University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Six Bruins Earn All-America Accolades
May 06, 2020 | Women's Water Polo
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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- Six members of the UCLA women's water polo team earned ACWPC 2020 All-America recognition, the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches announced.
Freshman Abbi Hill headlined the list of Bruin selections with the lone First-Team accolades. Sophomoreย Val Ayala earned her second straight All-America recognition as she was named to the Second Team after earning Honorable Mention plaudits last year. Four Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades for the first time in their careers. That group includes redshirt freshman Georgia Phillips, senior Brooke Maxson, and sophomores Katrina Drake and Ava Johnson.
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.
Maxsonย 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).
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).
Johnson was tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 22 goals and led the team in shooting percentage at 61.1 percent (22-for-36) and also led the Bruins in drawn exclusions (40). She also had eight steals, five field blocks and five assists on the year. She scored a season- and career-high-tying four goals in the last game of the year, a win at No. 23 Pacific (Mar. 8).
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