Friday, February 21
Irvine, CA
11:15 AM
UCLA
vs
Pacific
Jahmea Bent and the UCLA Bruins return to action this weekend after an 11-day break from competition.
Photo by: Minette Rubin
No. 2 UCLA Heads to Irvine for Barbara Kalbus Invite
February 20, 2020 | Women's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 2 UCLA (14-1, 1-0 MPSF) heads to UC Irvine to compete in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational this weekend. The Bruins will open with No. 21 Pacific on Friday, Feb. 21 at 11:15 a.m. PT at Anteater Aquatics Complex. If the Bruins win, they will face the winner of No. 7 California and No. 10 Michigan at 10:30 a.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 22. Lose and they will face the loser at the same time but at the Corona del Mar Pool.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Feb. 21 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - Anteater Aquatics Complex)
Game 1 โ 10:00 AM PT โ No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 22 San Diego State
Game 2 โ 11:15 AM PT โ No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 21 Pacific
Game 3 โ 12:30 PM PT โ No. 4 USC vs. No. 16 Loyola Marymount
Game 4 โ 1:45 PM PT โ No. 3 Hawai'i vs. No. 15 UC Davis
Game 5 โ 3:20 PM PT โ No. 5 Arizona State vs. No. 13 San Jose State
Game 6 โ 4:15 PM PT โ No. 6 UC Irvine vs. No. 12 Long Beach State
Friday, Feb. 21 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - Corona del Mar Pool)
Game 7 โ 3:00 PM PT โ No. 7 California vs. No. 10 Michigan
Game 8 โ 4:15 PM PT โ No. 8 UC San Diego vs. No. 9 UC Santa Barbara
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 22-23 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - Anteater Aquatics Complexย & Corona del Mar Pool)
For a full schedule of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, including Saturday's and Sunday's gamesย (Click Here).
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 26th meeting between UCLA and Pacific with the Bruins leading the series 25-0. The Bruins won the last meeting against the Tigers, 14-7, earlier this season at the Michigan Invitational on Jan. 25, 2020. The Bruins also sport an all-time record of 58-13 against California and 27-0 vs. Michigan.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK
While the Bruins were off last week, they had a stellar week prior to that, winning the Triton Invitational title, knocking off then-No. 1 USC, 7-5, in the finals (Feb. 9). On the way to the title, UCLA knocked off Pomona-Pitzer, 21-2, No. 19 Indiana, 12-9, and No. 8 Arizona State, 11-8.
HILL NAMED MPSF/KAP7ย NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK FOR THE SECOND TIME
UCLA'sย Abbi Hillย (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) has been named the MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 5.ย The freshman utility tied for the team lead in goals, steals, and field blocks and led in total points as the Bruins improved to 10-1 overall and 1-0 in the MPSF (Jan. 31-Feb. 1).ย UCLA opened with an 18-10 conference win over No. 13 San Jose State with Hill scoring four goals on six shots. Hill added two assists, two steals, one field block, and one drawn exclusion. Then she scored one goal and added one steal and two assists in a 16-10 win over No. 12 Fresno State.ย Hill, the UCLA and MPSF leader in goals scored (29) in 2020, has earned an MPSF weekly honor in three consecutive weeks.ย For the week, Hill scored five goals on 10 shots over two games, and tallied four assists for a team-leading nine points.
HILL NAMED MPSF/KAP7ย NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA'sย Abbi Hillย (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 28. The freshman utility led the Bruins in scoring, points, and field blocks as the Bruins went 4-0 at the Michigan Invitational (Jan. 25-26), with all four wins coming against nationally-ranked teams. Hill scored a 2020 MPSF-high seven goals on nine shots in the win over No. 21 Wagner. She also had hat tricks against No. 11 Pacific and at No. 7 Michigan, and added two goals in the win over No. 24 Marist.ย For the week, Hill scored 15 goals on 23 shots (.652) over the four wins, while adding four steals, three field blocks, two drawn exclusions and one assist.ย Hill, the UCLA and MPSF leader in goals scored (24) in 2020, has earned an MPSF weekly honor in two consecutive weeks.
HILL NAMED MPSF/KAP7ย PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshmanย Abbi Hillย (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 21.ย The freshman utility led the Bruins in scoring, points, and steals and was second in assists, drawn exclusions and field blocks in her opening weekend of collegiate competition, as the Bruins went 4-1 at the UCSB Winter Invitational (Jan. 17-19).ย UCLA had wins over No. 22 CSUN, No. 13 UC San Diego, Iona, and Ottawa. Hill scored a game-high three goals in a one-goal loss to No. 11 UCSB, along with the eventual game-winning goal in the fourth period against UC San Diego. For the week, Hill totaled nine goals, five steals (three vs. UCSD), four assists, four drawn exclusions, and two field blocks over five games in her hometown. This is the first career MPSF honor for Hill..
ย
2020 COACHING CHANGES
During the offseason, UCLA women's water polo hired James Robinson as an assistant coach to replace Kodi Hill.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his third season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2019 with an overall record of 61-16 (.792) and an MPSF mark of 7-5 (.583).ย On July 20, 2017, UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
ย
RECAPPING 2019
Overall Record: 24-7 |ย Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 3rd
UCLA advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in head coach Adam Wright's second season at the helm of the program. The Bruins' 13-7 win over No. 6 Michigan at Stanford secured their ninth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals. Junior Maddie Musselman secured ACWPCย first team All-America acclaim for the third time in her career. Junior Bronte Halligan picked up second team acclaim while seniorsย Carlee Kapanaย and Lizette Rozeboom as well as freshman (now sophomore) Val Ayala were named honorable mention All-America selections. For the second straight season, a total of 12 Bruins claimed ACWPC All-Academic honors.
UCLA IN THEย CWPA POLL
The Bruins remained in second this week in the 2020 CWPAย National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (95 points), released on Feb. 19.
ย
LOS ANGELES โ No. 2 UCLA (14-1, 1-0 MPSF) heads to UC Irvine to compete in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational this weekend. The Bruins will open with No. 21 Pacific on Friday, Feb. 21 at 11:15 a.m. PT at Anteater Aquatics Complex. If the Bruins win, they will face the winner of No. 7 California and No. 10 Michigan at 10:30 a.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 22. Lose and they will face the loser at the same time but at the Corona del Mar Pool.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Feb. 21 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - Anteater Aquatics Complex)
Game 1 โ 10:00 AM PT โ No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 22 San Diego State
Game 2 โ 11:15 AM PT โ No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 21 Pacific
Game 3 โ 12:30 PM PT โ No. 4 USC vs. No. 16 Loyola Marymount
Game 4 โ 1:45 PM PT โ No. 3 Hawai'i vs. No. 15 UC Davis
Game 5 โ 3:20 PM PT โ No. 5 Arizona State vs. No. 13 San Jose State
Game 6 โ 4:15 PM PT โ No. 6 UC Irvine vs. No. 12 Long Beach State
Friday, Feb. 21 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - Corona del Mar Pool)
Game 7 โ 3:00 PM PT โ No. 7 California vs. No. 10 Michigan
Game 8 โ 4:15 PM PT โ No. 8 UC San Diego vs. No. 9 UC Santa Barbara
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 22-23 (Barbara Kalbus Invitational - Anteater Aquatics Complexย & Corona del Mar Pool)
For a full schedule of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, including Saturday's and Sunday's gamesย (Click Here).
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 26th meeting between UCLA and Pacific with the Bruins leading the series 25-0. The Bruins won the last meeting against the Tigers, 14-7, earlier this season at the Michigan Invitational on Jan. 25, 2020. The Bruins also sport an all-time record of 58-13 against California and 27-0 vs. Michigan.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK
While the Bruins were off last week, they had a stellar week prior to that, winning the Triton Invitational title, knocking off then-No. 1 USC, 7-5, in the finals (Feb. 9). On the way to the title, UCLA knocked off Pomona-Pitzer, 21-2, No. 19 Indiana, 12-9, and No. 8 Arizona State, 11-8.
HILL NAMED MPSF/KAP7ย NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK FOR THE SECOND TIME
UCLA'sย Abbi Hillย (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) has been named the MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 5.ย The freshman utility tied for the team lead in goals, steals, and field blocks and led in total points as the Bruins improved to 10-1 overall and 1-0 in the MPSF (Jan. 31-Feb. 1).ย UCLA opened with an 18-10 conference win over No. 13 San Jose State with Hill scoring four goals on six shots. Hill added two assists, two steals, one field block, and one drawn exclusion. Then she scored one goal and added one steal and two assists in a 16-10 win over No. 12 Fresno State.ย Hill, the UCLA and MPSF leader in goals scored (29) in 2020, has earned an MPSF weekly honor in three consecutive weeks.ย For the week, Hill scored five goals on 10 shots over two games, and tallied four assists for a team-leading nine points.
HILL NAMED MPSF/KAP7ย NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA'sย Abbi Hillย (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 28. The freshman utility led the Bruins in scoring, points, and field blocks as the Bruins went 4-0 at the Michigan Invitational (Jan. 25-26), with all four wins coming against nationally-ranked teams. Hill scored a 2020 MPSF-high seven goals on nine shots in the win over No. 21 Wagner. She also had hat tricks against No. 11 Pacific and at No. 7 Michigan, and added two goals in the win over No. 24 Marist.ย For the week, Hill scored 15 goals on 23 shots (.652) over the four wins, while adding four steals, three field blocks, two drawn exclusions and one assist.ย Hill, the UCLA and MPSF leader in goals scored (24) in 2020, has earned an MPSF weekly honor in two consecutive weeks.
HILL NAMED MPSF/KAP7ย PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshmanย Abbi Hillย (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) was named the MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 21.ย The freshman utility led the Bruins in scoring, points, and steals and was second in assists, drawn exclusions and field blocks in her opening weekend of collegiate competition, as the Bruins went 4-1 at the UCSB Winter Invitational (Jan. 17-19).ย UCLA had wins over No. 22 CSUN, No. 13 UC San Diego, Iona, and Ottawa. Hill scored a game-high three goals in a one-goal loss to No. 11 UCSB, along with the eventual game-winning goal in the fourth period against UC San Diego. For the week, Hill totaled nine goals, five steals (three vs. UCSD), four assists, four drawn exclusions, and two field blocks over five games in her hometown. This is the first career MPSF honor for Hill..
ย
2020 COACHING CHANGES
During the offseason, UCLA women's water polo hired James Robinson as an assistant coach to replace Kodi Hill.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his third season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2019 with an overall record of 61-16 (.792) and an MPSF mark of 7-5 (.583).ย On July 20, 2017, UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.
ย
RECAPPING 2019
Overall Record: 24-7 |ย Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 3rd
UCLA advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in head coach Adam Wright's second season at the helm of the program. The Bruins' 13-7 win over No. 6 Michigan at Stanford secured their ninth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals. Junior Maddie Musselman secured ACWPCย first team All-America acclaim for the third time in her career. Junior Bronte Halligan picked up second team acclaim while seniorsย Carlee Kapanaย and Lizette Rozeboom as well as freshman (now sophomore) Val Ayala were named honorable mention All-America selections. For the second straight season, a total of 12 Bruins claimed ACWPC All-Academic honors.
UCLA IN THEย CWPA POLL
The Bruins remained in second this week in the 2020 CWPAย National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (95 points), released on Feb. 19.
ย
ย 2020 WOMEN'S VARSITY TOP 25 (WEEK FIVE - Feb. 19) |
|||
| ย Rank | ย Team | ย Week Four Poll | ย Points |
| ย 1 | ย Stanford | ย 1 | ย 99 |
| ย 2 | ย UCLA | ย 2 | ย 95 |
| ย 3 | ย Hawai'i | ย 3 (T) | ย 91 |
| ย 4 | ย USC | ย 3 (T) | ย 90 |
| ย 5 | ย Arizona State | ย 5 | ย 84 |
| ย 6 | ย UC Irvine | ย 6 | ย 79 |
| ย 7 | ย California | ย 7 | ย 76 |
| ย 8 | ย UC San Diego | ย 8 | ย 73 |
| ย 9 | ย UC Santa Barbara | ย 9 | ย 66 |
| ย 10 | ย Michigan | ย 10 | ย 65 |
| ย 11 | ย Fresno State | ย 12 | ย 57 |
| ย 12 | ย Long Beach State | ย 11 | ย 56 |
| ย 13 | ย San Jose State | ย 13 | ย 54 |
| ย 14 | ย Indiana | ย 15 (T) | ย 45 |
| ย 15 | ย UC Davis | ย 14 | ย 44 |
| ย 16 | ย Loyola Marymount | ย 15 (T) | ย 40 |
| ย 17 | ย Harvard | ย 18 (T) | ย 34 |
| ย 18 | ย Wagner | ย 17 | ย 29 |
| ย 19 | ย Princeton | ย 21 | ย 28 |
| ย 20 | ย CSUN | ย 20 | ย 24 |
| ย 21 | ย Pacific | ย 18 (T) | ย 23 |
| ย 22 | ย San Diego State | ย 22 | ย 18 |
| ย 23 | ย Bucknell | ย 23 | ย 13 |
| ย 24 | ย Marist | ย 24 | ย 8 |
| ย 25 | ย CBU | ย 25 | ย 3 |
| ย RV | ย Sonoma State | ย RV | ย 2 |
| ย RV | ย Azusa Pacific | ย RV | ย 2 |
| ย RV | ย Cal State East Bay | ย NR | ย 1 |
| ย RV | ย Brown | ย RV | ย 1 |
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Water Polo
GK
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ATK
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