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LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA (13-1, 0-0 MPSF) returns home this week to host No. 7 UC Irvine (5-3, 0-0 Big West) on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. It is the Bruins' only game of the week. Admission is free.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Feb. 16 (Spieker Aquatics Center)
1:00 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 7 UC Irvine
Friday, Feb. 22 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - UC Irvine)
12:30 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 17 Long Beach State
Saturday, Feb. 23 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - UC Irvine)
11:45 AM PT – No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 6 Michigan or No. 12 Loyola Marymount
Recapping Last Week
The third-ranked UCLA Bruins placed second at the Triton Invitational, falling 10-3 to No. 1 USC in the championship game. Juniors Maddie Musselman and Bronte Halligan and sophomore Lexi Liebowitz each scored one goal against the Trojans. UCLA defeated No. 6 UC Irvine 11-6 in the semifinals behind the strength of freshman Val Ayala's hat trick. Musselman led the Bruins with four goals in a 6-3 win over No. 11 UC Davis in the quarterfinals. Freshman Ava Johnson also scored four goals (season-high) in UCLA's 17-2 first-round win over Santa Clara.
Best Start for Bruins Since 2008
Before its 10-3 loss to No. 1 USC in the championship game of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 9), the UCLA Bruins opened the 2019 season at 13-0, which is the best start in 11 years. In 2008, the Bruins went 33-0, winning the program's seventh NCAA Championship.
Bruins in the MPSF Stats
Just two Bruins are currently ranked in the top 25 in the MPSF in scoring, led by Maddie Musselman's 2.70 goals per game (27 goals in 10 games), which ranks third in the league. Freshman Val Ayala ranks 20th with a 1.57 goals per game average (22 goals in 14 games). In the goalie rankings, senior Carlee Kapana ranks 2nd in saves per game (9.48 spg) while sophomore Jahmea Bent ranks 4th (8.09 spg). Kapana ranks 3rd in the MPSF in goals against average at 6.28 while Bent ranks seventh at 7.20.
Val Ayala Named MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week
UCLA freshman Val Ayala (Anaheim, Calif./Foothill HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 22. The freshman attacker led the Bruins in scoring this past weekend as UCLA went 5-0 with five wins over nationally ranked teams. Ayala registered three hat tricks, opening her collegiate career with three scores in a 10-6 win over No. 18 CSUN. She completed another hat trick in another 10-6 win over No. 6 UC Irvine. She tacked on one goal in a 17-8 win over No. 24 Cal Baptist and then scored three more in a 9-7 outcome over No. 9 Michigan. In all, Ayala scored 10 goals while collecting three assists, three steals and two drawn exclusions. This is the first career MPSF honor for Ayala.
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 36-9 (.800) 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 remained at No. 3 in the 2019 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (92 points, no change), released on Feb. 13.
2019 WOMEN'S VARSITY TOP 25 (WEEK 4 - Feb. 13) |
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| Rank | Team | Last Week's Poll | Points |
| 1 | USC | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Stanford | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | UCLA | 3 | 92 |
| 4 | California | 4 | 88 |
| 5 | Hawai'i | 5 | 84 |
| 6 | Michigan | 8 | 79 |
| 7 | UC Irvine | 6 | 77 |
| 8 | Arizona State | 9 | 71 |
| 9 | UC Santa Barbara | 7 | 68 |
| 10 | Pacific | 10 | 66 |
| 11 | UC Davis | 11 | 60 |
| 12 (T) | San Jose State | 12 | 52 |
| 12 (T) | Loyola Marymount | 13 | 52 |
| 14 | Princeton | 14 | 48 |
| 15 | Fresno State | 15 | 45 |
| 16 | Harvard | 17 | 38 |
| 17 (T) | Long Beach State | 16 | 33 |
| 17 (T) | UC San Diego | 20 | 33 |
| 19 | Wagner | 18 | 28 |
| 20 | Indiana | 19 | 27 |
| 21 | CSUN | 21 | 16 |
| 22 | Bucknell | 24 | 14 |
| 23 | Marist | 25 (T) | 13 |
| 24 | Cal Baptist | 23 | 11 |
| 25 | San Diego State | 22 | 6 |
| RV | Azusa Pacific | 25 (T) | 4 |
| RV | Brown | RV | 1 |