The UCLA women’s water polo team defeated California 10-9 in the third-place game of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship Tournament on April 12. The match took place at Spieker Aquatics Complex, with UCLA as the third seed and California as the fourth seed.
Both teams are now waiting for the announcement of at-large selections for the 2026 National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship, which will be hosted by UC San Diego from April 22 to April 26. The field of ten teams will be revealed during a selection show broadcast on NCAA.com at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday.
Elektra Urbatsch led UCLA with her third hat trick in three days, scoring three goals. Bia Mantellato, Taylor Smith, and Tali Stryker each added two goals for UCLA. Goalkeeper Lauren Steele recorded thirteen saves in this game and finished with forty-one saves over the tournament. For California, Maria Bogachenko scored three goals while Talia Fonseca made seven saves.
The match began with Cal scoring first on a power play before Urbatsch responded quickly for UCLA. Stryker scored twice in succession and Urbatsch added another goal just before the end of the first quarter to give UCLA a three-goal lead. Cal rallied early in the second quarter to tie the score by halftime.
In a closely contested second half, both teams exchanged leads until late goals from Emma Lineback and Taylor Smith helped secure victory for UCLA. Mantellato’s defensive steal near the end sealed their win despite one last push from California.
