Staff Directory

Valerie Ayala

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:

UCLA Head Coach Adam Wright has completed his women's water polo coaching staff with the hiring of UCLA four-time All-American, Val Ayala. Ayala reported to her new post of assistant coach for the UCLA Women's Water Polo team effective Sept. 25, 2024. She will be in her first season in 2025.

Ayala, who replaced Sarah Lizotte, played five seasons for the Bruins from 2019-23 and was a four-time All-American selection (2019-22) and was also named Crestview League's Female Athlete of the Year and the Crestview League's MVP her senior year in 2018 at Foothill High School in Tustin, Calif.

She just completed her first year of coaching as an assistant coach for the Cal State Fullerton Men's Water Polo team, which celebrated its inaugural season in 2023. She also served as an assistant coach for the Titans' Women's Water Polo team in 2024.

"We are really grateful to have Val back in Westwood after her year of coaching at Cal State Fullerton," Wright said. "It is so important for our programs to have continuity and a deep understanding of what it is like to be a student-athlete at UCLA. Val's ability to connect with our student-athletes will simply be different as she was an accomplished student-athlete within our program."

Ayala graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in political science. After graduating, she returned to UCLA to take advantage of her COVID year while continuing as a graduate student working to earn a master's degree in transformative coaching and leadership.

"Val understands the demands of performing at a high level in both academics and in the pool," Wright added. "She also knows what the UCLA standard is as she upheld and helped move the standard forward during her playing time here. Val's deep understanding of our expectations for UCLA Water Polo student-athletes will serve each and every one of our current players well and we are excited to have her back at Spieker Aquatics Center."

AYALA'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• 4-time ACWPC All-American (Honorable Mention 2019, 2022, Second Team 2020, Third Team 2021)
• NCAA All-Tournament (Second Team 2021)
• 2-time All-MPSF (First Team 2020, Honorable Mention 2023)
• MPSF All-Newcomer Team (2019)
• MPSF All-Academic Team (2023)
• MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week (Apr. 27, 2021)
• MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week (Jan. 22, 2019)
• 8-time UCLA Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Winter 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Winter 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023)

AYALA'S CAREER STATISTICS
Year	GAMES	GOALS	SHOTS	PCT	AST	STL	BLK	EE
2019	31	34	108	.315	29	18	10	2
2020	21	22	43	.512	15	18	8	3
2021	20	20	65	.308	16	17	8	3
2022	30	34	92	.370	23	16	9	8
2023	29	38	88	.430	18	19	9	2
Totals	131	148	396	.374	101	88	44	18