The UCLA women’s water polo team will begin postseason play at the 30th annual Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship Tournament, which starts Friday, April 10, at the Spieker Aquatics Complex hosted by California. The Bruins, seeded third with an 18-3 overall record and a 4-2 mark in conference play, are set to face sixth-seeded Indiana in their opening match at 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time.
This tournament is a significant event for the Bruins as they look to improve on last year’s performance and secure a higher seed for national championship contention. With three games scheduled each day from Friday through Sunday, teams will compete not only for the conference title but also for momentum heading into NCAA postseason competition.
UCLA enters the tournament after dropping its regular-season finale to top-ranked USC on April 4 by a score of 13-11. Five Bruin players scored twice each in that game while goalkeeper Lauren Steele recorded twelve saves. Despite this loss, UCLA remains undefeated against Indiana in program history and recently defeated them decisively earlier this season.
Three seniors—Bia Mantellato, Anna Pearson, and Taylor Smith—were named to the Peter J. Cutino Award Watch List on March 26 by USA Water Polo and The Olympic Club in collaboration with collegiate coaches. Smith leads UCLA with fifty-nine goals this season and was recognized as MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week after her standout performance during February’s Triton Invitational championship run. Mantellato has consistently delivered multi-goal games throughout the year.
The Bruins’ roster features six returning All-Americans along with several key newcomers from both high school ranks and transfer portal additions within the MPSF conference. Coaching changes have also taken place ahead of this postseason: Jason Falitz and Matt Kubeck have been elevated to interim co-head coaches following Adam Wright’s departure from daily operations; Ryann Neushul joins as assistant coach after a decorated playing career.
Looking back at last season, UCLA finished third nationally after falling short in both conference and NCAA tournaments despite entering as defending champions from their perfect season two years prior. As they prepare for another playoff run under new leadership, expectations remain high among players and staff.
