UCLA
Iona
Bruins Begin Play at Triton Invite Saturday
February 08, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
Sixteen women's water polo teams will take part in this weekend's Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif. No. 4 UCLA will get things started Saturday morning when they face Iona at Triton Pool (8 a.m.). The Bruins will go on to play three more games over the two-day invite, which features full slates of games at two pools. UCLA is one of five CWPA Top-10 teams in the field, with No. 2 USC, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 10 UC Davis also taking part.
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA has played just one game against Iona, defeating the Gaels by a 14-3 score in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Championships. Senior KK Clark led the way with four goals, while fellow senior Sarah Orozco added a hat trick of her own. Freshman Sarah Wilkey racked up 11 saves in the cage for the Bruins, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. UCLA would go on to defeat UC Irvine in the third-place game of the tournament two days later.
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Bruins have been out of action since registering a 4-0 weekend at the Michigan Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Jan. 27-28). UCLA picked up a quartet of wins against ranked opponents, including a 9-5 victory over the then-No. 8 and host Wolverines. Maddie Musselman led the way for the Bruins with nine goals (2.25 per game), including hat tricks against Michigan and then-No. 9 Pacific.
IN THE CAGE
It has been a balanced effort thus far in goal for the Bruins, as Jahmea Bent, Carlee Kapana and Hannah Storum have each spent considerable time in the cage. Bent has played two games for the Bruins, allowing seven goals in her eight quarters for a 3.5 goals-against average (GAA). She has also tallied 14 saves, including eight in her debut against Loyola Marymount. Storum has played four games, allowing 25 goals (6.25 GAA) while posting 30 saves. Kapana has played three games, giving up 11 goals (3.67 GAA) and tallying a team-best 31 saves. She has recorded 11-save games against Michigan (Jan. 20) and Pacific (Jan. 28).
SIX FOR SKELLY
Sophomore Emily Skelly carried three career goals into play at the Michigan Invitational (Jan. 27-28), having never scored more than one in a game. In the Bruins' Saturday opener against then-No. 23 Marist, the sophomore doubled her career output, exploding for six in an 18-8 win over the Red Foxes. Skelly's half dozen goals represented the most by a Bruin since Lizette Rozeboom posted seven in a 22-5 win over George Washington (March 5). That game was also played in Michigan as part of the Wolverine Invitational.
BRUINS FOURTH IN WEEK 4 POLL
The Bruins are ranked No. 4 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Week 2 poll, it was announced Feb. 7. Stanford maintained its hold on the top spot (100 points), while USC and California are tied at No. 2 (94). Following the Bruins (89), Hawai'i makes its debut in the Top 5 (84). UCLA was previously voted tied for third with USC in the preseason MPSF rankings, behind Stanford and Cal and in front ASU and San Jose State, respectively.
THE WRIGHT WAY
Adam Wright, who has coached the UCLA men's water polo team to three NCAA Championships (2014, 2015, 2017), will now guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams, Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero announced July 20, 2017. Wright has an overall record of 227-37 (.860) and an MPSF mark of 51-12 (.810). From 2014-16, Wright's Bruins set an NCAA record with 57 consecutive victories and a conference record with 26 consecutive MPSF wins. Prior to becoming head coach of the men's program in 2009, he served as an assistant coach with the men's and women's teams during the 2008-09 school year, helping the women win an unprecedented fifth consecutive NCAA Championship in May 2009.
FAMILIAR FACES
Wright completed his staff on Aug. 31, 2017 with the hiring of Kodi Hill, who joined Dusty Litvak as an assistant coach. A 2017 graduate of UCLA, Hill was an instrumental member of a Bruin class that amassed a record of 105-17 over its four years in the pool. Litvak previously served under Wright in the same role for the men's team during 2013 and 2014 and worked in a volunteer capacity with the women's team each of the past two seasons.
