Bruins Earn Eight All-MPSF Accolades
April 08, 2020 | Women's Water Polo
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WOODLAND, Calif. – Six different Bruins received recognition from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
Freshman utility Abbi Hill and sophomore attacker Val Ayala were both named to the first team while redshirt freshman goalkeeper Georgia Phillips received second team honors. Sophomore utility Katrina Drake and senior defender Brooke Maxson were both named honorable mention. Three of the seven members on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team were Bruins, which included Hill and Phillips as well as Bruin freshman attacker Hannah Palmer.
Hill was the only player in the MPSF to rank in the top eight in goals, assists, and steals on the year. She led the Bruins and was tied for third in the league with 41 goals and was tied for third on the team and eighth in the MPSF with 16 assists. She also led UCLA and tied for the lead in the MPSF in steals with 25 in the 21 games on the year. She scored a season-best seven goals in a win over No. 21 Wagner (Jan. 26). It was the highest individual effort on the year in the MPSF.
Ayala, an All-Newcomer Team selection a year ago, was fifth on the team in goals (22) and total points (37). She was third on the squad in steals with 18, which ranked tied for eighth in the MPSF. She scored a season-high three goals in a win over Iona College (Jan. 18) and against No. 21 Wagner (Jan. 26).
Phillips made nine starts and 11 appearances on the year, going 8-1 in those starts. She was sixth in the league in saves per game (7.55) and was 10th in goals against average (6.57). She registered a season-high 12 saves in a win at No. 8 California.
Drake was third on the team in total points (43) and goals (29) while finishing fourth in steals (16) and sixth in assists (14). She scored a season- and career-high four goals in a win over No. 8 Arizona State (Feb. 9). She was also third on the squad in drawn exclusions (14). She also ranked 10th in the league in sprint percentage won at 75.0 percent (6-of-8).
Maxson scored 11 goals and had seven assists on the year for a total of 18 points. She also tallied four steals and two drawn exclusions while ranking tied for second on the team in field blocks (9). She scored a season- and career-high-tying two goals in the win over Iona College (Jan. 18).
Palmer led the Bruins and the MPSF in assists (24) and was second on the team and tied for seventh in the league in total points (48). She was fourth on the squad in scoring with 24 goals. She was also second on the team and sixth in the MPSF in steals (22). She had five field blocks on the year and was fourth on the team in drawn exclusions (12). She scored her season-high of three goals twice on the same day in wins over Pomona-Pitzer and No. 19 Indiana (Feb. 8).
The Bruins finished the year with an overall record of 19-2 and a 2-0 mark in the MPSF and a No. 2 national ranking in the final CWPA poll (Mar. 18).
