Saturday, April 15
Los Angeles, CA
1:00 PM

UCLA

vs

California

Brooke Doten vs. Fresno State
Brooke Doten and the UCLA Bruins have just two games left in the 2023 regular season.
Photo by: Marie Goldfarb

No. 3 UCLA Hosts No. 5 California on Saturday

April 12, 2023 | Women's Water Polo

SOCIAL MEDIA: WWP on Twitter | WWP on Facebook | WWP on Instagram

LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA (18-4, 3-1 MPSF) hosts No. 5 California (17-6, 3-1 MPSF) on Saturday, Apr. 15 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. UCLA will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform (link below). Sorry, no stream is available, but admission is FREE!

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Apr. 15 (MPSF Game – Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
1:00 PM PT – No. 5 California at No. 3 UCLA | LIVE STATS

Saturday, Apr. 22 (MPSF Game – Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
12:00 PM PT – No. 1 USC at No. 3 UCLA | WATCH | LIVE STATS

SERIES HISTORY
This is the 78th meeting between UCLA and California with the Bruins leading the series 62-15. The Golden Bears won the last meeting in the third-place game of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational, 9-7, in Irvine, Calif., on Feb. 26, 2023. A total of four Bruins got into the scoring column in the loss, including a team-high three goals from freshman Anna Pearson. Redshirt senior Georgia Phillips got the start in the cage and went the distance, recording a season-high 12 saves. Cal led 3-1 at the end of one and 6-3 at the break, but UCLA won the third quarter, 4-2, to pull to within one at 8-7 heading into the fourth period. California would tack on an insurance goal in the fourth quarter while holding the Bruins scoreless.

LAST WEEK IN BRUIN WATER POLO
The Bruins went 2-0 last week, defeating No. 9 Fresno State, 15-7, at home on Apr. 6 before posting a 17-10 win at No. 19 Arizona State on Apr. 8. Eight different Bruins got into the scoring column against the Bulldogs, led by freshmen Sienna Green and Anna Pearson, who each scored a hat trick. Sophomore Emma Lineback, junior Malia Allen, and graduate student Katrina Drake each scored twice for UCLA, which improved to 6-0 all-time against the Bulldogs. Redshirt senior Georgia Phillips got the start in the cage and played the first half, tallying six saves while allowing four goals. All four of the Bruins' goalkeepers saw action in the game. Freshman Izzy Rosensitto made her second appearance of the season and played the third quarter, giving up one goal and tallying two saves. Sophomore MJ Bailey and junior Sydney Chiang split time in the fourth quarter with each totaling two stops while allowing one goal apiece. Bailey made her debut for the Bruins against Fresno State after transferring in from Iona. Nine different Bruins got into the scoring column in the win over the Sun Devils, led by freshman Taylor Smith and graduate student Ava Johnson, who each scored a hat trick. Sophomores Emma Lineback and Molly Renner, junior Malia Allen, and graduate student Val Ayala each scored twice for UCLA, which improved to 31-2 all-time against the Sun Devils. Redshirt senior Georgia Phillips got the start in the cage and played the three and a half quarters, tallying eight saves and two steals while allowing seven goals. Freshman Izzy Rosensitto made her third appearance of the season and played the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, giving up two goals while tallying two saves. The final goal of the game that the Bruins allowed was credited to Katrina Drake who was in the 1B cap at the time ASU scored on an empty net.

PEARSON NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
The The MPSF announced on Apr. 4 that freshman utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Pearson scored two goals and drew a team-high four exclusions in the Bruins' 13-8 home win over No. 4 Hawai'i (Apr. 2). Pearson scored both of her goals on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter with UCLA trailing 4-1, sparking a 12-4 run to finish the game. It was the Bruins' first home game in 71 days (since Jan. 20, 2023) and was UCLA's only game of the week. This is the second career MPSF honor for Pearson.

PEARSON NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Feb. 7 that freshman utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Pearson tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 goals in four games of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 3-5). She opened with two goals and one steal in the win over No. 24 CSUN. Pearson added five goals on five shots and drew two exclusions with one steal in a win at No. 18 UC San Diego. She followed with a game-high-tying four goals, three exclusions and two steals in the win over No. 5 Hawai'i. She scored one goal, drew two exclusions and had two steals in the final vs. No. 2 USC. This is the first career MPSF honor for Pearson.

GESS NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Jan. 31 that freshman Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Gess tallied a season-high five points with the first hat trick of her collegiate career in the Bruins' only countable game at the California Cup, a 21-7 win over No. 11 UC Davis (Jan. 28). She scored her three goals on just three shots and also contributed two assists and two steals in the win over the Aggies. This is the first career MPSF honor for Gess.

SMITH NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
The MPSF announced on Jan. 24 that freshman Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week. Smith accumulated seven goals, four assists, a team-high 11 steals, and drew two exclusions (one penalty) in her collegiate debut week as the Bruins defeated five ranked opponents (Jan. 20-22). Smith's debut week included tying for the scoring lead with four goals against No. 21 San Diego State, along with four steals, one assist, and one drawn exclusion in the win against the Aztecs. She also shared the team lead in scoring in the win over No. 15 Wagner with two goals. This is the first career MPSF weekly award for Smith.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
First Team All-American and UCLA's all-time leading scorer, attacker Maddie Musselman, is gone. But the Bruins return six All-Americans from the 2022 squad that reached the NCAA Semifinals and went 24-6 (.800) overall. Graduate center Ava Johnson was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The remaining five Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades, which included graduate attacker Val Ayala, graduate utility Katrina Drake, senior utility Abbi Hill, redshirt senior goalkeeper Georgia Phillips, and sophomore attacker Molly Renner.

Johnson was seventh on the team in scoring with 38 points (30 goals, eight assists). The 30 goals ranked sixth on the team. She led the squad in exclusions drawn with a career-best 96 on the year. She tied for sixth on the team in field blocks (15). Johnson is a three-time All-American after earning First-Team honors in 2021 and being named Honorable Mention in 2020.

Ayala was third on the team in scoring with 57 points (34 goals, 23 assists). Her 34 goals ranked fourth on the squad while the 23 assists ranked tied for fourth. She ranked fifth on the team in steals with 15. She became the eighth player in UCLA history to become a four-time All-American after earning Third-Team honors in 2021, Second-Team acclaim in 2020 and Honorable Mention honors as a freshman.

Drake finished fourth on the team in scoring with 47 points (35 goals, 12 assists). The 35 goals ranked third on the squad while the 12 assists ranked seventh. She also was third on the team in exclusions drawn with 28 on the year. This was the second time she had earned All-America honors in her career (Honorable Mention in 2020).

Hill tied for ninth on the team in scoring with 32 points (22 goals, 10 assists). The 22 goals ranked tied for eighth on the team. She also finished fourth on the squad in exclusions drawn (24). This was her third straight All-America honor after being named Honorable Mention in 2021 and to the First Team as a freshman.

Phillips led the MPSF in save percentage (.604) and total saves (285). She also ranked third in the MPSF in goals against average at 7.35. This was the second All-America honor of her career after also being named Honorable Mention in 2020.

Renner tied for fifth on the team with 45 points (31 goals, 14 assists). The 31 goals ranked fifth on the squad while the 14 assists ranked sixth. Her 17 steals also tied for third-highest on the team last season when she was a true freshman.

RETURNING ALL-MPSF SELECTIONS
Ava Johnson earned All-MPSF honors for the second time in her career. She was named a Second-Team All-MPSF performer after earning First-Team honors in 2021. Goalkeeper Georgia Phillips was named Second-Team All-MPSF for the second time in her career (2020). Utility Abbi Hill garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF accolades after being named First-Team in 2020. Two Bruin freshmen were on the MPSF All-Newcomer Team, which included Emma Lineback and Molly Renner.

TENDING GOAL
The Bruins have four goalkeepers on the 2023 roster that will be vying for playing time but only two of them saw action last season. Leading the charge will be redshirt senior Georgia Phillips who played in 29 games (starting 28) while going 23-5 on the year. Junior Sydney Chiang played in 10 games (starting twice) while going 1-1 on the year. Looking to make an impact this season will be true freshman Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS) and sophomore transfer MJ Bailey (Long Beach, Calif./Pine View School (Sarasota, Fla.)/Iona College).
 
ALMOST ALL-CALIFORNIA RAISED
The streak of having only California players on the roster ends at three years as the Bruins welcomed in Aussie Sienna Green for the 2023 season. The native of Mosman, Australia, played club ball for Sydney University and made her debut with the Australian National Team (the Stingers) against Canada in March of 2022. Iona transfer MJ Bailey also played her entire prep career at Venice High School in Sarasota, Fla., before relocating to Long Beach, Calif., with her family in 2022.

WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his sixth season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2023 with an overall record of 123-32 (.794) and an MPSF mark of 23-11 (.676). Last season he won his 100th game at the helm of the women's program with a 9-8 victory at No. 4 California (Mar. 5, 2022). On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright would guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams.

WRIGHT SIGNS NEW SIX-YEAR CONTRACT
UCLA signed men's and women's water polo head coach Adam Wright to a new six-year contract that started in July of 2022 (announced on March 22, 2022). Wright was named the head coach of the UCLA Men's Water Polo team in 2009 and became the Bruins' Women's Water Polo head coach in 2017.

Wright just concluded his 14th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2022 with an overall record of 318-63 (.835) and an MPSF mark of 61-24 (.718). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014, 2015 and 2016, all while winning NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He won his fourth NCAA Championship with the men's team in 2021 (for the 2020 season).

RECAPPING 2022
Overall Record: 24-6 (.800) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) | Final Ranking: 4th | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th

UCLA finished the season at 24-6 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2022 in head coach Adam Wright's fifth season at the helm of the program. Maddie Musselman, the 2022 MPSF Player of the Year, led the Bruins in nearly every statistical category this past season with team-highs in goals (69, 3rd in MPSF), assists (39, 8th in MPSF), total points (108, 3rd in MPSF), steals (46, led MPSF), field blocks (17, 3rd in MPSF), and sprints won (.984, 60-1), which led the MPSF and the nation. Musselman became the school's all-time leading scorer in 2022, finishing her collegiate career with 251 goals. She also became just the second Bruin in UCLA Women's Water Polo history to earn First-Team All-America honors four times (2017-19, 2022), joining Rachel Fattal (2013-15, 2017) in that exclusive club. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games MVP also scored a personal-best six goals in a win at No. 6 Michigan during her senior season (Jan. 30, 2022). After the season Musselman was awarded a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship and headed to Temple University to continue her education in the College of Science and Technology (CST) Pre-Health Post Baccalaureate Program [Advanced Core in Health Science Program (ACHS)].

UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins held steady at No. 3 in Week 13 of the 2023 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (92 points), released on Apr. 12.
 
2023 Women's Varsity Top 25 (Week 13/April 12)
Rank Team Week 12 Poll Points
1  USC 2 98
2  Stanford  1 97
3  UCLA 3 92
4  Hawai'i 4 88
5  California 5 81
6 (T)  UC Irvine 7 (T) 76
6 (T)  Princeton 6 76
6 (T)  Long Beach State 7 (T) 76
9  Fresno State 9 67
10  UC Davis 11 62
11  UC Santa Barbara 12 57
12 (T)  Pacific 13 55
12 (T)  Michigan 10 55
14  Harvard 18 49
15 (T)  Loyola Marymount 14 42
15 (T)  Indiana 15 42
17  Wagner 16 (T) 39
18  UC San Diego 16 (T) 34
19  Arizona State 19 32
20  Brown 20 (T) 23
21  San Jose State 20 (T) 21
22 (T)  CSUN 23 (T) 12
22 (T)  Pomona-Pitzer 22 12
24  Long Island 25 8
25 (T)  San Diego State 23 (T) 6
25 (T)  Marist RV 6

Players Mentioned

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