The UCLA women’s water polo team, ranked second nationally with a 9-1 record, is set to begin Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) play against No. 4 California (8-2) this Saturday. The match will take place at Spieker Aquatic Complex in Berkeley at 1 p.m. PT. Fans can watch the game live on Overnght or follow live scoring via 6-8 Sports.
UCLA leads the all-time series against California with a record of 68-16. Their most recent meeting ended in a narrow 15-14 victory for UCLA on April 26, 2025.
The Bruins recently finished as runners-up at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational in Irvine, losing to top-ranked Stanford 8-7 in the final after nearly erasing an early deficit. Emma Lineback and Bia Mantellato each scored two goals, while Lauren Steele recorded 13 saves, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. In the semifinal, UCLA defeated No. 3 USC 10-9, highlighted by Mantellato’s six goals and five earned exclusions. Taylor Smith contributed two goals, and Steele made a season-high 14 saves.
Mantellato was a key player throughout the tournament, scoring ten goals over three games along with five assists and eleven earned exclusions. She currently ranks second on the team with 24 goals this season and has logged four hat tricks and seven multi-goal games.
UCLA’s schedule has included matchups against several highly ranked opponents. The team has faced seven teams from the top ten of that week’s CWPA Women’s Varsity Top 25 poll and holds a record of 6-1 in those contests, with an average margin of victory of over five goals per game.
In national rankings, UCLA remains at No. 2 in the latest CWPA Women’s Varsity Top 25 poll behind Stanford and ahead of USC and California.
Senior attacker Taylor Smith was named MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week on February 3 after leading UCLA to a Triton Invitational championship with fifteen goals across four games. Smith has now received three MPSF Player of the Week awards during her career.
The Bruins’ roster features six returning All-Americans for the upcoming season: Anna Pearson (First-Team), Lauren Steele and Emma Lineback (Second-Team), Bia Mantellato and Genoa Rossi (Honorable Mention), as well as Taylor Smith (Third-Team). Many are also returning All-MPSF selections.
UCLA returns three goalkeepers who have all seen playing time: Lauren Steele, Izzy Rosensitto, and Joey Niz.
This year’s roster includes nine freshmen—six true freshmen joined by three redshirts—who are expected to contribute immediately. Additionally, three transfers have joined from within the MPSF: Janna Tauscher from California, Zoë Frangieh from Arizona State, and Fanni Muzsnay from USC.
Nine players from last year’s squad also return after making significant contributions during the previous season. Some members will redshirt due to injury recovery.
There have been coaching changes ahead of this season. Adam Wright stepped away from his role as head coach for day-to-day operations in women’s water polo. Jason Falitz and Matt Kubeck have been appointed interim co-head coaches; they currently hold a combined record of 7-0 since taking over. Former Stanford player Ryann Neushul joins as assistant coach.
Last season, UCLA finished with an overall record of 20-6 (.769), going 5-1 (.833) in conference play for third place nationally after reaching both MPSF and NCAA tournament semifinals but falling short of repeating their championship titles from their undefeated run in 2024.
