The UCLA women’s water polo team, ranked second nationally and holding a 7-0 record, will compete in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational this week at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, California. The tournament, which starts Friday and concludes Sunday with a championship match, features eight of the top 13 teams in the country, including No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 USC, No. 4 California, and No. 5 Hawai’i.
UCLA’s opening game is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. Pacific Time against Fresno State. Depending on results, they will face either USC or Long Beach State on Saturday.
Tickets for the event must be purchased online prior to arrival and will be delivered via mobile devices for scanning at entry. There will be no tickets sold at the venue on event days.
UCLA has participated in every Barbara Kalbus Invitational since its inception in 2007 and has won titles in 2024, 2015, 2012, and 2008. The Bruins hold strong records against several participating teams: California (66-16), Fresno State (8-0), Hawai’i (59-3), Long Beach State (27-0), Stanford (40-60), UC Irvine (37-0), and USC (56-40).
In their most recent game on February 7 at Spieker Aquatics Center, UCLA defeated No. 12 UC Irvine with a score of 15-10. Bia Mantellato led with four goals while Taylor Smith contributed three goals.
So far this season, UCLA has faced tough competition from five top-10 ranked opponents—USC, Hawai’i, Arizona State, Long Beach State, and Fresno State—and remains undefeated in those matches with an average goal differential of +7.6.
According to the latest CWPA Women’s Varsity Top 25 poll released Wednesday, UCLA is ranked No. 2 after moving up from third place following their Triton Invitational championship win. The top five are rounded out by Stanford at No.1, followed by USC at No.3, California at No.4 and Hawai’i at No.5.
Taylor Smith was named MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week on February 3 after leading her team to victory at the Triton Invitational with a total of sixteen points across four games—fifteen of which were goals—and also contributing defensively with steals and field blocks during that stretch.
The Bruins’ roster includes six returning All-Americans for the current season: Anna Pearson (First-Team selection), Lauren Steele and Emma Lineback (Second-Team selections), Bia Mantellato and Genoa Rossi (Honorable Mention picks), as well as Taylor Smith who was a Third-Team All-American in 2023.
Additionally, three goalkeepers return this year: Lauren Steele—a two-time All-American—alongside Izzy Rosensitto and Joey Niz.
The squad welcomes nine freshmen this season: six true freshmen joined by three redshirt freshmen from last year’s class.
Three transfers have also joined UCLA’s roster for the season: Janna Tauscher from California; Zoë Frangieh from Arizona State; and Fanni Muzsnay from USC.
Nine players who made significant contributions last season are back for another campaign while two others—Natasha Kieckhafer and Maile Turner—will redshirt due to injuries.
There have been changes within the coaching staff as Adam Wright steps away from daily operations as head coach of women’s water polo for UCLA this year. Jason Falitz has been promoted to interim co-head coach alongside Matt Kubeck; both currently lead the team to its undefeated start so far this season. Ryann Neushul joins as assistant coach after achieving notable success as a player at Stanford University.
Last season saw UCLA finish with an overall record of 20-6 (.769) including a conference record of 5-1 (.833). The Bruins entered postseason play as the top seed but lost to Stanford in overtime during the MPSF final before falling to USC in NCAA semifinals.
