No. 3 Women's Water Polo Falls to Top-Ranked USC 13-11

Saturday, April 4

Los Angeles, Calif.

1:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

18-3

USC

21-2

UCLA (W)

USC (W)

Elektra Urbatsch

Photo by: Kyla Henderson

No. 3 Women's Water Polo Falls to Top-Ranked USC 13-11

April 04, 2026 | Women's Water Polo

Box Score

LOS ANGELES – The third-ranked UCLA women's water polo team dropped a 13-11 decision to No. 1 USC in the teams' regular-season finale Saturday at Uytengsu Aquatics Center. USC secured the MPSF Championship Tournament's No. 1 seed, while UCLA was locked into No. 3.

Five players had two-goal games for the Bruins (18-3, 4-2 MPSF). UCLA's Lauren Steele logged 12 saves. The Trojans (21-2, 6-0) were led by Emily Ausmus, who scored five goals. Ava Stryker added three scores for the hosts. USC's Anna Reed recorded eight saves.

The Bruins jumped out to a 3-1 lead at the end of one, with Tali Stryker, Bia Mantellato and Dania Innis capitalizing on even-strength scoring opportunities after the Trojans tallied their first. Steele stopped four shots across the initial eight minutes.

Ausmus converted her first of two penalty shots to open the second quarter. USC pulled level at 4:52, but Innis struck again on a power play to put UCLA back on top just shy of the two-minute mark. The Trojans responded by taking advantage of a six-on-five chance of their own and tacked on an even-strength goal in the final two minutes to take the lead going into halftime.

USC opened scoring in the third, taking its first two-goal lead. The Bruins answered, though, with Taylor Smith and Elektra Urbatsch (power play) finding the back of the net. The Trojans scored once more in the final seconds and entered the fourth ahead by one.

Goals were scored early and often in the final frame, starting with Bruin Emma Lineback's six-on-five effort at 6:52. USC countered with two in that same minute before Lineback turned in another. UCLA continued trading one goal for two, though, with the Trojans registering four in the next 4:35 and Smith accounting for the lone Bruin effort. Urbatsch and Lineback added two in the final minute, but it was too little, too late.

UCLA opens up play at the MPSF Tournament, hosted by California, on Friday, April 10. The Bruins square off with No. 6 seed Indiana at 12:45 p.m. PT.

No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 1 USC

SCOREBOARD	1	2	3	4	FINAL
No. 3 UCLA	3	1	2	5	11
No. 1 USC	4	2	1	6	13

6x5: UCLA – 3/7, USC – 2/7
Penalties: UCLA – 0/0, USC – 2/3

UCLA Goals: Dania Innis 2, Emma Lineback 2, Bia Mantellato 2, Taylor Smith 2, Elektra Urbatsch 2, Tali Stryker 1
UCLA Saves: Lauren Steele 12

USC Goals: Emily Ausmus 5, Ava Stryker 3, Rachel Gazzaniga 2, Alma Yaacobi 2, Natalia Blazevic 1
USC Saves: Anna Reed 8