Welome to the USA Weekly, your weekly update on the biggest stories in women’s water polo from the United States.
Over the past weekend, the United States played host to an array of conference finals, culminating in the coronation of both new and returning champions. Notably, the MPSF witnessed a stunning performance by the Stanford Cardinal, who managed to overcome the top-ranked USC Trojans. Meanwhile, both the UC Irvine and Fresno State Bulldogs successfully defended their titles from the previous season in the Big West and Golden Coast Conferences, respectively. Additionally, Princeton emerged victorious in the CWPA championship.
Despite the success enjoyed by these winning sides, their work is far from over. In less than ten days, six conference champions, along with the remaining top four teams from the MPSF conference, will gather at the University of the Pacific to compete in the NCAA national championship finals. The stakes are high and the competition is sure to be fierce, leaving no room for complacency among these newly crowned champions.
MPSF
There was something of a surprise in the MPSF Conference finals as Stanford retained their title with a 12-7 win over USC in the final on Sunday.
USC were the bookies’ favourites going into the clash, having finished top of the regular season which included a 17-12 win against the Cardinal. However, there was no doubt that the reigning champions were the better team in this meeting – the only one that really matters – securing Stanford’s seventh MPSF conference title.
John Tanner’s team were successful thanks to an electric start that saw them jump 5-1 ahead after eight minutes. USC narrowed the deficit at half-time (7-4), but a gutsy defensive display ensured that Stanford held off the Trojans. Aria Fischer was Stanford’s main attacking outlet, finding a quad in the game; Team USA’s Jenna Flyn and Jewel Roemer, as well as Sophie Wallace, all found the target twice.
There was also a surprise in the third-place game, as a sensational display from the Cal Bears saw them sink UCLA 12-11 courtesy of Claire Rowell’s late hat-trick goal. Only 0:18 remained on the clock when Rowell bagged the winner in a snatch and grab victory for the Bears, but they deserved the win, with hat-trick heroes Rozanne Voorvelt and Lily Turner also playing a big part in the Bears’ victory.
While Arizona State missed out on the NCAA tournament, they enjoyed a successful MPSF tournament, defeating both Indiana (13-10) and San Jose (10-9) in extra-time. The Sun Devils’ Juliette Dhalluin took her overall season tally to 70 goals – no player in the MPSF has scored more than the French international.
Big West
There was an extremely dramatic finish to the championship game in the Big West, with UC Irvine retaining their title with an extra-time win to finish off Hawaii 10-9 in Santa Barbara.
Irvine retain their Big West title. Photo: Jeff Liang/ UC Irvine.
After taking a 6-3 lead in the third quarter, UC Irvine looked to be on the cusp of victory. However, Hawaii’s Libby Gault managed to score a buzzer-beater, cutting the deficit to just two heading into the final quarter. Hawaii rallied and scored two unanswered goals to send the game into extra time with the score tied at 6-6. But UC Irvine held their nerve, with goals from Airian Grisham, Kili Skibby, and Libby Alexander ultimately proving enough to secure the championship.
As the Big West winners, UC Irvine have booked their ticket to the NCAA finals, where they will take on UCLA in the quarterfinals. The two teams previously met in a thrilling encounter earlier this season, with the Bruins edging out UC Irvine in a narrow 8-7 victory.
GCC
The Fresno State Bulldogs continue their spell of dominance in the Golden Coast Conference, winning their third successive title against Pacific (5-3). While it was a low-scoring affair, the match was extremely exciting, but the Bulldogs were always ahead in the contest. Jillian Schultz was the only multi-scorer of the game (2 goals).
Fresno State Bulldog’s have won a third GCC title. Photo: John Shaffer/GCC.
The Bulldogs’ latest triumph marks their third straight conference championship and secures their spot in the NCAA championship finals for the third year running. However, the path ahead is fraught with difficulty, with the Bulldogs set to face the formidable USC Trojans in the quarterfinals, a team they clashed with in last season’s competition.
CWPA
In a thrilling finale at the CWPA championship, Princeton triumphed over Harvard to claim their first title since 2015. The Tigers secured a 12-8 victory, thanks in large part to the impressive performances of Kayla Yelensky and Jovana Sekulic. Yelensky notched up four goals, while Sekulic contributed three, playing a pivotal role in securing the Tigers’ fifth conference championship.
Princeton are the CWPA champions. Photo: CWPA.
Harvard, who were looking to avenge their loss in last year’s final, were once again left disappointed as they fell short in their bid for the title. Meanwhile, the Michigan Wolverines clinched third place with a dominant 16-6 win over Saint Francis.
NCAA’s
The regular season of conference play has concluded, and the time has come for the top water polo teams in the nation to vie for the coveted NCAA championship title. The University of the Pacific will play host to the pinnacle event of the season this year.
A total of nine teams have earned the right to compete in the finals, hailing from six different conferences: Big West Conference, Collegiate Water Polo Association, Golden Coast Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and the Western Water Polo Association. Among them are six conference champions, while the remaining three spots have been awarded to USC, California, and UCLA of the MPSF, who have secured ‘at large’ qualifications.
In the opening match of the tournament, LIU and Biola will go head-to-head in the ‘qualifying’ game, with the winner advancing to face Stanford in the first quarter-final. The other three quarter-final matchups will feature UCLA against UC Irvine, Southern California battling against Fresno State and California taking on Princeton.
Qualifiers: 10th May (LIU vs Biola College)
Quarter-finals: 12th May (Stanford vs qualifier UCLA vs UC Irvine, USC vs Fresno State & Cal vs Princeton)
Semi-final: 13th May (Stanford/Qualifier vs UCLA vs Irvine & USC/Fresno State vs Cal/Princeton)
Final: 14th May
Read more about water polo in the USA
Read more about Women’s water polo
