LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The No. 3 UCLA women's water polo team officially opens its home schedule with a visit from No. 6 UC Irvine.The regular-season contest will be the first for the Bruins in two weeks, Play will begin at 7 p.m.
The Series -- The Bruins hold a 20-0 record all-time versus UC Irvine and most recently defeated the Anteaters 11-6 in a road match at Anteater Pool last season (Feb. 19).
Coming Up -- UCLA will take part in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational from Feb.24 through Feb.26. The event, hosted by UC Irvine, will take place at Anteater Pool.
Bruins Hold Steady at Third in Week 5 Poll -- UCLA once again checked in at No. 3 in the CWPA poll when the Week 5 edition was announced Feb. 15. The Bruins are also third in the MPSF preseason coaches poll, where they totaled one first-place vote and 28 points overall. Also receiving first-place votes were No. 1 Stanford (four), No. 2 USC (one) and No. 4 California (one). This marks the first time ever that four teams have earned at least one first-place vote in the MPSF preseason coaches poll. The MPSF has been the dominant conference in NCAA women's water polo, winning all 21 national championships since its inaugural season in 1996.
Exclusive Company -- The Bruins have outscored opponents 112-20 through their first seven games. The 112 goals scored match the second most by a Bruin team all-time. The 2014 team also scored 112, while the 2015 Bruins netted the most at 120. The 20 goals allowed, meanwhile, matches the least permitted by a Bruin team, previously established by the 2000 national championship-winning team. Lastly, the 92-goal difference between the Bruins and their opponents matches the greatest margin in program history, previously set by the 2015 team (120-28).
Record Watch -- Bruin redshirt senior Rachel Fattal has already maneuvered up the UCLA individual career record books over the team's first seven games, and is within striking distance of the top spot in two notable categories. With her four goals at Long Beach St., Fattal moved past Catharine von Schwarz (1996-98, 2000) and Tanya Gandy (2006-09) into fourth place on the all-time list with 188. Next in Fattal's sights is Katie Rulon (2006-09), who netted 201 goals in her career. The all-time record holder is Kelly Rulon (2003, 2005-07), who scored 237 goals over the course her career. Fattal's also recorded two steals versus the 49ers, which puts her at 168 for her career and 13 behind Kelly Rulon's (2006-09) 181 for a share of the all-time mark.
In the Cage -- Bruin sophomore goalie Carlee Kapana, who shared time in goal with departed Alex Musselman in 2016, has tallied 64 saves over 6.59 games played this season (9.72 saves per game). For the year, Kapana holds a 3.04 goals against average. Freshman Hannah Storum, who finished in the cage versus UC San Diego (Jan. 22), has tallied six saves of her own and has yet to allow a goal this season. Between the two goalies, the Bruin GAA sits at 2.86.
Fresh Faces -- Four first-timers have recorded playing time for the Bruins over the team's first seven contests. Attacker Maddie Musselman has tallied team highs of 19 goals and 20 steals and matched the team-best total of eight earned exclusions. Utility player Bronte Halligan has posted three goals, six assists and six steals over five games (two starts), while attacker Jenna Hurst has added two goals in six games played. Storum has added six saves in 0.42 games played in net. Freshmen yet to see action this season for the Bruins are attackers Haley Evans, Emily Skelly and Brooke Maxson and utility players Tara Prentice and Bridgett Storm. Junior goalie Donya Dehnad, who is a junior transfer, is also new to the team.
Krikorian to be Honored -- Bruin water polo alum and UCLA Athletics Hall of Famer Adam Krikorian will be honored with the first-ever "Extraordinary Achievement in Olympic Sport" Award by the Los Angeles Sports Council during the 12th Annual LA Sports Awards on Monday, Feb. 27 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. In addition to his one NCAA title as a player in 1995, Krikorian won three championships as an assistant coach (one with the men's team in 1996 and two with the women's team in 1997 and 1998) and 11 more as a head coach (1999, 2000 and 2004 with the men's team and 2000, 2001, 2003 and a five-peat from 2005-09). As head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team, he has guided Team USA to two Olympic gold medals and three consecutive World League Championshiops. Krikorian has also been honored as Pac-12 Women's Water Polo Coach of the Century and is a member of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.
Musselman Picks Up Second NOW Honor -- For her efforts last weekend at the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invitational, Musselman was named the MPSF/Kap7 Newcomer of the Week for the second consecutive week. The honor, which was announced Jan. 24, recognized the attacker's contributions during the Bruins' four wins over ranked opponents. In Saturday's first match, versus No. 10 Pacific, Musselman tallied three goals and three steals in a 15-4 win over the Tigers. Later in the day, the freshman bested her earlier numbers with four goals, two assists and four steals in a 20-5 win over No. 15 Indiana. Sunday, in the early match, Musselman did not score, but assisted on two goals and was a force on defense with two steals versus No. 8 Michigan. She then put an exclamation point on the weekend with five goals and three steals in a 17-2 win over No. 11 UC San Diego. For the weekend, Musselman totaled 12 goals, four assists and four steals. This is her second career MPSF honor.
Bruins Capture Gold in Rio -- Five Bruins joined former UCLA women's water polo head coach Adam Krikorian in securing Team USA's first back-to-back gold and fifth consecutive Olympic medal at last summer's Rio Games. Courtney Mathewson, who also won gold in London in 2012, was joined by fellow graduates Sami Hill and KK Clark, as well as current Bruin attacker Rachel Fattal and incoming freshman attacker Maddie Musselman. Musselman tallied 12 goals throughout the Games. Mathewson scored seven, Fattal added four, and Clark contributed two of her own. In the cage, Hill recorded six saves in three games.
Head Coach Brandon Brooks -- Brandon Brooks (UCLA '05) returns for his eighth season, having compiled a 178-39 record over his first seven. Brooks, the 2015 MPSF Coach of the Year, has coached UCLA to three MPSF Tournament titles in six seasons (2010, 2012, 2015). In addition, the Bruins have advanced to the MPSF Tournament championship match five times during his tenure. Twenty-three of Brooks' players have earned 39 All-America certificates, and 21 players have earned 38 All-MPSF awards. As an assistant coach with the men's and women's programs, Brooks was involved in four NCAA championships, and as a player, he was part of two NCAA title teams (1999 and 2000). A two-time Olympic goalkeeper, Brooks was the starting goalkeeper for the 2004 U.S. team that won the silver medal in Athens.