UCLA WATER POLO UCLA WATER POLO
LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA (6-1, 0-0 MPSF) opens up MPSF play this weekend when it travels to Tempe, Ariz., to face No. 11 Arizona State (9-2, 0-0 MPSF) on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The Sun Devils will provide live stats on the 6-8Sports platform and the game will be streamed live on Overnght.com.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Sunday, Feb. 9 (MPSF Opener – Mona Plummer Aquatic Center – Tempe, Ariz.)
1:00 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA at No. 11 Arizona State | LIVE STATS | WATCH
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 37th meeting between UCLA and Arizona State with the Bruins leading the series 34-2. The Bruins defeated the Sun Devils twice last year, including a 14-12 win in MPSF play at home (Feb. 17) and a 13-8 win in the quarterfinals of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 3).
UCLA went 3-1 this past week at the Triton Invitational with a 29-4 win over Concordia University Irvine (Jan. 31), an 11-7 win at No. 14 UC San Diego (Feb. 1), a 17-7 win over No. 6 UC Irvine (Feb. 1) and a 14-11 loss to then-No. 3 USC (Feb. 2) at the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego.
Junior utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Jan. 28). UCLA went 3-0 this past week at the California Cup with a 17-8 win over No. 15 UC Davis and a 12-7 win over No. 8 Long Beach State on Saturday (Jan. 25) and an 18-14 win over No. 9 Fresno State on Sunday (Jan.26). The three wins to open the season extended the Bruins' winning streak to 29 games. Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) led the team in scoring on the weekend with 11 goals. She scored a hat trick and drew five exclusions and added one steal in the win over the Aggies and then tallied two goals, two earned exclusions, and one steal against the Beach. She closed out the tournament with a career-high six goals (on six shots) to go with three earned exclusions and one assist. For the weekend, she shot 11-for-12 (.917), drew 10 exclusions, had two steals, and tallied one assist. This is Pearson's fourth career MPSF award and the second time she has been named Player of the Week (Jan. 30, 2024).
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
A total of seven All-Americans will be suiting up for UCLA in 2025. The Bruins return three of their five All-Americans from the 2024 season, including two first-teamers, and picked up another one from the transfer portal for the 2025 campaign. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) and junior utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) both earned First-Team All-America honors last year and are joined by First-Team All-America transfer from Hawai'i, Bia Mantellato (São Paulo, Brazil/Newport Harbor HS). Steele, who was named the MVP of both the NCAA and MPSF Championship Tournaments, was also the 2024 ACWPC Player of the Year. The 2024 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, Steele started every game last year in the cage, going 26-0 with 268 saves (ranks fourth on UCLA's single-season charts). Pearson led the team in goals (39) and drawn exclusions (82) in 2024. Mantellato, a two-time Big West Player of the Year (2023 and 2024), led the Rainbow Wahine in goals (64) and drawn exclusions (60). Like Steele, Mantellato was also a Cutino Award finalist (two of the three from 2024 are now Bruins). Junior attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) earned Third-Team All-America accolades a year ago after finishing third on the team in goals (35) and in total points (53) with 18 assists to her credit and returns to the lineup. UCLA is also fortunate to have two Honorable Mention All-Americans from 2023 returning in redshirt sophomore utility Sienna Green (Mosman, Australia/SCEGGS Darlinghurst) and redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS). Green won a silver medal with Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and was third on the team in goals (39) in 2023. Lineback paced the Bruins' offense in 2023 with a team-high in goals (52), assists (27), total points (79), and in steals (24). Senior attacker Molly Renner earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2022 and was sixth on the team last year in goals (22) and returns for her final season. The Bruins lost the services of First-Team All-American Hannah Palmer (26 goals) and Third-Team All-American Malia Allen (33 goals). UCLA also lost the services of utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola), who was the lone Bruin to receive Delfina All-MPSF Honorable Mention accolades a year ago after tying Pearson for the team lead in goals (39).
EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE POSTS
All four of UCLA's goalkeepers on the 2025 roster saw playing time last season. The Bruins have a wealth of experience in the cage and National Player of the Year, Lauren Steele, headlines a group that includes junior Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), senior MJ Bailey (Sarasota, Fla./Pine View School), and sophomore Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS). Sydney Chiang (Temple City, Calif./Temple City HS) was the lone loss (graduation) at this position.
ANOTHER INFLUX OF YOUTH
The Bruins had 11 true freshmen join the ranks in 2024 and welcome in another eight this season. That class is bolstered by two redshirts from last year, putting the total of freshmen and sophomores to 18 on the 2025 roster. That is a total of 18 of the Bruins' 29 student-athletes (62.1 percent) on the roster with only one year or less of collegiate experience. The eight true freshmen include Kenya Cassidy (Atherton, Calif./Menlo School), Ryan Chalupnik (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Aubrey Graham (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View HS), Jenna Human (El Cajon, Calif./Santana HS), Ana Pieper (Orinda, Calif./Campolindo HS), Tali Stryker (Lafayette, Calif./Miramonte HS), Maile Turner (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista HS), and Jojo Walters (Dallas, Texas/Southlake Carroll HS). The class is joined by redshirts Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS) and Camille Greenlee (Carlsbad, Calif./The Bishop's School).
MORE BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
UCLA also returns nine players from its 2024 roster that all made significant contributions to the Bruins' undefeated NCAA title run last season. That group includes sophomores Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Becca Melanson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS), Olivia Ouellette (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), and Elektra Urbatsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day School), juniors Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Carly McMurray (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), and Genoa Rossi (Laguna Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS), and senior Nicole Struss (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS),
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his eighth season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2025 with an overall record of 158-37 (.810) and an MPSF mark of 31-12 (.721). 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). Top-seeded UCLA won its first league title since 2017 with a 10-4 win over fifth-ranked USC in the semifinals and a 13-10 win over third-ranked California in the finals of the 2024 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship, which marked the first MPSF Championship for the Bruin women in the Wright era. Wright guided the Bruins to their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history in 2024 with a perfect 26-0 record. It marked his first NCAA Championship with the women's program and he now has eight total titles, winning two as a player in 1999 and 2000, five as the Head Coach of the UCLA Men's Water Polo team (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024) and last year's title with the Bruin women. Wright was named the MPSF and ACWPC National Coach of the year in 2024 and is the first Bruin Head Coach to earn the honor since Adam Krikorian won it in 2009. It is the eighth time a Bruin mentor has been named the national Coach of the Year. Wright guided UCLA to just its third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads have ever had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). 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 2024
Overall Record: 26-0 (1.000) | MPSF Record: 6-0 (1.000) | Final Ranking: 1st | NCAA Finish: 1st | MPSF Tournament Finish: 1st
The UCLA Bruins (26-0) captured their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history with a 7-4 win at No. 3 California on May 12. UCLA completed just the third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads have ever had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). The Bruins registered the 123rd NCAA title in UCLA athletic department history. UCLA women's water polo has won 12 national championships in all, with four predating the first NCAA title. Head coach Adam Wright, who has guided the UCLA men's water polo program to five NCAA titles (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024), did so for the first time at the helm of the women's team.
UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins slid two spots to No. 3 in the 2025 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (92 points), released on Feb. 5.
LOS ANGELES – No. 3 UCLA (6-1, 0-0 MPSF) opens up MPSF play this weekend when it travels to Tempe, Ariz., to face No. 11 Arizona State (9-2, 0-0 MPSF) on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The Sun Devils will provide live stats on the 6-8Sports platform and the game will be streamed live on Overnght.com.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Sunday, Feb. 9 (MPSF Opener – Mona Plummer Aquatic Center – Tempe, Ariz.)
1:00 PM PT – No. 3 UCLA at No. 11 Arizona State | LIVE STATS | WATCH
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 37th meeting between UCLA and Arizona State with the Bruins leading the series 34-2. The Bruins defeated the Sun Devils twice last year, including a 14-12 win in MPSF play at home (Feb. 17) and a 13-8 win in the quarterfinals of the Triton Invitational (Feb. 3).
- From game recap (2/17): The Bruins had seven players score in the contest, paced by a season- and career-high five goals from sophomore Taylor Smith. Junior Molly Renner returned to the lineup after missing the last five games with an undisclosed injury and scored two goals, as did sophomore Anna Pearson and senior Anneliese Miller. Pearson scored the eventual game-winning goal with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter. Freshman Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, recording 10 saves and two steals, while allowing 12 goals.
- From game recap (2/3): The Bruins had nine players score in the contest, paced by freshman Natasha Kieckhafer's first hat trick of her collegiate career. Senior Malia Allen (season high) and sophomore Taylor Smith (tied season high) were the only other Bruins to score multiple goals as each finished with two against ASU. Freshman Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and played all but the final 1:52 of the game, recording eight saves and four steals, while allowing seven goals. Two of her saves came on Sun Devil penalty shots as ASU was awarded four during the game. Senior Sydney Chiang played the final 1:52, tallying one save while surrendering one power play goal.
UCLA went 3-1 this past week at the Triton Invitational with a 29-4 win over Concordia University Irvine (Jan. 31), an 11-7 win at No. 14 UC San Diego (Feb. 1), a 17-7 win over No. 6 UC Irvine (Feb. 1) and a 14-11 loss to then-No. 3 USC (Feb. 2) at the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego.
- From CUI game recap: A total of 16 different Bruins scored against CUI, paced by hat tricks from senior Nicole Struss (ties career high), junior Anna Pearson, sophomore Elektra Urbatsch (career high), and freshman Tali Stryker (career high). Freshman Jenna Human led the Bruins in scoring with six total points (two goals and four assists). Four other Bruins scored multiple goals in the win, which included two scores each from juniors Lily Gess and Carly McMurray (ties career high), sophomore Becca Melanson, and freshman Maile Turner (career high, first two goals of her collegiate career). Steele got the start in the cage and played all of the first half, tallying six saves and one assist, while allowing three goals. Sophomore Joey Niz played the second half in the cage, recording four stops, two steals, and one assist, while giving up one goal.
- From UCSD game recap: In the quarterfinals, 10 different Bruins scored against the Tritons, paced by a pair of goals by sophomore Elektra Urbatsch. She was the only Bruin to score more than one goal in the win. Sophomore Lauren Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, tallying nine saves, three steals, and an assist, while allowing seven goals.
- From UCI game recap: In the semifinals, a total of 11 different Bruins scored in the win over UC Irvine, paced by a hat trick from redshirt junior Emma Lineback. Juniors Bia Mantellato and Taylor Smith, and sophomores Becca Melanson and Natasha Kieckhafer each added two scores for the Bruins. Steele got the start again and played the first three periods, tallying a season-high 14 saves and two assists while allowing six goals. Sophomore Joey Niz played the fourth quarter and had four saves while giving up one goal.
- From USC game recap: A total of eight different Bruins scored against USC, paced by a pair of goals each from senior Molly Renner, redshirt junior Emma Lineback, and sophomore Becca Melanson. Lineback finished with a game-high four assists to pace all scorers with six points. Steele got the start in the cage and went the distance, recording 12 saves and three steals while allowing 14 goals.
Junior utility Anna Pearson was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Jan. 28). UCLA went 3-0 this past week at the California Cup with a 17-8 win over No. 15 UC Davis and a 12-7 win over No. 8 Long Beach State on Saturday (Jan. 25) and an 18-14 win over No. 9 Fresno State on Sunday (Jan.26). The three wins to open the season extended the Bruins' winning streak to 29 games. Pearson (Irvine, Calif. / Orange Lutheran HS) led the team in scoring on the weekend with 11 goals. She scored a hat trick and drew five exclusions and added one steal in the win over the Aggies and then tallied two goals, two earned exclusions, and one steal against the Beach. She closed out the tournament with a career-high six goals (on six shots) to go with three earned exclusions and one assist. For the weekend, she shot 11-for-12 (.917), drew 10 exclusions, had two steals, and tallied one assist. This is Pearson's fourth career MPSF award and the second time she has been named Player of the Week (Jan. 30, 2024).
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
A total of seven All-Americans will be suiting up for UCLA in 2025. The Bruins return three of their five All-Americans from the 2024 season, including two first-teamers, and picked up another one from the transfer portal for the 2025 campaign. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS) and junior utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) both earned First-Team All-America honors last year and are joined by First-Team All-America transfer from Hawai'i, Bia Mantellato (São Paulo, Brazil/Newport Harbor HS). Steele, who was named the MVP of both the NCAA and MPSF Championship Tournaments, was also the 2024 ACWPC Player of the Year. The 2024 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, Steele started every game last year in the cage, going 26-0 with 268 saves (ranks fourth on UCLA's single-season charts). Pearson led the team in goals (39) and drawn exclusions (82) in 2024. Mantellato, a two-time Big West Player of the Year (2023 and 2024), led the Rainbow Wahine in goals (64) and drawn exclusions (60). Like Steele, Mantellato was also a Cutino Award finalist (two of the three from 2024 are now Bruins). Junior attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) earned Third-Team All-America accolades a year ago after finishing third on the team in goals (35) and in total points (53) with 18 assists to her credit and returns to the lineup. UCLA is also fortunate to have two Honorable Mention All-Americans from 2023 returning in redshirt sophomore utility Sienna Green (Mosman, Australia/SCEGGS Darlinghurst) and redshirt junior attacker Emma Lineback (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS). Green won a silver medal with Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and was third on the team in goals (39) in 2023. Lineback paced the Bruins' offense in 2023 with a team-high in goals (52), assists (27), total points (79), and in steals (24). Senior attacker Molly Renner earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2022 and was sixth on the team last year in goals (22) and returns for her final season. The Bruins lost the services of First-Team All-American Hannah Palmer (26 goals) and Third-Team All-American Malia Allen (33 goals). UCLA also lost the services of utility Panni Szegedi (Budapest, Hungary/Kolping Katolikus Iskola), who was the lone Bruin to receive Delfina All-MPSF Honorable Mention accolades a year ago after tying Pearson for the team lead in goals (39).
EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE POSTS
All four of UCLA's goalkeepers on the 2025 roster saw playing time last season. The Bruins have a wealth of experience in the cage and National Player of the Year, Lauren Steele, headlines a group that includes junior Izzy Rosensitto (Newport Beach, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), senior MJ Bailey (Sarasota, Fla./Pine View School), and sophomore Joey Niz (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS). Sydney Chiang (Temple City, Calif./Temple City HS) was the lone loss (graduation) at this position.
ANOTHER INFLUX OF YOUTH
The Bruins had 11 true freshmen join the ranks in 2024 and welcome in another eight this season. That class is bolstered by two redshirts from last year, putting the total of freshmen and sophomores to 18 on the 2025 roster. That is a total of 18 of the Bruins' 29 student-athletes (62.1 percent) on the roster with only one year or less of collegiate experience. The eight true freshmen include Kenya Cassidy (Atherton, Calif./Menlo School), Ryan Chalupnik (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Aubrey Graham (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View HS), Jenna Human (El Cajon, Calif./Santana HS), Ana Pieper (Orinda, Calif./Campolindo HS), Tali Stryker (Lafayette, Calif./Miramonte HS), Maile Turner (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista HS), and Jojo Walters (Dallas, Texas/Southlake Carroll HS). The class is joined by redshirts Alexsa Gimenez (Commerce, Calif./Downey HS) and Camille Greenlee (Carlsbad, Calif./The Bishop's School).
MORE BRUINS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
UCLA also returns nine players from its 2024 roster that all made significant contributions to the Bruins' undefeated NCAA title run last season. That group includes sophomores Dania Innis (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte HS), Natasha Kieckhafer (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Becca Melanson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS), Olivia Ouellette (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS), and Elektra Urbatsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day School), juniors Lily Gess (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), Carly McMurray (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), and Genoa Rossi (Laguna Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS), and senior Nicole Struss (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach HS),
WRIGHT ON DECK
Adam Wright is in his eighth season as UCLA's head women's water polo coach in 2025 with an overall record of 158-37 (.810) and an MPSF mark of 31-12 (.721). 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). Top-seeded UCLA won its first league title since 2017 with a 10-4 win over fifth-ranked USC in the semifinals and a 13-10 win over third-ranked California in the finals of the 2024 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship, which marked the first MPSF Championship for the Bruin women in the Wright era. Wright guided the Bruins to their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history in 2024 with a perfect 26-0 record. It marked his first NCAA Championship with the women's program and he now has eight total titles, winning two as a player in 1999 and 2000, five as the Head Coach of the UCLA Men's Water Polo team (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024) and last year's title with the Bruin women. Wright was named the MPSF and ACWPC National Coach of the year in 2024 and is the first Bruin Head Coach to earn the honor since Adam Krikorian won it in 2009. It is the eighth time a Bruin mentor has been named the national Coach of the Year. Wright guided UCLA to just its third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads have ever had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). 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 2024
Overall Record: 26-0 (1.000) | MPSF Record: 6-0 (1.000) | Final Ranking: 1st | NCAA Finish: 1st | MPSF Tournament Finish: 1st
The UCLA Bruins (26-0) captured their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history with a 7-4 win at No. 3 California on May 12. UCLA completed just the third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads have ever had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). The Bruins registered the 123rd NCAA title in UCLA athletic department history. UCLA women's water polo has won 12 national championships in all, with four predating the first NCAA title. Head coach Adam Wright, who has guided the UCLA men's water polo program to five NCAA titles (2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2024), did so for the first time at the helm of the women's team.
UCLA IN THE CWPA POLL
The Bruins slid two spots to No. 3 in the 2025 CWPA National Women's Varsity Top 25 Poll (92 points), released on Feb. 5.
| 2025 Women's Varsity Top 25 (Week 3/February 5) | |||
| Rank | Team | Week 2 Poll | Points |
| 1 | USC | 3 | 98 |
| 2 | Stanford | 2 | 97 |
| 3 | UCLA | 1 | 92 |
| 4 | California | 4 | 89 |
| 5 | Hawai'i | 5 | 84 |
| 6 | UC Irvine | 6 | 77 |
| 7 | Long Beach State | 10 | 73 |
| 8 | Princeton | 9 | 71 |
| 9 | UC Davis | 21 | 68 |
| 10 | Fresno State | 7 (T) | 64 |
| 11 | Arizona State | 7 (T) | 58 |
| 12 | Indiana | 12 | 55 |
| 13 | UC San Diego | 14 | 54 |
| 14 | LMU | 11 | 50 |
| 15 | UC Santa Barbara | 15 | 44 |
| 16 | Michigan | 13 | 42 |
| 17 | San Jose State | 16 | 35 |
| 18 | Harvard | 19 (T) | 29 |
| 19 | CSUN | 17 | 27 |
| 20 | Wagner | 19 (T) | 21 |
| 21 | Brown | 22 (T) | 18 |
| 22 | Pacific | 24 | 16 |
| 23 | San Diego State | 18 | 15 |
| 24 | California Baptist University | 22 (T) | 12 |
| 25 (T) | LIU | 25 | 3 |
| 25 (T) | Pomona-Pitzer | RV | 3 |
| RV | Marist | RV | 2 |
| RV | Biola | RV | 2 |
| RV | Villanova | NR | 1 |