LOS ANGELES – No. 1 UCLA (8-0, 0-0 MPSF) hosts No. 8 UC Irvine (4-4) in its 2024 home opener this week. The Bruins and the Anteaters will square off on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. Admission is free. The Bruins and fans in attendance will be treated by the solid gold sound of the UCLA Band. UCLA will provide live stats on the 6-8 Sports platform. No stream/television will be provided.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Feb. 10 (Spieker Aquatics Center – Los Angeles, Calif.)
1:00 PM PT – No. 8 UC Irvine at No. 1 UCLA | LIVE STATS
Saturday, Feb. 17 (Spieker Aquatics Center – Los Angeles, Calif. – MPSF Opener)
12:00 PM PT – No. 7 Arizona State at No. 1 UCLA | LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 35th meeting between UCLA and UC Irvine with the Bruins leading the series 34-0. The Bruins defeated the Anteaters twice last year, 12-9, at UC Irvine (Feb. 11) and 14-12 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship in Stockton, Calif., on May 12, 2023.
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
No. 3 UCLA posted four wins, including three over ranked teams, two of which were in the Top 5, to win the Triton Invitational (Feb. 2-4). The Bruins opened with a 19-4 win over California Baptist University in the first round on Feb. 2. UCLA won its quarterfinal game against No. 14 Arizona State, 13-8, in the first game on Feb. 3. In the nightcap, the Bruins rallied from a 5-0 start by Hawai'i to post a 13-12 overtime victory over the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine in the semifinals. In the title win over the fifth-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs, the Bruins won a tight affair, 10-8, on Sunday (Feb. 4).
SZEGEDI NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA freshman utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 6. Szegedi scored seven goals (tied for the team lead), registered four assists, four steals, won four sprints and drew two exclusions to help the Bruins win the Triton Invitational (Feb. 2-4). Szegedi opened with a hat trick in the win against California Baptist. She then scored on her only shot and won her only sprint in the victory over No. 14 Arizona State. In the semifinal win over No. 4 Hawai'i, she scored twice, including the final goal in regulation to send the game into overtime. She added three steals, three sprints, one earned exclusion and one assist against the Rainbow Wahine. In the championship vs. No. 5 Fresno State, she scored once and added three assists, one steal, and drew one exclusion. This is the second career MPSF weekly award for Szegedi, including a repeat of last week.
BRUINS SWEEP WEEKLY MPSF AWARDS
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as sophomore utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshman utility Panni Szegedi was tabbed the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 30. UCLA went 1-0 this past week with an 18-10 win over No. 14 UC Davis in its only countable game at the California Cup on Saturday (Jan. 27) to help the Bruins remain undefeated at 4-0 on the year. Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) led the team and tied her career high with five goals (on seven shots) against the Aggies. She also drew a team-high three exclusions. Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary / Kolping Katolikus Iskola) scored the first hat trick (on five shots) of her collegiate career against UC Davis. The freshman did a little bit of everything, winning all three of her sprints, drawing one exclusion, and recording a game-high four steals. It marked Pearson's third and Szegedi's first career MPSF award of their respective careers.
STEELE NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 23. Steele went 3-0 in the cage as the Bruins' starting goalkeeper against three ranked teams at the UCSB Winter Invitational over the weekend. She racked up a total of 17 saves (10.0 saves per game) while sporting a 5.88 goals against average in her three appearances in goal. While starting every game, she led the team in steals with five as she played just over half of the 12 quarters (6.8) in the cage and then played in the field, where she finished tied for fourth on the team in scoring with three goals (on six shots). She had five saves while pitching a shutout in the first period in the win over No. 25 Marist. She followed that with eight saves, three steals, and her first collegiate goal in the win over No. 10 UC San Diego in 29:50 of action in goal. In the win at No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, she played 16:38 in the cage, making four saves and two steals while allowing just four goals. She also scored twice (on two shots) against the Gauchos. This was Lauren Steele's first career MPSF award.
PEARSON IS LONE RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN FROM 2023
Sophomore utility Anna Pearson is the only Bruin All-American back for the 2024 season. She earned Honorable Mention accolades after finishing second on the team in scoring with 46 goals. First Team All-American center Ava Johnson, graduated, as did Second-Teamer, utility Katrina Drake. Junior attacker Emma Lineback and sophomore utility Sienna Green both earned Honorable Mention plaudits and both will miss the 2024 campaign to train for a spot on the National Teams of their respective countries, USA and Australia, for the Olympic Games.
TWO MORE ALL-AMERICANS RETURNING
But while only one player is back this season that earned All-America acclaim in 2023, the Bruins return two more players that have achieved All-America status in their respective careers. Junior attacker Molly Renner earned Honorable Mention honors in 2022 and was eighth on the team last year in scoring with 25 goals (56 in her career). Graduate student Hannah Palmer has decided to use her free COVID year and return for a fifth season after earning Second-Team All-America honors in 2021. The attacker was 10th on the team last year in scoring with 20 goals (93 in her career).
RETURNING ALL-MPSF SELECTIONS
While five of the Bruins' seven All-MPSF selections from a year ago are either gone or using an Olympic year, two players return from the 2023 season that received postseason accolades from the league office. Both are sophomores in utility Anna Pearson and attacker Taylor Smith, who was seventh on the squad in scoring with 30 goals.
TENDING GOAL
The Bruins have five goalkeepers on the 2024 roster that will be vying for playing time and three of them saw action last season. Leading the charge will be senior Sydney Chiang, who played in eight games (starting six times) while going 6-0 on the year. Sophomore Izzy Rosensitto made one appearance on the year while junior MJ Bailey also played in one game. Looking to make an immediate impact will be two true freshmen goalkeepers in Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) and Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Bruins will be a fairly young team in 2024 with 11 true freshmen and six sophomores on the roster. That is a total of 17 of the Bruins' 26 student-athletes (65.4 percent) on the roster with only one year or less of collegiate experience. The 11 freshmen include the two aforementioned goalies, as well as center Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), attackers Elektra Urbatsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day School), Becca Melanson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS), Helene MacBeth (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS), Camille Greenlee (Carlsbad, Calif./The Bishop's School), and Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS), and utilities Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Olivia Ouellette (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), and Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola).
OUTNUMBERED BUT MIGHTY
UCLA will have nine players on its 2024 roster that are either juniors, seniors or graduate students. Three graduate students are using their free COVID year to play in 2024 and they include attackers Fiona Kuesis, Hannah Palmer, and Brooke Doten. The Bruins also have three seniors on the roster that includes goalkeeper Sydney Chiang and attackers Anneliese Miller and Malia Allen. While junior Emma Lineback is taking an Olympic year, three other juniors return in 2024 that includes goalkeeper MJ Bailey, attacker Molly Renner, and utility Nicole Struss.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his seventh season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2024 with an overall record of 134-36 (.788) and an MPSF mark of 25-12 (.676). He recently 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.
RECAPPING 2023
Overall Record: 21-8 (.724) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) | Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 21-8 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2023 in head coach Adam Wright's sixth season at the helm of the program. Five Bruins earned All-America acclaim on the year. Graduate center Ava Johnson headlined the list of Bruin selections as UCLA's lone First-Team honoree. Graduate utility Katrina Drake was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The remaining three Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades, which included sophomore attacker Emma Lineback and a pair of freshmen utility in Anna Pearson and Sienna Green.
UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins jumped two spots to No. 1 in the 2024 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (100 points), released on Feb. 7.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Saturday, Feb. 10 (Spieker Aquatics Center – Los Angeles, Calif.)
1:00 PM PT – No. 8 UC Irvine at No. 1 UCLA | LIVE STATS
Saturday, Feb. 17 (Spieker Aquatics Center – Los Angeles, Calif. – MPSF Opener)
12:00 PM PT – No. 7 Arizona State at No. 1 UCLA | LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 35th meeting between UCLA and UC Irvine with the Bruins leading the series 34-0. The Bruins defeated the Anteaters twice last year, 12-9, at UC Irvine (Feb. 11) and 14-12 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship in Stockton, Calif., on May 12, 2023.
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
No. 3 UCLA posted four wins, including three over ranked teams, two of which were in the Top 5, to win the Triton Invitational (Feb. 2-4). The Bruins opened with a 19-4 win over California Baptist University in the first round on Feb. 2. UCLA won its quarterfinal game against No. 14 Arizona State, 13-8, in the first game on Feb. 3. In the nightcap, the Bruins rallied from a 5-0 start by Hawai'i to post a 13-12 overtime victory over the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine in the semifinals. In the title win over the fifth-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs, the Bruins won a tight affair, 10-8, on Sunday (Feb. 4).
SZEGEDI NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA freshman utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Feb. 6. Szegedi scored seven goals (tied for the team lead), registered four assists, four steals, won four sprints and drew two exclusions to help the Bruins win the Triton Invitational (Feb. 2-4). Szegedi opened with a hat trick in the win against California Baptist. She then scored on her only shot and won her only sprint in the victory over No. 14 Arizona State. In the semifinal win over No. 4 Hawai'i, she scored twice, including the final goal in regulation to send the game into overtime. She added three steals, three sprints, one earned exclusion and one assist against the Rainbow Wahine. In the championship vs. No. 5 Fresno State, she scored once and added three assists, one steal, and drew one exclusion. This is the second career MPSF weekly award for Szegedi, including a repeat of last week.
BRUINS SWEEP WEEKLY MPSF AWARDS
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as sophomore utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshman utility Panni Szegedi was tabbed the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 30. UCLA went 1-0 this past week with an 18-10 win over No. 14 UC Davis in its only countable game at the California Cup on Saturday (Jan. 27) to help the Bruins remain undefeated at 4-0 on the year. Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) led the team and tied her career high with five goals (on seven shots) against the Aggies. She also drew a team-high three exclusions. Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary / Kolping Katolikus Iskola) scored the first hat trick (on five shots) of her collegiate career against UC Davis. The freshman did a little bit of everything, winning all three of her sprints, drawing one exclusion, and recording a game-high four steals. It marked Pearson's third and Szegedi's first career MPSF award of their respective careers.
STEELE NAMED MPSF/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) has been named the MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Jan. 23. Steele went 3-0 in the cage as the Bruins' starting goalkeeper against three ranked teams at the UCSB Winter Invitational over the weekend. She racked up a total of 17 saves (10.0 saves per game) while sporting a 5.88 goals against average in her three appearances in goal. While starting every game, she led the team in steals with five as she played just over half of the 12 quarters (6.8) in the cage and then played in the field, where she finished tied for fourth on the team in scoring with three goals (on six shots). She had five saves while pitching a shutout in the first period in the win over No. 25 Marist. She followed that with eight saves, three steals, and her first collegiate goal in the win over No. 10 UC San Diego in 29:50 of action in goal. In the win at No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, she played 16:38 in the cage, making four saves and two steals while allowing just four goals. She also scored twice (on two shots) against the Gauchos. This was Lauren Steele's first career MPSF award.
PEARSON IS LONE RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN FROM 2023
Sophomore utility Anna Pearson is the only Bruin All-American back for the 2024 season. She earned Honorable Mention accolades after finishing second on the team in scoring with 46 goals. First Team All-American center Ava Johnson, graduated, as did Second-Teamer, utility Katrina Drake. Junior attacker Emma Lineback and sophomore utility Sienna Green both earned Honorable Mention plaudits and both will miss the 2024 campaign to train for a spot on the National Teams of their respective countries, USA and Australia, for the Olympic Games.
TWO MORE ALL-AMERICANS RETURNING
But while only one player is back this season that earned All-America acclaim in 2023, the Bruins return two more players that have achieved All-America status in their respective careers. Junior attacker Molly Renner earned Honorable Mention honors in 2022 and was eighth on the team last year in scoring with 25 goals (56 in her career). Graduate student Hannah Palmer has decided to use her free COVID year and return for a fifth season after earning Second-Team All-America honors in 2021. The attacker was 10th on the team last year in scoring with 20 goals (93 in her career).
RETURNING ALL-MPSF SELECTIONS
While five of the Bruins' seven All-MPSF selections from a year ago are either gone or using an Olympic year, two players return from the 2023 season that received postseason accolades from the league office. Both are sophomores in utility Anna Pearson and attacker Taylor Smith, who was seventh on the squad in scoring with 30 goals.
TENDING GOAL
The Bruins have five goalkeepers on the 2024 roster that will be vying for playing time and three of them saw action last season. Leading the charge will be senior Sydney Chiang, who played in eight games (starting six times) while going 6-0 on the year. Sophomore Izzy Rosensitto made one appearance on the year while junior MJ Bailey also played in one game. Looking to make an immediate impact will be two true freshmen goalkeepers in Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) and Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Bruins will be a fairly young team in 2024 with 11 true freshmen and six sophomores on the roster. That is a total of 17 of the Bruins' 26 student-athletes (65.4 percent) on the roster with only one year or less of collegiate experience. The 11 freshmen include the two aforementioned goalies, as well as center Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), attackers Elektra Urbatsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day School), Becca Melanson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS), Helene MacBeth (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS), Camille Greenlee (Carlsbad, Calif./The Bishop's School), and Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS), and utilities Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Olivia Ouellette (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), and Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola).
OUTNUMBERED BUT MIGHTY
UCLA will have nine players on its 2024 roster that are either juniors, seniors or graduate students. Three graduate students are using their free COVID year to play in 2024 and they include attackers Fiona Kuesis, Hannah Palmer, and Brooke Doten. The Bruins also have three seniors on the roster that includes goalkeeper Sydney Chiang and attackers Anneliese Miller and Malia Allen. While junior Emma Lineback is taking an Olympic year, three other juniors return in 2024 that includes goalkeeper MJ Bailey, attacker Molly Renner, and utility Nicole Struss.
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his seventh season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2024 with an overall record of 134-36 (.788) and an MPSF mark of 25-12 (.676). He recently 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.
RECAPPING 2023
Overall Record: 21-8 (.724) | MPSF Record: 4-2 (.667) | Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th
UCLA finished the season at 21-8 overall and 4-2 in the MPSF in 2023 in head coach Adam Wright's sixth season at the helm of the program. Five Bruins earned All-America acclaim on the year. Graduate center Ava Johnson headlined the list of Bruin selections as UCLA's lone First-Team honoree. Graduate utility Katrina Drake was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The remaining three Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades, which included sophomore attacker Emma Lineback and a pair of freshmen utility in Anna Pearson and Sienna Green.
UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins jumped two spots to No. 1 in the 2024 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (100 points), released on Feb. 7.
| 2024 Women's Varsity Top 25 (Week 3/February 7) | |||
| Rank | Team | Week 2 Poll | Points |
| 1. | UCLA | 3 | 100 |
| 2. | Hawai'i | 4 | 94 |
| 3. | Fresno State | 5 | 90 |
| 4. | Stanford | 6 (T) | 86 |
| 5. | California | 2 | 84 |
| 6. | USC | 1 | 83 |
| 7. | Arizona State | 14 | 71 |
| 8 (T). | Michigan | 10 | 67 |
| 8 (T). | Princeton | 8 | 67 |
| 8 (T). | UC Irvine | 6 (T) | 67 |
| 11. | Loyola Marymount | 11 | 64 |
| 12 (T). | UC Santa Barbara | 12 | 50 |
| 12 (T). | Long Beach State | 13 | 50 |
| 14 (T). | UC San Diego | 9 | 46 |
| 14 (T). | UC Davis | 16 (T) | 46 |
| 14 (T). | Indiana | 15 | 46 |
| 17. | Pacific | 16 (T) | 36 |
| 18. | Wagner | 20 | 33 |
| 19 (T). | Wagner | 18 | 27 |
| 19 (T). | San Jose State | 19 | 27 |
| 21. | Long Island University | 21 | 20 |
| 22. | San Diego State | 22 | 13 |
| 23. | CSUN | 23 (T) | 12 |
| 24. | Biola | 23 (T) | 11 |
| 25. | Pomona-Pitzer | 25 | 7 |
| RV | Brown | RV | 3 |
| RV | Marist | RV | 2 |
| RV | La Salle | NR | 1 |