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LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) opens the 2019 season with No. 18 CSUN (0-0) at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational on Friday, Jan. 18 at 3:15 p.m. PT at UCSB's Campus Pool. The Bruins will also face No. 6 UC Irvine (0-0) and No. 24 Cal Baptist (0-0) on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 9:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively. UCLA will close out the tournament on Sunday, Jan. 20 with No. 9 Michigan (0-0) at 11:00 a.m. and No. 17 UC Santa Barbara (0-0) at 2:30 p.m.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Jan. 18 (Campus Pool)
3:15 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 18 CSUN
Saturday, Jan. 19 (Campus Pool/Rec Center)
9:45 AM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 6 UC Irvine (Campus Pool)
1:30 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 24 Cal Baptist (Rec Center)
Sunday, Jan. 20 (Campus Pool)
11:00 AM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 9 Michigan
2:30 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA at No. 17 UC Santa Barbara (LIVE STREAM)
Mini Outlook
Second-year head coach Adam Wright returns his top three scorers and a stalwart in goal while adding a talented crop of freshman to NCAA-semifinalist UCLA. The Bruins lost just two starters and three seniors from their 2018 team that posted a 23-8 overall record.
All-American juniors Maddie Musselman and Bronte Halligan are back after busy summers that saw each medal in international play. A First Team ACWPC and MPSF honoree, Musselman scored a team-high 53 goals and filled the stat sheet with 31 assists 41 steals, 30 earned exclusions in 2018. The Australian Halligan played her utility role well, notching team-best marks of 37 assists and 58 steals (fourth all-time for UCLA) while scoring 31 goals. She was a Third Team selection by the ACWPC and an Honorable-Mention pick by the MPSF.
Lethal lefties Lizette Rozeboom and Lexi Liebowitz will also be relied on heavily by Wright. Rozeboom is coming off a season in which she recorded career-best totals of 44 goals, 21 assists and 20 steals and will provide senior leadership in 2019. Liebowitz, meanwhile, will look to build off a standout freshman campaign that concluded with a selection to the MPSF All-Newcomer Team. The Danville, Calif. native tallied 22 goals, 22 assists and 23 earned exclusions.
Senior goalkeeper Carlee Kapana enters her third year as the Bruins' starting netminder. An Honorable-Mention All-American and All-MPSF choice, the Newport Beach, Calif. native turned away 180 shots over just 22 games played in 2018. Her 9.21 saves per game average was third in the MPSF.
UCLA's depth will get a big boost by a freshman class littered with experience on four USA Water Polo National Team levels, as well as Junior Olympics gold medalists and CIF champions. Nine newcomers in all will join the fold, led by Val Ayala (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS), Bella Baia (Orange, Calif./Mater Dei HS), Katrina Drake (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), Ava Johnson (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas HS), Georgia Phillips (Fresno, Calif./Clovis North HS) and Isabella Wentzel (Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes HS).
Coaching Changes
During the offseason, UCLA men's water polo hired Christopher Lee as an assistant coach to replace Dustin Litvak, who was hired to be the head men's water polo coach at Princeton.
Wright on Deck
Adam Wright is in his second season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2019 with an overall record of 23-8 (.742) and an MPSF mark of 2-3 (.400). On July 20, 2017, UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
Recapping 2018
Overall Record: 23-8 | Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in head coach Adam Wright's first season at the helm of the program. The Bruins' 8-4 win over Pacific at USC secured their eighth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals. Sophomore Maddie Musselman secured ACWPC All-America acclaim for the second time in her career. Senior Devin Grab registered her second selection as a second-team All-American. UCLA also saw Bronte Halligan pick up third-team honors while Carlee Kapana was named an honorable mention All-America selection. In total, 12 Bruins claimed ACWPC All-Academic honors.
UCLA In The CWPA Poll
The Bruins begin the season ranked third in the 2019 Preseason CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (90 points), released on Jan. 16.
2019 WOMEN'S VARSITY TOP 25 (PRESEASON - Jan. 16) |
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| Rank | Team | Last Week's Poll | Points |
| 1 | USC | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Stanford | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | UCLA | 4 | 90 |
| 4 | California | 3 | 89 |
| 5 | Arizona State | 5 | 80 |
| 6 (T) | UC Irvine | 8 | 76 |
| 6 (T) | Hawai'i | 7 | 76 |
| 8 | Pacific | 6 | 74 |
| 9 | Michigan | 9 | 72 |
| 10 | UC Davis | 10 | 64 |
| 11 | Long Beach State | 12 (T) | 54 |
| 12 | Princeton | 11 | 52 |
| 13 | Indiana | 15 | 50 |
| 14 | Wagner | 14 | 48 |
| 15 | UC San Diego | 16 | 47 |
| 16 | Loyola Marymount | 17 | 44 |
| 17 | UC Santa Barbara | 18 | 37 |
| 18 | CSUN | 19 | 27 |
| 19 | San Diego State | 20 | 26 |
| 20 | San Jose State | 21 | 25 |
| 21 | Harvard | RV | 23 |
| 22 | Marist | 23 | 14 |
| 23 | Bucknell | 22 | 13 |
| 24 | Cal Baptist | 25 | 10 |
| 25 | Brown | 24 | 5 |
| RV | Fresno State | RV | 2 |
| RV | Cal State East Bay | RV | 2 |
| RV | Iona | NR | 2 |
| RV | Pomona-Pitzer | RV | 1 |