newcomer Team.
Barr was an All-MPSF Tournament Team selection. The utility player from Irvine is second on the team in scoring with 38 goals on the season. She has also recorded 33 steals, 26 assists, and 13 field blocks.
LEADING THE BRUINS
Brandon Brooks (UCLA '05) won his 100th career game on Jan. 18, 2014 when the Bruins defeated Concordia University of Irvine, 25-6. Brooks enters Friday's game with a career record of 176-38 (.822). In six full seasons, Brooks has guided the Bruins to six consecutive NCAA berths with five straight podium finishes. The Bruins also won MPSF Tournament titles in 2010, 2012, and 2015. Sixteen of Brooks' players have earned 32 All-America certificates, and 17 players have earned 33 All-MPSF awards.
As an assistant coach with the men's and women's programs, Brooks was involved in four NCAA championships. As a player, he was part of two NCAA title teams (1999 and 2000). A two-time Olympic goalkeeper, Brooks was the starting goalie for the 2004 U.S. team that won the silver medal in Athens.
WEEKLY HONORS
Three Bruins earned MPSF/Kap7 honors this season. Freshman goalkeeper Carlee Kapana earned Newcomer of the Week honors for her performance at the UCSB Invitational. Kapana totaled 27 saves and allowed just 12 goals (.692 save percentage) in her collegiate debut against Michigan and UCSB. Alexa Tielmann earned Player of the Week honors for her performance in UCLA's 16-6 win over Arizona State on Apr. 15. Tielmann led the Bruins in scoring, putting away four goals on four shots. Devin Grab earned Player of the Week honors after she put away the game winner on a penalty shot to lift the Bruins over Stanford in sudden-victory overtime to close out regular season play (Apr. 23).
TOURNAMENT TOTALS
Total Appearances: 20
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 14
Overall Won-Lost Record: 55-10
NCAA Won-Lost Record: 32-7
Shutouts in Tournament Games: 2
Record in Championship Games: 11-3
Total National Championships: 11
NCAA Championships: 7
2nd Place Finishes: 3
3rd Place Finishes: 4
Most Consecutive Titles Won: 5
UCLA's All-Time Titles: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Note: NCAA titles began in 2001
